Wildflower Boom
Mexican poppies along the Baylor Canyon Pass trail. SHAKE OFF THE WINTER BLAHS on this 5.6-mile trail near Las Cruces that kicks off New Mexico’s wildflower season in spectacular fashion. After a…
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Tag: Hiking & Trails
Five Things to Do This Weekend
Ruidoso offers plenty of spots to hike and bike this weekend. Photograph courtesy of Ruidoso. Seize the weather. Blue skies and highs in the 60s call for outdoor adventures. Opportunities abound…
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Editor's Letter: Killer Weed
The Brazos Cliffs viewed from Brazos Summit on the Highway between Tres Piedras and Tierra Amarilla. Photograph by Laurence Parent. THE FIRST TIME I FELT LIKE A TRUE NEW MEXICAN, it hurt … a lot. My…
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Explore Carlsbad Caverns from Above and Below
Marvel at the otherworldly landscape in Carlsbad Caverns’ Lower Cave. Photograph by Alamy/Chris Howes/Wild Places Photography. PUT THIS ON YOUR 2021 NEW YEAR'S resolution list: Visit Carlsbad Caverns…
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Top 10 Stories for 2020
An estimated 1,700 Rocky Mountain and 1,100 desert bighorn sheep roam the state (from Bighorn Victory, May 2020). Photograph by Minesh Bacrania. LET'S FACE IT: Our attachment to 2020 ranks just below…
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Finding Space in Placitas
DEL AGUA TRAIL SPLITS OFF THE PIEDRA LISA TRAIL, curving gently up a foothill on Sandía Peak’s northern flank before dropping hikers into a copse of cottonwoods and the source of the trail’s name: an…
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Best Hiking Trails at White Sands
Trails can be on sand or a boardwalk—but dogs must be leashed. WHITE SANDS IN SOME WAYS a pathless place. Visitors are welcome to walk over any stretch of bare sand dunes. But these three hikes can…
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One Family's Quest to Complete a 120-Hike Challenge
Rasa Lila O’Donnell pauses to take in the expansive view from an outcrop on the Hermit Peak Trail. LIKE A PRAYER, WE RISE, EAT LIGHTLY, and hustle up switchbacks into the mountains just beyond our…
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A Quick Guide To New Mexico Dragonflies
Above: Shadow darners can be found near ponds, slow streams, and ditches. Photograph by Kitty Leaken. ALTHOUGH THE ANNUAL DRAGONFLY FESTIVAL at Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge, near Roswell, has…
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Roadside Stop: White Rock Overlook
YOU COULD TACK THIS ONTO A VISIT to Los Alamos, just for the view. White Rock Overlook delivers on that score. Take the wheelchair-accessible path to an overhanging structure and gaze down a…
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