Top Reasons to Go

Historic Hotels: History comes alive at the vintage hotels and saloons of the Santa Fe Trail, whether spending the night at Cimarron's St. James Hotel or Las Vegas's Plaza Hotel, or counting the bullet holes in the ceiling of the Eklund Hotel Dining Room & Saloon.

Wide-open spaces: The high plains give a new meaning to solitude. If you're ever feeling crowded or hemmed in by humanity, try driving across Johnson Mesa via NM 72.

High-mountain majesty: The rocky cliffs, pine-covered valleys, and clear streams that form the eastern flank of the Sangre de Cristos offer respite from big-city life and summer temperatures.

Small-town pleasures: Raton and Las Vegas have lively Downtowns with old-fashioned cafés and antiques shops, while smaller villages like Cimarron, Clayton, and Springer look as though transported from an earlier era.