I can not believe how lucky this career path has been for me to be able to explore New Mexico. It truly is The Land of Enchantment – I definitely think everyone needs to spend more time stopping here than rushing through.

White Sands National Park (Holloman AFB, NM)
About 1.5 hours north of El Paso is one of my favorite places i’ve ever visited in the United States. Recently upgraded from a National Monument to a National Park, White Sands has a hiking trail, a night time hiking event and is a great place to sled and camp. Worth making a specific trip to NM for sure.

City of Rocks State Park (Faywood, NM)
About 2 hours northwest of El Paso, TX and 30 minutes north of I-10, this awesome state park is just like it sounds: A City of Rocks! You can camp out/RV camp here, stroll through the gargantuan stone sentinels and also take a short drive to the top of a tiny hill that overlooks the park.

Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument (Silver City, NM)
Two hours north of I-10 situation in the Gila National Forest, there are ancient caves and rooms built into the side of a mountain that have been around since the 1200s when they were built by the nomadic Mongollon people. They stayed for a few decades and, as true nomads do, wandered on leaving the amazing ruins that still stand to this day.