Ruidoso, NM Day Trips
The Village of Ruidoso sits on the east side of the Sacramento
Mountains at an elevation of about 7,000 feet. As you travel any
direction out of town the tall pines transition to pinon and juniper
trees with lots of grassland. Then it turns into high desert terrain
at the lower elevations. The changes in landscape are dramatic and
can be best appreciated by touring the area.
Day trips from Ruidoso may include history, activities or just plain
enjoyment of “seeing the sights”. The most popular destinations
include Ski Apache, Lake Bonito, Mescalero Apache Reservation,
Lincoln National Forest, Fort Stanton, Cloudcroft and Alamogordo
with White Sands National Monument.
The drive to Ski Apache on Hwy. 532 takes just 30 to 45 minutes from
Ruidoso. You gain almost 3,000 feet of vertical as you wind up the
mountain road with some eye opening switchbacks. Pause at Windy
Point, the scenic overlook, just after the 9 mile marker. The views
are spectacular as you gaze back towards Ruidoso and the surrounding
countryside. Continue a couple of miles to the gate at Ski Apache
and drive on in. The bathrooms are located on the slope-side of the
building with the clock tower. The winter months are busy with
skiers, but the other months offer beautiful surroundings for the
perfect picnic. In the summer an early arrival will usually be
greeted with the sight of many elk grazing on the lower ski slopes.
Head out of town west on Hwy. 70 and you will quickly enter the
Mescalero Apache Reservation. In less than a one hour drive find
Alamogordo that features the oldest zoo in the southwest and the New
Mexico Museum of Space History. Just 15 minutes further west on Hwy.
70 you will come to the entrance to White Sands, New Mexico’s most
popular national monument. Check out the visitor’s center for some
interesting geologic history of the area. Then drive the loop
through the huge gypsum sand dunes that sprawl over 300 square miles
across the Tularosa Basin. Get out and take your shoes off to enjoy
some sand play with frisbees, balls or toy gliders.
Try the Billy the Kid Scenic Byway for a great tour of Lincoln
County. It can be done in a half day as the 70 mile triangle runs
north to Capitan, then East through Lincoln to Hondo and then back
west to Ruidoso. You will find many places to stop and soak up some
history or just the sights along the way. In Ruidoso Downs near the
race track is the Scenic Byway visitor’s center with interpretive
exhibits regarding the communities along the route and their
history.
More information about day trip destinations:
Fort Stanton
White Oaks
Lincoln
Capitan
Cloudcroft
Alamogordo
White Sands
Alameda Park & Zoo
New Mexico Museum of Space History
Oliver Lee Memorial State Park
Carrizozo
Mescalero
Billy the Kid Scenic Byway
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