Living on the edge: Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument appears much as it did when the Mogollon people inhabited the rock houses in the late 13th century.
Sandia Peak Tramway Sandia Peak Tram, the world’s longest aerial tramway, is a slow, gentle lift that climbs 2.7 miles to the peak of the Sandia Mountains. Reaching the top at 10,378 feet, visitors can see more than 11,000 square miles on a clear day. From the tramcar, riders see striking views of interesting rock formations and sometimes even mule deer, black bear, raccoons, bobcats and golden eagles that live on the mountain. At the crest, visitors can enjoy 24 miles of hiking trails that offer fabulous views down the mountain.
Engineering marvel: The Sandia Peak Tramway climbs 4,000 feet in about 18 minutes, depositing riders at the top of Sandia Peak.
Chaco Culture National Historical Park Since the 1890s, when the first major excavations of Chaco Canyon in northwestern New Mexico were undertaken, archaeologists have found scientific treasure in the ruins of the Anasazi culture in southeastern San Juan County. In about A.D. 850, the Anasazi—or the Ancient Ones, as the Navajos call them—produced a flowering of a civilization that vanished as quickly as it had bloomed. Over the next three centuries, Chaco Canyon near Nageezi was transformed from a community of crude surface dwellings into a complex of elaborate stone pueblos. By the early 1200s, however, the great stone cities were deserted, the likely victim of an extended drought.
The ancient ones: Chaco Canyon, a major center of ancestral Pueblo culture, was a hub of ceremony, trade and administration for the prehistoric Four Corners area.
White Sands National Monument Deep in southern New Mexico lies a vast sea of glistening snow white dunes that continually draws visitors from across the world. One of the nation’s top geologic treasures, White Sands National Monument was formed by gypsum, hydrated calcium, deposited at the bottom of a shallow sea that covered the region some 250 million years ago. Only a few plants grow rapidly enough to survive burial by the silky, finegrained sand. Surrounding the park is the 4,000 square-mile White Sands Missile Range.
Shifting sands: White Sands National Monument is part of the world’s largest gypsum dune field, where glistening dunes rise 60 feet high and cover 275 square miles.