American West Cities, Pueblos and Ghost Towns
New Mexico Scenic Byways
New Mexico Mountains and National Forests
New Mexico Ski Areas
Wineries and Wine Cellars of the Old West
New Mexico Links
Ruidoso New Mexico:
Cabins and Cottages
RV Parks and Campgrounds
Hotels, Motels
Driving from Santa Fe, Albuquerque or El Paso to Ruidoso goes for miles through high desert terrain. The colors of the surroundings are impressive. Deep reds and yellows combined with endless blue skies makes the trip an adventure in its own right. When nearing Ruidoso New Mexico the roads suddenly go up into the mountains. Mountains and forest surround the area. Light and colors change. The smell of fresh forest, the sound of birds and the drop in temperature to below 80 degrees and a low humidity in summer time are welcoming you to Ruidoso New Mexico. During winter time the
Ruidoso is a mountain paradise get-a-way. Ruidoso is an outdoors destination, with skiing and snowboarding at Ski Apache, golfing year-round, hiking in the Lincoln National Forest, mountain biking and fishing, horseback riding and hunting. There are miles of trails for 4 wheel drive enthusiasts. Ruidoso has been a vacation retreat for decades and continues to attract thousands of tourists yearly. With 300 days of sunshine and over 100 inches of annual snowfall, visitors find endless skiing and year-round outdoor adventure. Ruidoso offers the infinite possibilities available in one destination.
Ruidoso is a popular summer destination, when its elevation of 6,900 feet keeps maximum temperatures below 80 degrees and mountain rains drissle down. Tourists and locals enjoy the horse races, the casinos and the outdoor living. There is no rush hour in this mountain paradise. The horse race track is famed for its quarter-horse races and the All-American Futurity. There are 3 world class casinos and 5 golf courses in Ruidoso. Both in Ruidoso as well as in the surrounding mountains and forest is abundant wildlife: elk, deer, the occasional mountain lions and bears, and the many birds in splendid blue, yellow and orange colors.
Equaly popular is winter in Ruidoso when daytime highs average in the mid-50s and skiers and snowboarders marvel downhill in sunshine and T-shirts! Ski Apache produces great powder snow at an altitude of 11,000-plus feet and with the New Mexico arid climate and sunshine. With the light, dry, fluffy powder and the low water content this snow makes for the best skiing conditions you will ever experience.
During fall Ruidoso is breath taking with temperatures in the high-60s and colors of the Aspen changing from green to gold. The Golden Aspen Motorcycle Rally is a top hit in September. Hunters try their hunting skills on turkey and mule deer.
A rich landscape has been a constant framework for Ruidoso throughout its history. The Sierra Blanca Mountain towers majestically over the Mountain Resort. Flyfishing for trout is the ultimate outdoors activitiy as soon as the snow melts into the prestine Bonito Lake, Rio Bonito and Rio Ruidoso.
For mountain bikers Ruidoso offers many scenic trails through mountains, forest and along mountain streams. Playing tennis or climbing rock up a 45% cliff in a high altitude environment gives that special rush. For some water adventure try the classic boat trips ath the Mescalero Lake. To see Ruidoso from the air take a hang glider and fly through the air from the Sacramento Mountains over White Sands and through the Sierra Blanca Mountains. Or try a hot air balloon for a ride over White Sands.
Ruidoso offers 5 golf courses. The Links is nestled in a high mountain valley. The Mescalero golf course is the most prestine course in the area with the Sierra Blance as back drop. Crea Meadows was designed by professional golfers. All are 18-hole, PGA-rated championship courses.
Horseback and donkey riding through the Lincoln National Forest will be popular with your family and friends. There are many opportunities for gold panning. Outdoor options are vast, with terrain so varied you can hike along the Rio Bonito and Rio Ruidoso at 6,900 feet one day, then horseback ride above our timberline of 11,000 feet the next day. Whatever outdoor adventure you are into, relax at a spa or pamper yourself with a massage in one of the many beauty parlors.
Tourists and locals love to stay in one of those Ruidoso traditional wood cabins surrounded by tall pine trees on top of the mountains, overlooking the area.
Ruidoso Downtown offers a wonderful shopping street with stores and galleries selling luxury clothes, fun T-shirts and cowboy hats, hiking and mountain biking gear, Western and Indian arts and crafts, furniture, Indian jewelry and everything for your horse. In the same Downtown are wineries and top-class restaurants. Ruidoso is a very friendly mountain resort village. Local business owners are proud of their stores and keep their shops in top shape.
Another attraction is the stunning
History has no bounderies in Ruidoso New Mexico. The Lincoln County War was fought in the back yard of Ruidoso between rivaling store keepers. Billy the Kid was one of the outlaws involved in the War. Billy the Kid was a clever killer, an expert bushwacker who would not hesitate to shoot from ambush or fire a bullet into an enemy his back. You still can relive the good ol' West. Pay a visit to the Court House in Lincoln where Billy the Kid shoot Sheriff Garret. Take a historic Stagecoach Ride over the Old Santa Fe Trail. Travelers are treated to sweeping mountain vistas of the Sierra Blanca and the Capitan Mountain Range. Enjoy a Chuck Wagon Supper and Western Stage Show at the Flying J Ranch. Visit Fort Stanton, a unique site of unprecedented historical significance. Be a Pony Express rider of the Old West and deliver the mail from horseback. Enjoy cowboy stories, Dutch Oven dinners, guitar music around a campfire and listen to the good advice of horse whisperers at the Cowboy Symposium.
For more information on Ruidoso New Mexico visit www.hombregordito.com and www.ruidosovisitorscenter.org
Can not wait to hear more about Ruidoso New Mexico, drop us a line info@travelingnewmexico.com or call 1877-466-2734
