Best time to visit New Mexico?

My sister moved to New Mexico a few years ago and I'm considering visiting her sometime later this year. I asked her when the best time to visit from a photographic standpoint was and she responded that she didn't know. She has commented on the large number of hummingbirds they get in late summer and on the wonderful color in the Jemez Mountains (where she lives) in fall when the aspen are changing colors.

With Kerry's interest in landscapes, he'd like to visit White Sands. What other sites would be worth visiting if we were going to be there for a week? And when would you suggest that we visit? (Keeping in mind that we'd want to spend a day or two with my sister.) If we went before Nov. (preferable in terms of visiting her given that she gets snow in early Oct.), would a trip to Bosque del Apache be meaningful in terms of finding birds or is that only scenic in Nov. and Dec. during the fall migration?

Thanks in advance.

Meg

If you are going to White Sands, then the Cloud Croft area, in the mountains east of Almagordo and White Sands, is a wonderful place. It has skiing in the winter and the summer is wonderful. There used to be a lot of hummers on the sidewalks of downtown where they put out feeders.

Much of New Mexico is not very scenic, but there are some real treasures. Chaco Canyon, in the northwestern part is great. You have to know it's there and want to get there. There's 20+ miles of dirt road to get there.

Santa Fe and Taos are pretty touristy, but worth seeing. Red River and many of the other ski resorts are good winter or summer.

The Raton area in the far north east corner is neat, too.

Just to the west of Gallup in northwestern Arizona is Canyon de Chelly. It is one of my favorite places in the world. It beats Grand Canyon hands down. There's almost no pollution and not a big crowd. It's another one you have to know it's there and want to get there. The roads are good, too.

Monument Valley in the Four Corners area is pretty nice, too.

That's a starter. I'm sure I'll think of more after I hit Enter.

jn

Thanks Jim. My sister has commented on Almogordo; it's the place she'd like to live (but can't afford).

Hopefully a few others of you who live in the western states will chime in. Right now, we're thinking about going out there in the Aug. to Oct. time frame since Kerry is currently thinking about going to the Smoky Mountains for wildflower season this spring. Suggestions on places to go during that time span would be most appreciated.

Meg

White Sands remains pretty much the same all year long. It's a really cool place and a must see! If you are looking for landscapes I think you should be pleased just about any time, but bird activity will be generally higher in the fall/early winter and pretty dead in the summer. However there are exceptions to that such as hummers, quail, cactus wren, roadrunners and other species that can be found in the summer.

Santa Fe for travel photos should be good any season as well!

I lived there for 11 years. Santa Fe is a first week of October shoot with all of the golden Aspens. Taos pueblo is excellent year round. The Sangre de Cristo mountains are great year round but best in late September through the first week in October as the aspens change from north to south., White sands is great year round but can be very hot in summertime. Bandalier NM is great year round. Don't forget about Carlsbad caverns in the SE part of the state. Tentrocks just north of ABQ is pretty cool for a one day shoot too. The first week of October is the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta - its awesome for photography. Overall if I had to pick one week to visit NM for a large variety of photography it would be the first week of October.

If your family lives down south and Alamogordo might be the better place to visit, I highly suggest the end of October. Even White Sands looks a little different. The little bushes that populate the area will be turning which is a neat color against the white gypsum.

I lived in Cloudcroft for four years and worked down in Alamogordo. Between the two I found Cloudcroft much more appealing. The ability to escape the 100+ degs of the day was enough reason for the extra 20 minute drive up the hill. I kind of agree there isn't much on the spectacle scale down there but I love the terrain. With the blowing dust particles, thunderstorms, and relatively near mountains, I think this area has consistently the best sunsets of any place I've lived--and I've lived a lot of places around the world.

Cheers