Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Eco-Travel New Mexico: 86 Natural Destinations, Green Hotels, and Sustainable Adventures
    Eco-Travel New Mexico: 86 Natural Destinations, Green Hotels, and Sustainable Adventures
    Eco-Travel New Mexico: 86 Natural Destinations, Green Hotels, and Sustainable Adventures
    Ebook389 pages3 hours

    Eco-Travel New Mexico: 86 Natural Destinations, Green Hotels, and Sustainable Adventures

    By Ashley M. Biggers

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Eco-Travel New Mexico is the essential take-along companion to sustainable travel in New Mexico, on the main trails and off the beaten path. Ashley M. Biggers’s guide delves into the heart of this enchanting land—from stunning natural landscapes to vital cultural areas that give New Mexico its distinctive character. With handy insider tips and insights, the guide takes travelers to eco-friendly destinations, farm-to-table restaurants, and green hotels and introduces them to sustainable outfitters. Complete with recommended hikes and camping areas, Eco-Travel New Mexico gives travelers the tools they need to authentically and responsibly explore their environment.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherUniversity of New Mexico Press
    Release dateSep 30, 2017
    ISBN9780826357052
    Eco-Travel New Mexico: 86 Natural Destinations, Green Hotels, and Sustainable Adventures
    Author

    Ashley M. Biggers

    Born and raised in New Mexico, Ashley M. Biggers is a travel journalist who has contributed to many magazines, including New Mexico Magazine, the Santa Fean, and Beyond. She is the several-times author of the New Mexico True Adventure Guide, the New Mexico Tourism Department’s travel guide, and she is the author of 100 Things to Do in Albuquerque Before You Die, a bucket-list guide to the Duke City. She lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

    Related to Eco-Travel New Mexico

    Related ebooks

    United States Travel For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Travel In A Climate Crisis

      Oct 19, 2021

      WILDFIRES. HURRICANES. DROUGHTS. As climate disasters increase in intensity everywhere on the planet, how do we navigate as caring, conscientious travelers? Obviously, showing up in the days after a disaster and expecting to be waited on would be wor

      2 min read

    • Article

      Rooted

      Oct 19, 2021

      Rooted
      12 min read

    • Article

      Eat, Read, Travel

      Oct 19, 2021

      Eat, Read, Travel
      3 min read

    • Article

      Good Vs Evil

      Oct 19, 2021

      Good Vs Evil
      1 min read

    • Article

      10 Things To Do In Santa Fe

      Apr 22, 2022

      10 Things To Do In Santa Fe
      4 min read

    • Article

      Call Of The Wild

      Oct 19, 2021

      Call Of The Wild
      2 min read

    • Article

      Make Your Visit Count

      Oct 19, 2021

      Make Your Visit Count
      2 min read

    • Article

      Cuba Negra

      Oct 19, 2021

      Cuba Negra
      2 min read

    • Article

      Grand Canyon National Park

      Mar 13, 2019

      Grand Canyon National Park
      3 min read

    • Article

      JAMAICA Portland

      Dec 14, 2021

      JAMAICA Portland
      1 min read

    • Article

      A Land Beyond borders

      Dec 20, 2021

      A Land Beyond borders
      11 min read

    • Article

      Deep South, USA Footnotes

      Jun 2, 2022

      Deep South, USA Footnotes
      3 min read

    • Article

      Texas Warmth

      Jan 16, 2023

      Texas Warmth
      2 min read

    • Article

      Fish Out of Water

      Jul 1, 2020

      Fish Out of Water
      17 min read

    • Article

      Ethiopia

      Mar 4, 2021

      Ethiopia
      3 min read

    • Article

      DENMARK copenhagen

      Dec 14, 2021

      DENMARK copenhagen
      4 min read

    • Article

      CHILE arica & parinacota

      Dec 14, 2021

      CHILE arica & parinacota
      1 min read

    • Article

      Art Of The Skunk

      Jul 12, 2022

      Art Of The Skunk
      6 min read

    • Article

      Heard Around the West

      Oct 1, 2023

      Heard Around the West
      3 min read

    • Article

      VIETNAM phong Nha

      Dec 14, 2021

      VIETNAM phong Nha
      1 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Eco-Travel New Mexico

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Eco-Travel New Mexico - Ashley M. Biggers

      Albuquerque and the Central Rio Grande

      Albuquerque and the central Rio Grande are often treated as waypoints rather than destinations of their own merit. Indeed, the heart of New Mexico has long been a place of passage. It was a significant stopover on the El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, a trading route in the 1600s, then for the railroads in the 1800s, and on Route 66 in the 1900s. Today it’s home to the state’s major airport, the Albuquerque International Sunport, and Interstate 25 and Interstate 40 meet in a high-flying interchange. It’s a place of arrivals—and, far too often, quick departures.

      Here, Albuquerque’s greater metropolitan area spreads concrete, steel, and asphalt over more than a hundred miles. Even in this cosmopolitan region however, nature is never far. Open space punctuates the city with sagebrush mesas and piñon woodlands coasting over foothills to the Sandia Mountain Wilderness. To the north and south of the city, rugged and fascinating landscapes await at Ojito and Manzano Mountain Wilderness areas. The meandering Rio Grande cuts a wide swath through the region, bookended by a two-hundred-mile-long cottonwood forest and establishing a fertile growing region that in recent years has transformed the city into a destination for farm-to-table cuisine.

      Cultural Areas

      1.  Petroglyph National Monument

      VITAL STATS

      Nearest Town: Albuquerque

      Recommended Visit Time: Half day

      Best Season to Visit: Year round

      Kid Friendly: Yes

      Visitor Information: The visitor center is open daily 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Check for abbreviated hours on holidays. See below for more information on visiting the day-use areas. There are no entrance fees, but parking fees may apply.

      Getting There: From Albuquerque, take I-40 west. At exit 154, take Unser Blvd. north 3 miles to Western Trail. Turn west (left) onto Western Trail and follow the road to the visitor center. Please note: GPS users, searching for Petroglyph National Monument will lead you to a local neighborhood or the monument’s administrative office, which is not open to visitors. To reach the visitor center, use the following coordinates: latitude: 35.139; longitude: 106.711. The park is for day use only; each of the trailhead parking lots close at 5 p.m. Visitors may hike the Volcanoes Day Use Area, Rinconada Canyon, and Piedras Marcadas Canyon from sunrise to sunset by parking outside the gates.

      A masked face, its mouth forming a curious o. The outline of a bird, its tail feathers suggesting an exotic macaw. The sinuous line of a serpent. A spiral. A handprint. These images and others—some twenty-five thousand of them—make up one of the largest petroglyph fields in North America on the edge of New Mexico’s largest city. There, in the volcanic boulders of what is now Albuquerque’s West Mesa, between four hundred and seven hundred years ago, Ancestral Puebloans carved images of their world: the seasons, wildlife, and what they prayed for and what they feared. Here, as the urban landscape presses ever toward the monument’s boundaries, the petroglyphs create a place where one can feel the presence of people long departed, though a culture not forgotten. The place has deep spiritual meaning for today’s Pueblo Indians, whose ancestors lived and farmed along the Rio Grande Valley. At first, Ancestral Puebloans struck the basalt with hammerstones, removing the dark surface to reveal a lighter, unvarnished layer. Later, they used two stones, similar to a hammer and a chisel, which allowed them to peck images with greater detail. In a world through which they walked so softly, this is one of the few places they intentionally left their marks, to teach their children history, culture, and spiritual beliefs. The messages related there don’t end with the Ancestral Puebloans: Spanish settlers carved a small number of images in the rocks during the 1700s. Unfortunately, modern-day graffiti also peppers the petroglyph site. Taking the long view, these markings will someday reflect a culture long past. However, that’s no reason to mar the landscape. Refrain from leaving the trail, disturbing the images, or marking the landscape yourself. According to Pueblo elders, the petroglyphs choose when and to whom to reveal themselves. So hiking this landscape, you may not see them all. Move slowly, look carefully, and they may show themselves.

      RECOMMENDED HIKE: RINCONADA CANYON

      Distance: 2.2 miles round trip

      Difficulty: Easy

      Getting There: Rinconada Canyon lies 1 mile south of the visitor center. Follow the signs to the parking area.

      The sandy trail leads over dunes into a canyon, then follows the northern escarpment, providing views of some three hundred petroglyphs (you might need binoculars to see some) along a 1.1-mile stretch. Once you’ve reached the head of the canyon, retrace your steps to the trailhead to return.

      RECOMMENDED HIKE: VOLCANOES DAY USE AREA—JA VOLCANO AND ALBUQUERQUE OVERLOOK

      Distance: 1 mile round trip

      Difficulty: Easy

      Getting There: Follow I-40 west to Atrisco Vista Blvd. Take that road north, past Shooting Range Access Rd. The signed entrance road will be on the east (right) side of the road.

      Petroglyph National Monument also protects a trio of volcanoes that define Albuquerque’s western horizon. Accessed via an alternate route than that to the main petroglyph area, this section offers trails around the base and to the summit of the volcanoes. The JA Volcano and Albuquerque Overlook trail is an easy out and back leading to a scenic view of the Rio Grande Valley—and one of the best spots to watch the sunset in the city.

      FOR MORE INFORMATION

      Headquarters Administration Offices

      6001 Unser Blvd. NW, Albuquerque, NM 87120

      (505) 899-0205 x335

      www.nps.gov/petr

      Lodging

      2.  Desert Harbor

      VITAL STATS

      Nearest Town: Albuquerque

      Recommended Visit Time: Two-night minimum; a week is recommended

      Best Season to Visit: Year round

      Rooms: One casita

      Rates: From $159 per night

      Amenities: Full organic breakfast; life coaching, spiritual direction, massage therapy, and private yoga sessions available on request for additional fees (no TV, telephone, or Wi-Fi)

      Kid Friendly: Yes, though it’s set up for personal retreats

      Getting There: From Albuquerque, take I-40 east. Take exit 175 heading north on NM 14 toward Cedar Crest for 14.5 miles. After the Santa Fe County line, take the first left on Puertocito Rd. Guests will receive more detailed instructions upon reservation.

      While proprietor Raymond Linam was traveling in Asia, he had a vision inspiring him to open a guest retreat in the United States. In Asia, during his own quest to reset, Linam found unsurpassed hospitality and a healing atmosphere. Although the idea sparked then, it wasn’t until years later, in 2008, after he relocated to New Mexico, that the idea sprouted. On a thirty-four-acre plot between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, he and his wife, Wesley, built a straw-bale home. A self-trained builder, Linam then added a guest cottage with the lightest footprint he could envision, placing the concrete forms on pilings to minimize its impact on the desertscape. They dubbed the retreat a harbor to emphasize its status as a place of refuge and shelter.

      The intimate, six-hundred-square-foot cottage sits away from the main house against a multicolored sandstone cliff, from the top of which guests can take in one-hundred-mile views. On the main floor, the open-concept space encloses a comfortable bed, light-drenched reading nook, kitchenette, and bathroom, where a chalkboard conveys a poem and invites the guest to write a new one. The loft holds two twin beds. The space is minimal without being austere. Touches of maritime decor reflect the harbor theme without being heavy handed. Ever the maker, Linam constructed or upcycled the furniture. (The front porch swing was formerly a 1930s love seat.) The simplicity, Linam says, creates a blank space for re-creation; guests often come to navigate times of great change, such as overcoming the death of a spouse, experiencing dramatic weight loss, or choosing a new career. Solar powers the cottage. Just outside, guests can soak in a secluded wood fire–heated hot tub. So guests don’t have to interrupt their solace, Linam delivers a full, organic breakfast to the cottage. Dinner is available—at an additional fee—on select evenings.

      Although the model could easily be replicated to add other lodgings across the property, the Linams opted to focus on lavish hospitality for a few. We want them to feel comfortable and be nurtured, Raymond says. Part of that nurturing takes place in one of the newly constructed outbuildings, which he likens to a chapel. It’s a simple enclosure—built with bone pile wood from a local mill and a corrugated metal roof—with comfortable reading chairs where guests can consult with Wesley Linam, a licensed counselor and certified spiritual director, or receive massage therapy or a private yoga session from practitioners Desert Harbor will bring in for the occasion, all at additional fees. Visitors are welcome to hike freely across the thirty-four-acre property, which feels delightfully disconnected, although it’s relatively convenient to Albuquerque and Santa Fe, big cities that bookend NM 14. A pier-like overlook has become a popular destination for elopement ceremonies, which Raymond Linam can officiate. When it’s not in use as a wedding locale, Linam hangs a hammock and puts out a reading chair from which guests can commune with the natural surrounds.

      FOR MORE INFORMATION

      4761 Puertocito Rd., Sandia Park, NM 87047

      (505) 252-0558

      www.desertharborretreat.com

      3.  Hotel Andaluz

      VITAL STATS

      Nearest Town: Albuquerque

      Recommended Visit Time: One night or longer

      Best Season to Visit: Year round

      Rooms: 107 rooms

      Rates: From $159 per night

      Amenities: On-site restaurant and bar, valet parking, guest access to nearby fitness gym

      Kid Friendly: Yes, though it’s better suited for adults

      Getting There: Hotel Andaluz is located in downtown Albuquerque.

      Sustainable design doesn’t have to compromise style. The proof? Hotel Andaluz, which seamlessly blends green features and Spanish-Moroccan contemporary decor. The hotel has the unique distinction of being both on the National Register of Historic Places and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified by the US Green Building Council. First, the history: It was the first hotel in New Mexico constructed by Socorro, New Mexico, native Conrad Hilton (yes, that Hilton), though not the first property the entrepreneur built. At its 1939 opening, it was the tallest building in New Mexico. Over the years, downtown skyscrapers dwarfed the property; the building morphed through identities as Hotel Plaza, Hotel Bradford, and La Posada de Albuquerque. It reopened as Hotel Andaluz in 2009 after a major overhaul, and it remains one of the city’s sleekest boutique

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1