NM road trip - recommendations please!

Hello Mountain Project people! We're visiting NM for a climbing road trip through most of October and November and we're looking for recommendations. We've visited before as a part of a Route 66 adventure and only just scratched the surface, climbing at The Box, Jemez and a couple of other places. Any suggestions bearing in mind the season / likely weather. Happy with trad or sport, 5.9 to 5.11. We'll be driving through Texas on the way there and back, and might stray into CO or AZ depending on the weather etc, so ideas there also very welcome, as are any "must visit" natural wonders along the way. Many thanks in advance for your help! 

Cheers, Dom 

Organ Mountains

Organ mountains and Carlsbad caverns. You might be able to get a permit for one of the wild caverns, if that's your thing - one has a 100m rap to get in. White Sands is also worth a stop, nearish to there.

Up north, white rock and capulin if you like cracks. Sandias if you like adventure trad. El Rito for sport. That time of year, pretty much everywhere in the state is climbable, though you might need to be careful with route selection, start times, and sun exposure (which you could arguably also say at every other time of the year in NM).

Last Chance Canyon southern NM

You didn’t mention bouldering, but City of Rocks State Park near Silver City is a fun stop. Even if you don’t climb, camping among the rock formations is a cool experience. 

Taos, don't miss it. More rock variety and options from single to multi than almost any other area in NM. Perfect temps and fall colors at that time too.

Enchanted Tower in Datil is awesome for sport.  It's a giant inverted pyramid.  The dungeon in Los Alamos is also really good for sport.  If you go to El Rito be sure to eat at El Farolito.  It as some of the best green chile I have ever tasted.  You can bring your own beer as well.  For culture check out Acoma pueblo if you're on the Arizona side of the state.  It is the longest continually inhabited place in the United states, it sits on top of a mesa and consists of adobe houses and kivas.  Also Ojo Caliente hot springs near Tres Piedras or other hippy hot springs in the Jemez.

Man, I need to get back down there!

Thanks everyone - plenty of great beta there! Keep it coming :-) 

Specifically on Enchanted Tower I read there are access issues and a new, longer approach drive on a dirt road. Is there any way that we could get there with a 25ft RV? Probably a stupid question but I'm an optimist! Cheers, Dom 

Dominicwrote:

Thanks everyone - plenty of great beta there! Keep it coming :-) 

Specifically on Enchanted Tower I read there are access issues and a new, longer approach drive on a dirt road. Is there any way that we could get there with a 25ft RV? Probably a stupid question but I'm an optimist! Cheers, Dom 

The tower and an RV won't mix. 

I'll second David's suggestion of Mentmore. Not a huge destination but some surprsingly good lines of all sorts of difficulty. Quite. Beautiful in it's strange way. There is also lots of potential for Trad lines not on MP in the area. A local climber I was speaking to pointed out many lines he had done west of the main Mentmore area that he liked.

if you're down south i'd highly recommend cochise in az

Hi Folks. Many thanks for all the great beta and psych! We've kicked off our road trip and are working our way north to south (hopefully surfing the wave of perfect conditions as we lose altitude). First stop Taos for Comales Canyon, Dead Cholla, and Utopian Vistas; then Tres Piedras and El Rito. Just arrived in Los Alamos. 

If you are interested in following progress and getting a visitor's perspective of all the fabulous climbing in your wonderful State we're keeping a blog - first post here: https://rockaroundtheworld.co.uk/2023/09/29/new-mexico-road-trip-first-stop-taos/

Otherwise, keep an eye out for a huge RV parked up at the crag (we're trying to be considerate!) and say "Hi!" 

Cheers, Dom and Helen