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Red River Ski Area

Half-price weekends during the beginning of December and deals on multiday stays including accommodations make this resort even more appealing. 800-331-7669; www.redriverskiarea.com; half-/full-day lift tickets $41/55.

Red River Ski Resort

Kid-friendly ski resort that’s also good for newbies. Tree glades and chutes for more advanced riders. 800-331-7669; www.redriverskiarea.com; half-/full-day lift tickets $41/55; Dec-Mar;

Taos Ski Valley

Check the resort website for ski-and-stay deals, including week-long packages with room, board, lessons and lift tickets. 866-250-7274; www.skitaos.org; half-/full-day lift tickets $47/63

SLEEP & EAT

Alpine Lodge

Go online for specials, from college day room discounts, kids-stay-and-ski-free deals and early-season lift-ticket discounts. Condos sleep six. 575-754-2952, 800-252-2333; www.thealpinelodge.com; 417 Main St, Red River; d $74-86, condos $185-312

Bull o’ the Woods Saloon

This is one of a handful of pubs that bring in live country bands on weekends. 575-754-2593; Main St, Red River

Roasted Clove

This long-established restaurant is everyone’s favorite fine dining. 575-377-0636; www.roastedclove.com; 48 N Angel Fire Rd, Angel Fire; mains $17-35; 5pm-10pm Wed-Mon

Shotgun Willie’s

BBQ is the house special, but the breakfasts are the perfect hang-over cure. 575-754-6505; cnr Main St & Pioneer Rd, Red River; mains $6-12; 7am-7pm

Snakedance Condominiums & Spa

Check online for ski-and-stay specials. This giant place at the bottom of the lifts offers ski-lodge–style accommodation with loads of amenities. 800-322-9815; www.snakedancecondos.com; 110 Sutton Pl; r $65-250;

Taos Cow Ice Cream

Famous for all-natural ice cream, baked goods and subs. 505-776-5640; 485 Hwy 150; mains & cones $2-7; 7am-7pm

Tim’s Stray Dog Cantina

Fabulous northern New Mexican cuisine, fresh margaritas and a big selection of bottled brews. 505-776-2894; 105 Sutton Pl; mains $4-12; breakfast, lunch and dinner

USEFUL WEBSITES

www.enchantedcircle.org

www.taosvacationguide.com

LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner

TRIP

44 Fiber Arts Trail

47 Take the High Road…and the Low Road

55 Rafting & Fishing the Rio Grande

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Return to beginning of chapter

Rock It: A Geology Expedition

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WHY GO University of New Mexico geology professor Yemane Asmerom takes us across lava flows and through canyons of pink volcanic tuff to rocks rich in dinosaur bones, shows us where to collect fossils, and directs us to some great geology museums on this trip into New Mexico’s geologic past.

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TIME

5 days

DISTANCE

200 miles

BEST TIME TO GO

Dec – Mar

START

Albuquerque, NM

END

Taos, NM

ALSO GOOD FOR

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Fuel up for rock hunting with a plate of huevos rancheros at Flying Star, Asmerom’s favorite Nob Hill haunt. Then begin your exploration of New Mexico geology with a visit to the University of New Mexico (UNM). Examine the state’s rocks, minerals and fossils at the on-site Geology Museum and take a few minutes to read up on the area’s plate-tectonic and paleoclimatic history. Down the hall, explore the solar system at the Meteorite Museum, which boasts a one-ton meteorite, before heading west on Central Ave to the Museum of Natural History, where you can walk through the interior of a volcano, complete with not particularly realistic boiling lava below your feet.

For a good night’s rest, Asmerom recommends Nora Dixon Place in his rural hometown of Corrales. Walk a half-mile down the road to the Rio Grande bosque or sit in the courtyard to watch the setting sun turn the Sandia Mountains watermelon. Though it’s tempting to spend the morning relaxing with coffee in the sun, you’ll want to get an early start. A long day of volcano hopping begins at the “Three Sisters” at Petroglyph National Monument. These spatter cones (created about 150,000 years ago by lava sputtering up from cracks in the earth) poke up a few hundred feet from the grassy lava