BASE CAMP
Sierra County New Mexico
New Mexico, with its long history of Indigenous culture and European settlement, is an excellent place to experience the Old West. We've created three itineraries in our area; each is chock-full of fun and interesting activities.
You'll need a place to hang your hat, and there are more than 300 hotel rooms in the Elephant Butte / Truth or Consequences area, and over 30 in the outer county. For more info on accommodations, see our Lodging page or the accommodations pages in our Meeting Planner section.
CENTRAL TRAIL
Geronimo Springs Museum
Downtown Truth or Consequences, 5 miles from Elephant Butte
Website: www.geronimospringsmuseum.com
You'll want to allot several hours if you intend to see it all! The museum named for the famous Apache shaman and the town's mineral water contains many wonderful artifacts from the old West - including a room devoted to Geronimo, a miner's cabin, and world-class pottery and arrowhead collections.
Chloride- 42 miles from Downtown Truth or Consequences, 37 from Elephant Butte
Chloride is unique in that it is essentially a former ghost town.
Undergoing an active restoration town-wide, the highlight of Chloride is the Pioneer Store Museum, a former mercantile that is fully stocked with items dusted off after nearly 80 years. The town has a colorful history, a walking tour and a hanging tree.
Directions: north on Interstate 25 to NM 52 west, along the Geronimo Trail Scenic Byway's northern leg. -more detailed driving directions-
Points en route to Chloride:
Cuchillo
Cuchillo, established around 1863 and named for a nearby creek and a local Apache chief, was a thriving farming community during the mining boom of the 1880s.
Considered a living ghost town, and declared a "Traditional Historic Community" in July of 2011, it features a church that is still in use by its few remaining residents, and its former bar is reportedly home to some local characters from the past. In other words - some say it's haunted. If that's your cup of tea, why not spend the night in the accommodations next door?
Winston
Winston, originally called Fairview, has a convenience store with fuel and very nice shower facilities for rent. A B&B that offers trail riding as well as several outfitter/ hunting guides are located in the area.
Winston is the setting for the Annual WCC&D Fiesta, held the 1st Saturday in June by the communities of Winston, Chloride, Chiz and Dusty, who celebrate with a parade, cow chip poker, and western dance.
Alternate Destination:
Monticello
Monticello was built up as a town in the traditional Spanish style around the turn of the 18th century, and later became part of the Apache Indian Reservation.
It retains its quiet charm and is home to organic farms and an old-world-style vineyard. Drive up and visit the historic Plaza, where you'll find the remnants of a WPA school. Monticello's old church is still used by a local congregation.
There are no public bathrooms or other facilities up this way, so plan ahead. It's definitely worth the drive if you're up for some beautiful scenery. -driving directions-
Hiking Trails to 2 points along the Jornada del Muerto (Journey of the Dead Man), southeast of T or C / Elephant Butte:
Yost Escarpment & Point of Rocks Trails
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El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail is licensed CC-BY-SA 2.0, © Samat Jain. |
Website: www.nps.gov/elca/historyculture/exhibits.htm
These two recently-established trails offer the hiker a chance to experience the infamous Jornada del Muerto firsthand. Each features interpretive signage and parking, but no other services.
Directions from Truth or Consequences: travel east on 3rd Street from Date (you'll see a sign for the trails at this intersection). 3rd Street becomes Highway 51; at County Road A013 (Upham Road), turn south. You'll come to Yost Escarpment first. Point of Rocks is 8 miles further. -map-
NORTHERN TRAIL
Distances shown are from downtown Truth or Consequences (subtract 5 miles if you're traveling from Elephant Butte)
Pie Town - 159 miles
Website: www.PieTown.com
Oh yes, there's pie in Pie Town alright, at two restaurants that we know of, and they're both situated right alongside the highway.
We therefore suggest that if you make Pie Town your destination, you save room for two pieces - at least.
Directions: Interstate 25 North to exit 150/Socorro, then west on Highway 60.
Magdalena - 102 miles
Website: www.socorronm.gov/attractions.asp?Location=Magdalena
Magdalena is a tiny town surprisingly rich with things to do. In addition to shops, galleries and restaurants, the town boasts a Box Car Museum and several interesting cultural events throughout the year. The Magdalena Old Timers Festival and Reunion even includes a mini cattle drive.
Folks who want to play cowboy can join up with single-action enthusiasts for monthly target shoots in nearby Old Magdalena. The village is also home to the unique London Frontier Theatre Company which stages productions that would have been presented in the 19th century and early 20th century.
Information on some of Magdalena's sites and attractions is included in our Five Day Journey Video.
Directions: Interstate 25 North to exit 150/Socorro, then west on Highway 60.
Socorro Plaza - 72 miles
Website: http://www.socorronm.gov
Socorro Plaza is an old-fashioned town square that features a gazebo and lovely shaded benches. The square is home to several sculptures and interpretive plaques outlining the history of this frontier town.
Businesses on the Plaza include shops, banks, and a watering hole, and within easy walking distance are restaurants, a cinema, the historic San Miguel Church, and the Garcia Opera House, (a National Historic Site) which occasionally plays host to the Socorro Community Theater. Stop into their Visitor Center for walking maps and so forth.
Information on some of Socorro's attractions is included in our Five Day Journey Video.
Directions: Interstate 25 North to exit 150 or 147.
El Camino Real International Heritage Center - approximately 40 miles
Website: elcaminoreal.org
El Camino Real International Heritage Center (open Wednesday through Sunday) is the ideal place to learn about what it was like to travel from Veracruz, Mexico to Santa Fe along the ‘Royal Road to the Interior Lands’ for over 300 years.
Of particular interest is the Jornada del Muerto (Journey of the Dead Man), which was a 90-mile stretch of waterless desert along which so many early travelers perished; it is fully explained here. In addition to the exhibits inside the museum, the State Monument and heritage center offers a wealth of interaction including nature trails, auto tour routes, a Native American garden and is often host to special events and stirring reenactments.
The El Camino Real Heritage Center is included as an attraction in our Five Day Journey Video.
From Exit 115, cross to the east side of I-25 to the junction with NM Highway 1. Follow the signs. Drive 1.5 miles south. At the rest area, turn left (east) at the sign, continue past the monument sculpture 3 miles. The Center is about 5 miles from exit 115.
The Very Large Array
You'll see it on the south side of Highway 60, between Magdalena and Pie Town.
See our Space Trail page for more info.
The Lightning Field
If you decide to continue past Pie Town and drive all the way to Quemado, you'll be very close to Walter de Maria's "Lightning Field" installation - a grid of lightning rods placed vertically on a 1m x 1k section of ground about 8 miles east of Quemado.
It's open to visitors who reserve in advance for overnight stays. Details are on Dia Art Foundation's website.
SOUTHERN TRAIL
Distances shown are from downtown Truth or Consequences (add 5 miles if you're traveling from Elephant Butte)
Gila Cliff Dwellings - 112 miles
Website: www.nps.gov/gicl/
575 536 9461
The Mimbres people constructed their homes in caves at this site around the turn of the 14th century. They left behind stone walls, carefully constructed stairways and striking pictographs or cave drawings.
Ranger-guided tours are offered daily, along with self-guided tours, however some access roads to the site may be closed due to snow during winter months.
Directions: Interstate 25 South to Exit 63/Highway 152 west; north on Highway 35; north on Highway 15.
The cliff dwellings are open every day from 9 am to 4 pm. Admission is $3 per adult. Guided tours are offered at 1 pm every day except during busy holiday weekends. Tours start at the cliff dwellings. It takes about one-half hour to walk up to the cliff dwellings from the trailhead. Visitors may walk the self-guided trail to the cliff dwellings anytime during park hours. Volunteer Interpretive Park Rangers are on duty during park hours to help answer questions.
Visitors should carry water, dress for the weather and wear sturdy shoes suitable for potentially icy and muddy trail conditions. The half-mile hiking trail to the cliff dwellings is steep and uneven in places and includes numerous steps. The trail is not wheelchair accessible. Views of some of the cliff dwellings are possible after a 1/4-mile hike in the canyon bottom..
Hillsboro, the Former County Seat of Sierra County - 32 miles
Website: www.hillsboronm.org
Hillsboro today is home to the Black Range Museum, galleries and antique shops, and a vibrant community center which plays host to concerts and other events throughout the year.
Visitors can take a self-guided walking tour which includes several historically important ruins and buildings. Lodging is available for overnight stays, and any of the three cafes in town are well worth the stop.
Kingston, Mining-Era Boomtown - 42 miles
Visitors to Kingston will find it hard to believe that the tiny village was once home to 7,000 people and the largest silver mining town in New Mexico.
The oldest building in town is the Percha Bank, which is open as a museum by appointment.
Today it is the gateway to the Gila National Forest. There is a short self-guided tour, a small museum, a B&B, and up the 152 a ways, a historic cemetery. -driving directions-
Along the way:
Black Range Crest Trail (#79)
This trail is just a small part of the expansive trail system in the majestic Gila National Forest. The five-mile segment of Trail 79 from Emory Pass to the fire lookout on Hillsboro Peak is a popular day hike with exceptional mountain vistas. Its trail head is conveniently located at the peak of Emory Pass near the Scenic Overlook’s parking area, west of Kingston. -map-
Definitely worth a stop, even if it's just for a quick gander.
Alternate Destination:
Historic Lake Valley
(open Thursday through Monday - confirm)
The last resident left the former silver mining town of Lake Valley in 1994, making it another ghost town in the vast NM wilderness. Self guided tours include a restored school house. Water, restroom and picnic facilities are available on site.
Directions from Hillsboro: 17 miles south on State Highway 27
