Carlsbad Caverns National Park is primarily subterranean and contains approximately 120 recognised caves. The alien underground terrain, carved from limestone deposited in an ancient sea, is one of the most well-known New Mexico tourist attractions. Self-guided audio tours and ranger-led tours are both available through the Park Service.
White Sands National Monument, located a half-hour drive southwest of Alamogordo in the state's south, is one of the state's most beautiful landscapes.
Albuquerque hosts the world's largest hot air balloon festival every autumn, attracting over 80,000 visitors. The tradition, which began in a parking lot with only 13 balloons in 1973, has grown to encompass a 365-acre park with over 500 balloons.
Bandelier National Monument is a 33,677-acre preserve encompassing some of the most dramatic volcanic landscapes and archaeological ruins in the state. Former home of ancestral Pueblo people, the area was likely occupied from AD 1150 to 1600.
The city of Albuquerque and the National Park Service jointly manage the Petroglyph National Monument, which helps to maintain this culturally significant monument while also educating tourists. A basalt escarpment, five dormant volcanoes, and a huge mesa make up the area, which spans 7,244 acres.
The Taos Pueblo, located just outside of Taos, is home to the United States' oldest continuously inhabited dwellings. Built of straw-reinforced mud bricks with timber-supported roofs, these adobe houses have stood for almost 1,000 years.
The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad runs between Chama, New Mexico, and Antonito, Colorado, on a narrow gauge heritage railroad. This charming train journey, built in 1880-81, crosses the 10,015-foot Cumbres Pass and passes through the beautiful Toltec Gorge.
The Gila cliff houses are 42 rooms in six caverns carved into the cliff face by the Mogollon Native Americans around the year 1300, north of the former mining town of Silver City.
Taos Ski Valley is a wonderfully gorgeous and well-equipped winter sports region northeast of Taos, in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, at 8,900 to 12,500 feet. This ski resort is regarded as the greatest in New Mexico.
Pecos National Historical Park was previously home to one of the state's largest Native American pueblos. It had a population of over 2,000 people from the early 14th century until 1838. The park was expanded to 6,600 acres in 1990.