"Scenic beauty is the number-one reason visitors come to New Mexico.
Our geological makeup features something for everyone. We have high Rocky Mountain ranges in the north, Chihuahuan Desert in the south, portions of the Great Plains to the east, spectacular canyons to the west and of course the Rio Grande, which runs right through the center of our beautiful state.
From hot springs to lava flows to rock formations in various mysterious shapes, our landscape is all-encompassing. This incredible geographic diversity is accompanied by the flora and fauna of six of the world's seven life zones and the bluest skies imaginable.
In New Mexico, you will find a mosaic that can only be fully understood in person.
New Mexico has 27 state-designated Scenic and Historic Byways committed to preserving and promoting the historic, cultural and natural assets located on or near them.
Six of New Mexico's scenic byways have been designated as National Scenic Byways. They are the El Camino Real, Historic Route 66, Turquoise Trail, Santa Fe Trail, Jemez Mountain Trail and Billy the Kid. This designation honors those highways that are outstanding examples of scenic, historic, recreational, cultural, archaeological and/or natural qualities.
New Mexico is filled with natural wonders, from natural hot springs high in the mountains to the world's largest deposit of gypsum sand. Explore undeveloped caves, walk lava flows and stare in awe at dazzling rock formations. We've chosen a few of these natural wonders for this page. More specific information on state and national parks is available on this site (see menu at right) and at the website of the Public Lands Information Center.
Of the many features which set New Mexico apart, one is surely the numerous ancient and Spanish colonial ruins. We've given a brief overview of some of these here. More specific information is available from the State Parks and National Parks section of this website, the Public Lands Information Center and the Museum of New Mexico, which operates some of these sites."
- From the newmexico.org website
To learn more about New Mexico visit http://www.newmexico.org/
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