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New Mexico

On the Road in Southern New Mexico: Rugged Beauty and the Final Frontier

Program No. 22614RJ
Southern New Mexico is known for its natural beauty and unique role in the history of space exploration. Explore both on this journey to Carlsbad Caverns, and more!
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National ParksOn the RoadScience & TechnologyNature & Environment
Length
8 days
Rating (4.87)
Activity Level
Starts at
2,099

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Itinerary
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. Read More.
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. As a result, some program activities, schedules, accommodations, personnel, and other logistics occasionally change due to local conditions or circumstances. Should a major change occur, we will make every effort to alert you. For less significant changes, we will update you during orientation. Thank you for your understanding.
Duration
8 days
7 nights
What's Included
19 meals ( 7B, 5L, 7D )
12 expert-led field trips
An experienced Group Leader
7 nights of accommodations
Taxes and customary gratuity
Road Scholar Assurance Plan
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Activity Note
Hotel check-in from 3:00 p.m. Remember to bring your name tag (sent previously).
Afternoon:
Program Registration: 3:00-5:00 p.m. After you check in and have your room assignment, join us at the Road Scholar table to register with the program staff, get any updated information, and confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please locate your Group Leader and let them know you have arrived. Orientation: 5:00 p.m. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. The activity level for this program is “Keep the Pace.” Participants should be able to walk up to two miles over uneven, sometimes slippery terrain. Transportation for program-related activities will be via motorcoach unless specified otherwise. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.
Dinner:
Welcome dinner at the hotel.
Evening:
At leisure. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; riding about 200 miles, approximately 3.25 hours including stops. Walking up to 1 mile indoors and standing up to 1.5 hours.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We’ll check out of the hotel, board our motorcoach, and ride to Roswell, 200 miles southeast of Albuquerque. This drive will provide us with our first look at the arid, high-desert terrain of southern New Mexico.
Lunch:
At a local restaurant.
Afternoon:
Next, we’ll go to the Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art which was founded in 1994 as a way to showcase art from fellows of the Roswell Artist-in-Residence Program. It holds over 500 works of art and now has 22,000 square feet of exhibition space. It began as the private collection of Donald Anderson, founder of the residency program, and we will see several of his personal oil paintings throughout the exhibits. Next, we’ll visit the International UFO Museum and Research Center for a self-directed exploration. Best known as the home for information about the 1947 Roswell Incident and other UFO phenomena, the museum works to fulfill the mission of educating the general public on all aspects of the UFO phenomena. The museum asserts its position as representing the serious side of the UFO phenomena. Then, we’ll ride to the hotel for a late afternoon check-in.
Dinner:
At a local restaurant.
Evening:
After returning to the hotel, the remainder of the evening is at leisure.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; riding about 200 miles, approximately 4 hours including stops. Walking about 2 miles throughout the day; varied terrain, some stairs, inclines and occasionally slippery trails.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
After breakfast, we’ll board our motorcoach and ride to Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Along the way our Study Leader will give us an introduction to the geology of the Permian Basin. Although we are surrounded by desert, there are actually vast stores of water deep underground. Located just east of Roswell is the Roswell Artesian Basin which occupies over 4,000 square miles. Carlsbad Caverns, one of the oldest and most famous cave systems in the world, include several vast underground chambers, up to 250 feet high, filled with amazing formations of many colors and shapes, all formed when sulfuric acid dissolved the surrounding limestone leaving behind caverns of all sizes. Upon arrival, we will have some time to explore the Visitor Center independently and watch the introductory film, “Hidden World.“ It features high definition photography of cave natural wonders, bats in flight, cave explorations, and a fly-over of the Natural Entrance. We will then take the elevator down for a self-directed walk through the Big Room, home to some of the most well-known features in the caverns. It is more than 30,000 square yards in total size. We will each make our way along the well-lit, mostly level trail at our own pace and then take the elevator back up to regroup in the Visitor Center.
Lunch:
This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to have what you like. The Carlsbad Caverns Trading Company at the west end of the Visitor Center offers hot and cold choices cafeteria style.
Afternoon:
We’ll have some more time to explore the Caverns and the museum at the Visitor Center independently. We’ll then reboard the motorcoach and return to Roswell for the night.
Dinner:
At a local restaurant.
Evening:
Returning to the hotel, the remainder of the evening is at leisure. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; riding about 160 miles, approximately 3 hours including stops. Walking up to 2 mile; varied terrain; standing up to 1 hour.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We’ll check out of the hotel this morning and travel to Lincoln, New Mexico, center of the famous Lincoln County Wars. It was during this conflict between rival cattle barons in 1878 that Billy the Kid earned his place in history. We will take a short walking exploration of the town, including a visit to the Lincoln County Courthouse, complete with bullet holes, and some other historical buildings nearby. We’ll also enjoy an expert-led visit to the Lincoln Historic Site, a state monument encompassing 17 historic structures that capture the territorial architecture and Wild West community of the 1870s and 1880s.
Lunch:
Boxed lunches in Lincoln.
Afternoon:
After lunch, we’ll get back on the motorcoach and continue west. We'll pass Smokey Bear Historical Park, named after the famous bear cub who was found in the aftermath of the Capitan Gap Wildfire of 1950. Next we'll stop at Three Rivers Petroglyph Site, one of the largest petroglyph sites in North America. This 50-acre preserve was set aside by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to protect some 21,000 petroglyphs created by the Mogollon culture between 900 and 1400 CE. We’ll set out on a walking field trip to see some of these rock carvings. We’ll ride on to Alamogordo and check in at our hotel late in the afternoon.
Dinner:
This meal is on your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions and will give you a stipend to cover your meal.
Evening:
Returning to the hotel, the remainder of the evening is at leisure.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; riding about 40 miles, approximately 1 hour including stops. Walking up to 2 miles; sand dunes with inclines; standing up to 1 hour.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We’ll board the motorcoach and drive to White Sands National Park, where we’ll stop first at the Visitor Center to explore the museum and enjoy an orientation video. We will then embark on an 8-mile scenic drive through the stunning dune landscape.
Lunch:
At a local restaurant.
Afternoon:
We will set out on a field trip to the New Mexico Museum of Space History. The mission of the museum is to educate visitors from around the world in the history, science, and technology of space. During a docent-led exploration, we’ll learn about the significant role the state of New Mexico has played in the development of the U.S. Space Program through the collection, preservation, and interpretation of significant related artifacts. We'll then return to the hotel.
Dinner:
At a local restaurant.
Evening:
Returning to the hotel, the remainder of the evening is at leisure. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; riding about 230 miles, approximately 4 hours including stops. Walking up to 2 miles; varied terrain.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
After checking out of the hotel, we’ll have an expert-led exploration of a working farm where pistachios and wine grapes are produced. We’ll walk through the orchards and vineyards and learn about growing techniques, sample some tasty treats, and have time to enjoy the orchard store.
Lunch:
At a local restaurant.
Afternoon:
After lunch we'' get back on the coach and our Study Leader will tell us about the Valley of Fires and the Malpais Lava Flow, one of the youngest flows in the U.S., occurring only 5,000 years ago. This seemingly barren area is home to diverse wildlife including roadrunners and mule deer. We’ll our drive to the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, situated between mountain ranges to the east and west. Established in 1939 to provide a resting stop for migrating waterfowl, the refuge is well known for the thousands of sandhill cranes, geese, and other waterfowl that winter here each year. The 60,000 acre refuge includes a wild stretch of the Rio Grande, a “bosque” of cottonwood and willow trees that provide for the diversity of wildlife. While in the refuge, a local expert will lead our exploration and describe the birds and unique ecosystems we’ll see at several spots.
Dinner:
At a local restaurant.
Evening:
After dinner, we will return to Albuquerque and check in to our hotel.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; riding about 20 miles, approximately 1 hour total. Walking about 2 miles; varied terrain.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We will board the coach and head to the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History, a Smithsonian affiliate. A docent will guide us through the history of the Atomic Age and we will learn applications for nuclear science in today's world. We'll have some free time to explore the museum's extensive exhibits before heading to lunch.
Lunch:
At a local restaurant.
Afternoon:
We will then set out on a walking field trip to Old Town for an introduction by our Group Leader, followed by time to explore the area independently. We suggest visiting the Albuquerque Museum of Art & History and the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. Both are in Old Town, which has been the focal point of community life since Albuquerque was founded in 1706. About 10 blocks of historical adobe buildings surround the central plaza, including San Felipe de Neri Church that dates back to 1793. The city’s settlers built homes, shops, and government offices here; many of these historical structures have been converted into the restaurants, art galleries, and shops we see today. The Albuquerque Museum, established in 1967, is one of the leading institutions for art, history, and culture in the Southwest, highlighting the unique culture of the people, history, and art through exceptional exhibitions. The New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science features eight exhibition halls tracing the area’s journey through time. Other permanent exhibits include a planetarium and galleries focusing on astronomy and space exploration.
Dinner:
Farewell dinner at the hotel. Share favorite experiences and enjoy camaraderie with new Road Scholar friends.
Evening:
Prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.
Activity Note
Hotel check-out by 12:00 Noon.
Breakfast:
At the hotel. This concludes our program.
Morning:
If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!
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