New Mexico is known for its otherworldly landscapes, geological wonders and diverse, ancient history. But New Mexico is also known for otherworldly visitors & paranormal phenomena. That's why we are launching a series of New Mexico Paranormal Experiences this month...featuring the best of our natural & supernatural worlds.
Welcome to the third edition of New Mexico Paranormal Experiences: Los Alamos. Mid-October is perfect camping weather in Northern New Mexico, so we've put together a camping experience rich with the ancient culture of the Pueblo People. (If you don't want to camp, this is still a fascinating day/road trip for the entire family, with fall foliage at it's peak!)
Visit Tsankawi for an authentic, educational & inspiring guided hike or one day tour with our friends at Passport to Pueblo Country.
And for UFO enthusiasts, camping under the skies of New Mexico is bucket list material. This Experience includes an expedition to the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, where in 1948 there was a report from New Mexico's Skyliner newspaper about "flying saucers & green fire balls" over the Los Alamos and Sandia atomic-weapons laboratories, and other highly sensitive military installations.
Stock up for your camping trip at Los Alamos Cooperative Market! Setup camp with spectacular views of the night sky, mountains & river at Cochiti Campground.
Be sure to pack for cooler temperatures, and wear suitable hiking shoes/boots.
Tsankawi Guided Hike or One Day Tour w/ Passport to Pueblo Country Call for reservations in advance
or email: info@passporttopueblocountry.com
Outdoorsy
RV Rental Santa Fe, NM (Great option for camping!)
Discover the best RV rental in Santa Fe, NM! Looking for another RV type? We have it all! I Visit & book online
Los Alamos Cooperative Market
Stock up for your camping trip at Los Alamos' community market!
Monday 8AM–8PM
Tuesday 8AM–8PM
Wednesday 8AM–8PM
Thursday 8AM–8PM
Friday 8AM–8PM
Saturday 8AM–8PM
Sunday 8AM–8PM
Cochiti Campground
Cochiti Recreation Area is located in Sandoval County, New Mexico, within the boundaries of the Pueblo de Cochiti Indian Reservation.
The lake offers two public recreation areas: Cochiti on the west side of the lake and Tetilla Peak on the east side. Both sides offer spectacular scenic views of the water and surrounding mountains. The Cochiti Dam is one of the ten largest earth-fill dams in the United States, and also one of the largest in the world. The lake derives its name from the Indian Pueblo on the Cochiti Reservation.
Facilities
The campground consists of four loops. Juniper Loop campsites have electric hookups and some have water. Elk Run and Ringtail Loops are non-electric and have community water spigots. All sites in Buffalo Grove Loop have water and electric hookups. The Cochiti boat ramp is open year-round and is accessible by a paved road. The ramp has four concrete lanes for loading and unloading.
Natural Features
Cochiti Lake sits at 5,343ft in elevation and is nestled in the foothills of the Jemez Mountains. Our high desert environment is dominated by juniper, pinon trees, and mixed grasslands. There are many opportunities for wildlife viewing. Four osprey nesting platforms have been erected around the lake to provide nesting sites, as well as viewing opportunities. On the east side of the lake, deer, coyote, river otters, rabbits, beavers, and the occasional bear are often sighted.
Recreation
Our quiet lake is an ideal location for all paddle, wind surfing, and sailing craft. The lake is also a popular fishing spot for species such as bass, crappie, walleye, pike, catfish, sunfish and trout. Cochiti Recreation Area has a popular, family friendly, swim beach Day Use area for public enjoyment. It is a fee area, $5 per vehicle, but the cost is covered by the campsite fee for visitors staying in the campground. Additionally, the Cochiti picnic area has 21 covered picnic sites with a large group site that can be reserved by calling the main office. Cochiti Day Use Areas are open from April 15th to October 15th.
Tsankawi Guided Hike w/ Passport to Pueblo Country
Experience an authentic culturally appropriate day tour, steeped with learning, understanding and appreciation of Pueblo life.
Travel in time to one of the ancestral homes of the pueblo people.
On this tour you will visit Tsankawi, which was occupied during the 15th and 16th century.
An opportunity to experience through the mesa top village, which has not had many archeological influences. You will see caves, petroglyphs and ruins that indicated where our people lived and carried out day-to-day activities, as well as traditional ceremonies.
You will gain knowledge of our people, past, present and future.
$225/per person minimum of 2.
Call Passport to Pueblo Country to book: (505) 301-3956
or email: info@passporttopueblocountry.com
One Day Tour w/ Passport to Pueblo Country
Begin with a guided tour of the pueblo with rich storytelling along the way. Stop at the Maria Martinez Museum...a small although powerful experience.
Enjoy a meal at the family home in the historic pueblo plaza, where you will be treated to freshly baked oven bread and stews, traditionally cooked for annual feasts days.
The tour concludes with a pottery demonstration by an award-winning artist.
$375/per person minimum of 2
Call Passport to Pueblo Country to book: (505) 301-3956
or email: info@passporttopueblocountry.com
Manhattan Project National Historical Park
Why Mysterious Green Fireballs Worried the U.S. Government in 1948
The sightings were concentrated around the Los Alamos and Sandia atomic-weapons laboratories, and other highly sensitive military installations.
UPDATED: JAN 16, 2020 ORIGINAL: AUG 17, 2018
In February 1949, the Los Alamos, New Mexico Skyliner newspaper ran a piece on what it referred to, in typical newspaper parlance, as “flying saucers”—and a possible conspiracy around them:
“Los Alamos now has flying green lights. These will ‘o wisps seen generally about 2 a.m., have alerted the local constabulary and their presence is being talked about in Santa Fe bars. But local wheels deny any official knowledge of the sky phenomena. Each one passes the buck to another.”
The story ended with, “Have you seen a green light lately?”
In fact, a great many had, and would continue to do so—enough to prompt TIME magazine, in November 1951, to publish a piece on the phenomenon called “Great Balls of Fire.” What makes the multiple sightings of “flying green lights” in New Mexico in 1948 and onward such a significant chapter in UFO history is exactly that—there were multiple sightings. READ MORE AT HISTORY.COM
Visitor Contact Station
Start with at the Visitor Center before you go into the park.
Learn and Explore In Los Alamos, New Mexico, Manhattan Project administrators found an ideal location for the secret laboratory where they designed and built the world’s first atomic weapons. Isolated on top of a mesa, with canyons cutting through the surrounding landscape, this place provided the remoteness they required. Still, Santa Fe was relatively close, giving them access to transportation and other resources.
Drop by our visitor center to start your Manhattan Project National Historical Park experience in Los Alamos. Speak with park rangers, stamp your passport book, pick up a junior ranger book, and learn about ranger programs. Then use our park app to discover places in Los Alamos related to the Manhattan Project.
Monday 10AM–3PM
Tuesday Closed
Wednesday Closed
Thursday Closed
Friday 10AM–3PM
Saturday 10AM–3PM
Sunday 10AM–3PM