The Seven Wonders of New Mexico
- NM Experiences
- Feb 27, 2023
- 3 min read
Updated: Dec 3, 2023
Truly worthy of inclusion on The Seven Wonders of the World, these jaw dropping destinations in New Mexico will awe even the most cynical road traveler.
1. White Sands National Monument
South Central New Mexico
Like no place else on Earth...rising from the heart of the Tularosa Basin is one of the world's great natural wonders - the glistening white sands of New Mexico. Great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert, creating the world's largest gypsum dunefield. White Sands National Park preserves a major portion of this unique dunefield, along with the plants and animals that live here.
Monday 7AM–6PM Tuesday 7AM–6PM
Wednesday 7AM–6PM
Thursday 7AM–6PM
Friday 7AM–6PM
Saturday 7AM–6PM
Sunday 7AM–6PM
2. Chaco Culture National Historical Park
Northwest New Mexico
The center of an ancient world...Today the massive buildings of the Ancestral Puebloan people still testify to the organizational and engineering abilities not seen anywhere else in the American Southwest. For a deeper contact with the canyon that was central to thousands of people between 850 and 1250 A.D., come and explore Chaco through guided tours, hiking & biking trails, evening campfire talks, and night sky programs.
Monday 7AM–5PM Tuesday 7AM–5PM
Wednesday 7AM–5PM
Thursday 7AM–5PM
Friday 7AM–5PM
Saturday 7AM–5PM
Sunday 7AM–5PM
3. Bandelier National Monument
North central New Mexico
An open book of human history...Bandelier National Monument protects over 33,000 acres of rugged but beautiful canyon and mesa country as well as evidence of a human presence here going back over 11,000 years. Petroglyphs, dwellings carved into the soft rock cliffs, and standing masonry walls pay tribute to the early days of a culture that still survives in the surrounding communities.
Monday 9AM–5PM Tuesday 9AM–5PM
Wednesday 9AM–5PM
Thursday 9AM–5PM
Friday 9AM–5PM
Saturday 9AM–5PM
Sunday 9AM–5PM
4. The Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness
Northwestern New Mexico
The Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness is a rolling landscape of badlands which offers some of the most unusual scenery found in the Four Corners Region. Time and natural elements have etched a fantasy world of strange rock formations made of interbedded sandstone, shale, mudstone, coal, and silt. The weathering of the sandstone forms hoodoos - weathered rock in the form of pinnacles, spires, cap rocks, and other unusual forms. Fossils occur in this sedimentary landform. Translated from the Navajo language, Bisti (Bis-tie) means "a large area of shale hills." De-Na-Zin (Deh-nah-zin) takes its name from the Navajo words for "cranes."
Open 24 hours
5. Puye Cliffs
North central New Mexico
Welcome to Puye Cliff Dwellings, a National Historic Landmark and home to the ancestors of today’s Santa Clara Pueblo people. Experience one of northern New Mexico’s most awe-inspiring cultural attractions featuring cliff & cave dwellings, early Pueblo architecture, an original Harvey House and a stunning panorama of the valley. Spend time with us, and be touched by the spirit of a special place between the earth and sky.
Monday 6AM–8PM Tuesday 6AM–8PM
Wednesday Closed
Thursday Closed
Friday 6AM–8PM
Saturday 7AM–7PM
Sunday 7AM–7PM
6. Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Southeast New Mexico
Beauty and wonder; above and below...High ancient sea ledges, deep rocky canyons, flowering cactus, and desert wildlife—treasures above the ground in the Chihuahuan Desert. Hidden beneath the surface are more than 119 caves—formed when sulfuric acid dissolved limestone leaving behind caverns of all sizes.
Monday 8AM–2:15PM
Tuesday 8AM–2:15PM
Wednesday 8AM–2:15PM
Thursday 8AM–2:15PM
Friday 8AM–2:15PM
Saturday 8AM–2:15PM
Sunday 8AM–2:15PM
7. Petroglyph National Monument
Central New Mexico
Petroglyph National Monument stretches 17 miles along Albuquerque, New Mexico's West Mesa, a volcanic basalt escarpment that dominates the city's western horizon. Authorized June 27, 1990, the 7,236 acre monument is cooperatively managed by the National Park Service and the City of Albuquerque.
Monday 8:30AM–4:30PM Tuesday 8:30AM–4:30PM
Wednesday 8:30AM–4:30PM
Thursday 8:30AM–4:30PM
Friday 8:30AM–4:30PM
Saturday 8:30AM–4:30PM
Sunday 8:30AM–4:30PM
PS: Share this Experience with your friends & family on Social Media, or with a text/email link. Choose an option below.