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NEW MEXICO 



FROM HOT SPRINGS HIGH IN THE MOUNTAINS TO THE WORLD'S 

 LARGEST DEPOSIT OF GYPSUM SAND, NEW MEXICO IS INTRIGUING 

 TO THOSE WITH A PASSION FOR NATURAL HISTORY. 



NEW MEXICO IS FAMOUS FOR ITS ANCIENT 

 past. It is where dinosaurs once roamed, and where 

 the Anasazi built their unique cliff-side dwellings, 

 whose ruins are preserved at the Mesa Verde National 

 Park. But the state is also worth visiting simply for its 

 natural beauty. 



Learn about caving first-hand at the Carlsbad Caverns 

 National Park. Known for their gigantic and often 

 bizarre formations, the caves formed some 250 million 

 years ago when the region 

 was an inland sea. Take a 

 ranger-led tour or explore on 

 your own, but don't miss 

 Lechuguilla, the nation's deep- 

 est limestone cave, or the Big 

 Room, as large as eight foot- 

 ball fields. At El Malpais National Monument, would- 

 be volcanologists can explore underground lava flows 

 formed 1 15,000 to 2,000 years ago. Hike on an estab- 

 lished trail or go out on your own amid the volcanic fea- 

 tures that dominate the landscape, including cinder 

 cones, pressure ridges, and complex lava tube systems. 

 Volcano buffs also will enjoy the Capulin Volcano 

 National Monument; follow the two-mile road to the 



Top: Field of wildflowers; northern New Mexico 

 landscape. Left: the steam-era Cumbres and Toltec 

 Scenic Railroad. Right: unusual sand formations at 



the Bisti Badlands. 



Willi an average of 

 310 days of sunshine, 

 New Mexico is an outdoors 

 paradise for nature lovers. 



rim for spectacular views of the volcanic landscape. 



At the northern end of the Chihuahan Desert, the 

 White Sands National Monument comprises almost 

 300 square miles of glistening, wavelike dunes of gyp- 

 sym sand. The dunes are always moving and changing 

 their appearance, making them fascinating to photogra- 

 phers as well as nature lovers. They are home to a few 

 plants and animals, many of the latter camouflaged in 

 white, that can survive the harsh environment. Take an 

 eight-mile drive from the visitor center to the heart of 

 the monument, or a one-mile hike along the Dune Life 

 Nature Trail. In contrast to White Sands, the Bisti 

 Badlands are almost unknown and little visited — which 

 makes then all the more attractive to those seeking soli- 

 tude in the high desert. The Bisti's fragile sandstone for- 

 mations, colorful and undulating mounds, and unusual 

 eroded rocks make up a landscape that sometimes feels 

 like it's on another planet. 



For more information, please visit www.newmexico.org. 



