Ski Enchantment
A mining town right out of the old west, a railroad village still resonating from the 1800s, and an ancient volcanic basin-turned national preserve. What do they have in common? The answer is easy... they are three of New Mexico’s finest cross-country ski destinations, located in some of the most pristine, magnificent settings in the U.S.A.
Enchanted Forest
Located just three miles east of Red River, Enchanted Forest Cross Country Ski Area is New Mexico’s largest full-service cross-country ski resort. Here the beginner to the advanced cross-country skier can hit the 40 kilometers of trails, groomed for both classic and freestyle skiing. One side of the trail is tracked for classic (diagonal stride) skiing and the other is smoothed for snowshoeing and freestyle (or skate) skiing. All trails are groomed with state-of-the-art grooming machines designed specifically for cross-country skiing. A warming hut and two “Sangre de Cristo” windbreaks provide welcome shelter along the trails.
Enchanted Forest ranges from 9,700 feet to 10,040 feet in elevation. Forty different trails provide options to explore. The trails’ names say it all: From Powderpuff (the flattest and easiest trail), to the Northwest Passage (the longest and most difficult loop with fantastic views) to even a trail named Face Flop Drop (an accurate description), snow enthusiasts are bound to fall in love with the great white outdoors here.
The Land of Enchantment delights
the cross-country skier with her
diverse and spectacular offerings.
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Enchanted Forest offers ski lessons, equipment rentals and lots of friendly advice to ensure their motto is fulfilled: “At Enchanted Forest we make it easy to have fun!” Their Learn to Ski package includes rental equipment (boots, skis and poles), trail pass and lesson. Enchanted Forest offers 15 kilometers of snowshoeing trails designed to create a relaxing experience in this winter wonderland. To ensure the whole family takes part in the snow action, Enchanted Forest also offers kids equipment as well as “pulks” (sleds) for infants and five kilometers of dog-friendly trails.
Operating daily during the season, opening day is scheduled for November 20, 2009, providing months of fun in the snow on their 600-acre winter playland. This year there is even more fun planned as Enchanted Forest will be celebrating their 25th anniversary. Check out their website for special activities and events celebrating this special year at
www.enchantedforestxc.com.
Chama
Chama always has and continues to be a popular getaway for XC skiers who seek the “off the traveled path” snow experience. Tucked at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, this 1880s railroad town is known for its narrow-gauge steam train, the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. But as the snowflakes fall, Chama becomes a quiet spot where skiers in search of peaceful settings and pristine areas discover the wintertime charms of Chama. Sargents’ Wildlife Refuge, a 20,000-acre elk refuge turns into a winter playground for cross-country skiers and snowshoers alike. While the area is ungroomed for the most part, the terrain is gently sloping with a spectacular mountain backdrop.
For the overnight adventurer, there are several yurt rentals in the San Juan wilderness area around Cumbres Pass. The yurts are easily accessible along well-marked trails with no avalanche danger. Both telemark and extended touring terrain connect the yurts, and even offer a yurt-to-yurt option. Southwest Nordic Center operates this winter backcountry yurt system.
Chama sits at 8,000 feet altitude rising to over 10,000 feet at nearby Cumbres Pass. One of the snowiest areas of New Mexico with an average of over 100 inches annually, Chama offers consistent snow. This past season, Chama received over 185 inches of precipitation. A variety of lodges, cabins and B&Bs are available for the overnighter and a number of restaurants and shops remain open year-round. For more information, go to
www.visitchama.com.
Valles Caldera National Preserve
Another great wilderness destination for cross-country skiers is Valles Caldera National Preserve, located near Los Alamos. This vast 89,000-acre park was designated a National Preserve in 2000. Situated in a collapsed volcanic crater in the Jemez Mountain Range, it’s a natural choice for XC skiers and snowshoers with its beautiful vistas and native wintering wildlife like elk, coyote and the bald eagle.
Valles Caldera offers special activities during the season, such as Moon Light Skiing, Dark Night Skiing, and Overnight Skiing, with a stay at a ranch bunkhouse. For
the not-so-athletic visitor, Valles Caldera offers a delightful wintertime experience—horse-drawn sleigh rides. When the winter snows
blanket the valley, draft horses are hitched to a sleigh and whisk riders over sparkling, snowy meadows while the driver spins tales from the area’s past about the “old Baca Ranch.”
The Land of Enchantment delights the cross-country skier with spectacular offerings...all pristine mountain settings where the sun shines more than 310 days annually, and where the clarity of the azure sky and the sparkling snow create a vision and experience unmatched. Visit Valles Caldera at
www.vallescaldera.gov.
