Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
10.
Cimarron Canyon State Park
ZigzaggingdownfromtheSangredeCristo(“BloodofChrist”)Mountains—atsunsetthey
have a scarlet glow—Rte. 64 winds between the red granite palisades of narrow Cimar-
ron Canyon. Blue spruce and the rushing Cimarron River complete the idyllic scene, con-
sidered by many to be the route's prettiest stretch. Husky mule deer forage at dawn and
twilight, and twitching their huge ears at the slightest sound. In winter the mule deer have
good reason to be vigilant, for hunters comb the wilderness surrounding Cimarron Canyon
State Park in search of a take-home prize.
11.
Cimarron
The25,000BoyScoutswhovisitPhilmontScoutRanchnearCimarroneachyear,enjoying
its many acres of mountains, valleys, and forests, know quite well to “Be Prepared”—to
build a fire, raise a tent, or employ some other wilderness skill. But when the West was
still wild and Cimarron was overflowing with the likes of Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp,
that motto would have had a different meaning: Be prepared for a quick draw. Boasting 15
saloons, the town was so raucous that on one occasion a journalist noted, “Everything is
quiet in Cimarron. Nobody has been killed for three days.”
The St. James Hotel, where Buffalo Bill organized his Wild West extravaganza, was
a nefarious hangout and didn't escape injury. No fewer than 400 bullet holes were found
in the ceilings of the hotel's saloon, hallways, and rooms during a 1901 renovation, and
you can still see some today. Redolent with history—and not just the rowdy kind—the St.
James was built in 1872 by a chef who had once served Abraham Lincoln. Years later Lew
WallacepennedpartofBenHurwhilestayingatthehotel,andZaneGreycomposedanov-
el here.
12.
Sugarite Canyon State Park
In the 1800s thousands of eager traders and their loaded freight wagons rumbled across the
land between Raton and Cimarron—part of the 850-mile Santa Fe Trail. After negotiating
Raton Pass, an axle-breaking route over the mountains, they may well have stopped for a
breather at Sugarite Canyon, a quiet niche (now a state park) that seems to epitomize New
Mexico: flower-strewn meadows meet high palisades, and a serene mountain lake reflects
aspen-clad slopes and the wide blue sky.
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