Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
128
house thriving businesses and some trading posts with great prices. The town is also an
industrial center (coal, oil, natural gas, and hydroelectricity) and a shopping center for
people within a 100-mile radius.
For visitors, Farmington is a takeoff point for explorations of the Navajo Reservation
and Chaco Culture National Historical Park. For outdoors lovers, it's the spot to head to
the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness; world-class fly-fishing on the San Juan River; lovely
scenery at the Angel Peak Recreation Area; and even a trip up to Durango to enjoy some
rafting, kayaking, skiing, and mountain biking. The nearby towns of
Aztec
and Bloom-
field offer a variety of attractions as well.
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE
From Albuquerque, take US 550 (through Cuba) from the I-25
Bernalillo exit, and then head west on US 64 at Bloomfield (45 min.). From Gallup, take
US 491 north to Shiprock, and then head east on US 64 (2
1
/
4
hr.). From Taos, follow US
64 all the way (4
1
/
2
hr.). From Durango, Colorado, take US 500 south (1 hr.).
All commercial flights arrive at busy
Four Corners Regional Airport
on West Navajo
Drive (
&
505/599-1395
). The principal carrier is
Great Lakes Airlines
(
&
800/554-
5111;
www.flygreatlakes.com).
Car-rental agencies at Four Corners Regional Airport include
Avis
(
&
800/331-1212
or 505/327-9864),
Budget
(
&
505/327-7304
), and
Hertz
(
&
800/654-3131
or 505/
327-6093).
VISITOR INFORMATION
The
Farmington Convention and Visitors Bureau,
3041
E. Main St. (
&
800/448-1240
or 505/326-7602; www.farmingtonnm.org), is the clear-
inghouse for tourist information for the Four Corners region. For more information,
contact the
Farmington Chamber of Commerce,
100 W. Broadway (
&
505/325-
0279;
www.gofarmington.com).
6
SEEING THE SIGHTS IN THE AREA
In Farmington
Farmington Museum and Gateway Center
Kids
Small-town museums can be
completely precious, and this one and its neighbor in Aztec (see below) typify a tiny part
of the world, but the truths they reveal span continents. Here you get to see the everyday
struggle of a people to support themselves within a fairly inhospitable part of the world,
spanning boom and bust years of agriculture, oil and gas production, and tourism.
Located in the slick Gateway Visitor Center, exhibits vary, utilizing over 7,000 objects.
You may walk through displays of a 1930s trading post, with an old enameled scale, cloth
bolts, and vintage saddles. Next, you can tour the Dinosaurs to Drill Bits exhibit, explor-
ing the region's rich oil and gas history, including a 7-minute ride in the
Geovator,
which
simulates a trip 7,285 feet into an oil well. Kids enjoy this! Excellent changing exhibits
rotate through as well. A gift shop sells fun local art and some nice New Mexico-made
crafts.
3041 E. Main St.
&
505/599-1174.
Fax 505/326-7572. www.farmingtonmuseum.org. Free admission.
Mon-Sat 8am-5pm.
In Nearby Aztec
VISITOR INFORMATION
The
Aztec Chamber of Commerce,
110 N. Ash St.
(
&
505/334-9551;
www.aztecchamber.com), is a friendly place with a wealth of infor-
mation about the area.
