Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
284
potato or rice. The New Mexican food is also good. Kids can select from the “little
buckaroos” menu. A full bar is available.
In the El Rancho Hotel and Motel, 1000 E. 66 Ave.
&
800/543-6351
or 505/863-9311. www.historicel
ranchohotel.com. Reservations not accepted. Main courses $5-$12 breakfast, $8-$13 lunch, $9-$20 din-
ner. AE, DISC, MC, V. Daily 6:30am-10pm.
6
CHAMA
59 miles NW of Taos; 91 miles NW of Santa Fe; 95 miles E of Farmington
This pioneer village of 1,250 people at the base of the 10,000-foot Cumbres Pass is New
Mexico's undiscovered playland. Now, with some new additions, the town is really look-
ing up. A park, clock tower, and—drumroll, please—sidewalks (!) give it a friendlier
tone.
Bordered by three wilderness areas, the Carson, Rio Grande, and Santa Fe national
forests, the area is indeed prime for hunting, fishing, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling,
snowshoeing, and hiking.
Another highlight here is America's longest and highest narrow-gauge coal-fired steam
line, the
Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad,
which winds 64 miles through valleys and
mountain meadows between Chama and Antonito, Colorado. The village of Chama
boomed when the railroad arrived in 1881. A rough-and-ready frontier town, the place
still maintains that flavor, with lumber and ranching making up a big part of the econ-
omy.
Landmarks to watch for are the
Brazos Cliffs
and waterfall and
Heron and El Vado
lakes.
Tierra Amarilla, the Rio Arriba County seat, is 14 miles south, and is at the cen-
ter—along with Los Ojos and Los Brazos—of a wool-raising and weaving tradition
where local craftspeople still weave masterpieces. Dulce, governmental seat of the Jicarilla
Apache Indian Reservation, is 27 miles west.
10
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE
From Santa Fe, take US 84 north (2 hr.). From Taos, take US 64
west (2
1
/
2
hr.). From Farmington, take US 64 east (2
1
/
4
hr.).
VISITOR INFORMATION
The
New Mexico Visitor Information Center,
P.O. Box
697, Chama, NM 87520 (
&
575/756-2235
), is at 2372 US 17. It's open daily from
8am to 6pm in the summer, from 8am to 5pm in the winter. At the same address is the
Chama Valley Chamber of Commerce
(
&
800/477-0149
or 575/756-2306; www.
chamavalley.com).
ALL ABOARD THE HISTORIC C&T RAILROA D
Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad
Moments
If you have a passion for the
past and for incredible scenery, climb aboard America's longest and highest narrow-gauge
steam railroad, the historic C&T. It operates on a 64-mile track between Chama and
Antonito, Colorado. Built in 1880 as an extension of the Denver and Rio Grande line to
serve the mining camps of the San Juan Mountains, it is perhaps the finest surviving
example of what once was a vast network of remote Rocky Mountain railways.
The C&T passes through forests of pine and aspen, past striking rock formations, and
over the magnificent Toltec Gorge of the Rio de los Pinos. It crests at the 10,015-foot
Cumbres Pass, the highest in the United States used by scheduled passenger trains.
