Winter may be nearly here, but there is a little time to sneak in one last road trip around our great state. We’re lucky enough to be centrally located in Albuquerque, making visiting beautiful destinations as easy as a day trip in any direction. With so much to see, you may even want to extend your stay and take a whole weekend for maximum relaxation. At Melloy Dodge we appreciate the fact that a car is meant to take you places- the more scenic the better. Here’s the rundown of some of our favorite places around the state to make a trip to.
The road north from Albuquerque is always a visual pleaser, as you head up to the big mountains around Santa Fe and Taos. Santa Fe, our historic and artsy state capital offers road trippers from Albuquerque the opportunity to catch the latest exhibit at the multitude of galleries, or enjoy some of the ever changing cultural events around the city. You can take the express route up I-25, or the historic El Camino Real and experience the path that ancient traders sojourned on, whether you’re going for speed or style, a Dodge Dart is a good choice for fuel efficiency.
For those heading a little farther, Taos is a fantastic city to spend some quality time in. For the outdoor minded, just outside the city there is excellent hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, and more. Every season offers a different perspective on the epic scenery here. Depending how far off the beaten path and into the mountains you’re headed, a vehicle built for rugged terrain is ideal. The Dodge Journey, a Crossover that really pulls its weight, can take you down the dirt roads of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains with ease.
Ready to hit the road and south? Pack the whole family in a Grand Caravan and get going! For students of science, the Very Large Array, on the Plains of San Agustin outside of Socorro is an excellent place to take in a little information about the universe. Keep headed south and west, and visit the village of Ruidoso, a scenic little town right next door to the expansive Lincoln National Forest. While you’re there, winter sports fanatics can hit some of the best slopes in the state. After your stop in Ruidoso, press on a little further for completely different scenery at White Sands National Monument, a truly one of a kind landscape of white sand dunes formed by impressive gypsum deposits.