Red River, NM

Throughout the long history of the Red River valley, people have come searching for treasure. Early visitors were mostly trappers and hunters attracted by the riches of abundant wildlife. Hopeful miners were drawn to the area in the 1870s and '80s by the gold strikes in Elizabethtown, but ore quality proved too low and the development costs too high to make the ventures profitable. A few prospectors, like the Mallette brothers, persisted and established homesteads. They had some good finds and prospectors began pouring in and filing claims. By 1895 Red River City was a booming gold camp and soon had a population of 3,000 people, complete with 15 saloons, four hotels, two newspapers, a barbershop, a hospital, a school, a sawmill and an active red light district. The mines shut down after a few years and homesteaders soon outnumbered the miners. But the town lived on, and in the 1930s the few remaining residents realized that the new motherlode for them was tourism. Oklahoman Stokes Bolton carried the vision further when he determined Red River needed a ski area and opened one in 1959. Today, Red River has six buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. History buffs can take a journey back through the 100-year mining history on the eight-mile Placer Creek Trail or the three-mile Pioneer Canyon Trail. Yes, throughout the history of Red River, people have come looking for treasure - and found it, in the unbelievably blue sky, the trees that reach boldly for the heavens, and the people who wouldn't trade this life for all "the gold in them thar hills."

Enchanted Forest Cross Country Ski Area

Enchanted Forest Cross Country Ski Area is New Mexico’s largest full-service cross country ski area offering trails groomed for both classic and freestyle skiing. The facility, located 3.5 miles east of downtown Red River NM in the Carson National Forest, offers the best of all worlds - beautiful sweeping meadows, stunning mountain vistas and meandering forest trails which give a back country feel in a groomed and patrolled area. The trail system is groomed with one side tracked for classic or "diagonal stride" skiing and the other left smoothed for snowshoeing and freestyle or "skate" skiing. (If you are not familiar with skating, imagine roller blading on snow - except you have control and stopability on hills.)

Enchanted Forest offers beginner, intermediate and advanced lessons, including skating and telemarking. For those who don’t yet know how easy cross country skiing can be the Enchanted Forest offers a complete lesson package including boots, poles, skis, trail pass and a one and a half hour lesson (for ages 3-?) for less than the cost of a lift ticket at most downhill areas. A full-service rental shop is located at Millers Crossing in Red River with a smaller shop at the ski area. If you get cold you can grab a cup of hot chocolate and a candy bar inside the warming hut/snack bar. A second warming hut and picnic areas are also offered along the trail system.