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State spotlight: New Mexico


Courtesy Santa Fe

Santa Fe Selection
Santa Fe is such a popular destination for travelers to New Mexico that it is flush with outdoor adventure opportunities. Groups can choose from numerous activities ranging from nature walks and scenic hikes to rafting, horseback riding and high-desert fly-fishing.

You don’t often think of water in New Mexico, but there’s enough around Santa Fe that a company called Santa Fe Rafting has been taking groups on river trips for 26 years. Groups can take guided raft floats on the Rio Grande and the Rio Chama, or opt for more adventurous white-water rapid excursions. Excursions range in length from several hours to several days.

The Bishop’s Lodge, a local resort and spa, offers a number of outdoor activities for groups, from team geocaching to ropes courses and high cliff adventures. A series of Equus experiences get guests in touch with horses and allows them to explore the 450-acre resort setting on horseback.

www.santafe.org

Resort in the Clouds
The 215,000 acres of the Lincoln National Forest that surround the Lodge at Cloudcroft make it an ideal location for getting back to nature in south central New Mexico. Built at its present location in 1911, the property blends luxurious accommodations with great access to the outdoors.

One of the most popular features of the lodge is its Scottish-style golf course, which was built in 1899 at 9,000 feet above sea level. In addition to having regular outings on the nine-hole course, groups can arrange a “guerilla golf” game that helps them enjoy the course and surrounding natural beauty together in a fun and informal competition.

Many guests that stay at the lodge take advantage of opportunities to go exploring in the surrounding area. Winter options include downhill and cross-country skiing, tubing, ice skating and snowshoeing. During warmer weather, groups can arrange mountain biking, swimming, fishing and hunting expeditions.

www.thelodgeresort.com

Brian Jewell

Brian Jewell is the executive editor of The Group Travel Leader. In more than a decade of travel journalism he has visited 48 states and 25 foreign countries.