Off-the-Beaten-Path State Parks & Other Scenic Highlights
Storrie Lake State Park (tel. 505/425-7278), 4 miles north via NM 518, open daily during daylight hours year-round, offers fishing, swimming, windsurfing, water-skiing, camping, a visitor center with historic exhibits, and a playground.
Villanueva State Park (tel. 575/421-2957), 31 miles southwest via I-25 and NM 3 and open daily from 7am to 9pm (until 7pm in winter), offers excellent hiking, camping, and picnicking between red sandstone bluffs in the Pecos River Valley. Nearby are the Spanish colonial villages Villanueva and San Miguel del Vado; the latter is a national historic district built around an impressive 1805 church.
Fourteen miles north of Mora via NM 434 is an out-of-the-way beauty, Coyote Creek State Park (tel. 505/387-2328), with fully developed and primitive campsites beside a stream. The fishing is good, and a few well-marked hiking trails head into the mountains.
If you prefer your nature a little less primitive, head for the Pendaries Village Mountain Resort, P.O. Box 820, Rociada, NM 87742 (tel. 505/425-3561; www.pendaries.net), located 13 miles south of Mora and 27 miles northwest of Las Vegas, on NM 105 off NM 94. This lovely foothills lodge boasts the region's finest 18-hole golf course and fishing. It also has overnight accommodations and a restaurant/lounge, open May to October.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
