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ENCHANTED CIRCLE
The route is pieced together via several area roadways: US 64 between Taos, Angel Fire and Eagle Nest, State Highway 38 between Eagle Nest and Red River and State Highway 522 between Questa and Taos. The circle tour includes two mountain passes: Bobcat Pass near Red River and Palo Flechado Pass near Angel Fire. A land of rugged and dramatic geography once home to the Ute, Apache, Comanche and Tiwa and later Spanish and Mexican colonization, much of the Enchanted Circle was part of the Maxwell Land Grant which at nearly 2 million acres was the largest single land grant in North American history. Tourism, ranching, logging, and mining now constitute much of the economy in the area. The Enchanted Circle is habitat to hawk, owl, raven, bear, elk, deer, mountain lion, buffalo, wolf and coyote, not to mention a spectacular array of wild flowers in full blossom throughout summer. It is a land where Molycorp, a large molybdenum mine, is neighbor to the Lama Foundation, a high mountain spiritual retreat. Noted for volatile weather and spectacular vistas, the Enchanted Circle is a land of mountains, desert and high grassy plateaus. As with many unique and breathtaking mountain terrains, the constant challenge of the area remains the conservation of the fragile, diverse magnificent eco systems, rich wildlife, legitimate human interests, and exceptional cultural diversity in the face of pressing growth and economic hunger for natural resources and land. With an allure that draws interest world wide, the Enchanted Circle is truly a magical place. Join us on a tour of the circle communities: Located at the intersection of US 64 and State Highway 58, Cimarron is a thriving ranch and tourist community with a legendary history. The name "Cimarron" from the Spanish for "wild, unruly" aptly describes this cowboy hamlet situated where rangeland meets the Cimarron is renowned for outlaw murders and as a rendezvous for cowboy legends. In the right light, one can still see the ruts left by wagon wheels on the old Santa Fe Trail. Cimarron is said to have been the spot where Buffalo Bill Cody recruited many of the players in his traveling Wild West Show. Today, Cimarron is the School District headquarters drawing high school students from Cimarron, Ute Park, Eagle Nest, Angel Fire and even out-of-district Red River students. Cimarron is flanked by some of the largest private ranches in the state, the C.S. Ranch owned by the Les Davis family and the spectacular Vermejo Park Ranch owned by media mogul Ted Turner. In this land of cowboys, not surprisingly Cimarron's 4th of July Maverick Rodeo is said to be one of the oldest in the nation. A town of ranch stores, antique shops, art galleries and lumber mills, Cimarron fills with Boy Scouts in the summer. It is four miles north of the 130,000-acre Philmont Scout Ranch, which according to Scout officials is the largest summer camp in the world. The public may take a guided tour in summer of Villa Philmonte, the elegant Spanish Mediterranean-style villa of Philmont benefactor Waite Phillips, on State Highway 21. Or stop at Rayado, the first settlement of the Beaubien and Miranda Land Grant and site of the Philmont Scout Ranch's Kit Carson Museum. Costumed interpreters portray life at frontier Rayado demonstrating blacksmithing, campfire cooking, black powdershooting, and more, daily June through August. The Cimarron Canyon rises up into the mountains west of the village lined by daunting rock walls, wildlife, and noted for its history of Indian skirmishes. You might spot experienced rock climbers high on The Palisades rock formation mid-canyon. The Cimarron River winds through the canyon and is a popular fishing spot spring, summer and fall. CIMARRON FACTS:
EAGLE NEST Originally known as Therma, Eagle Nest sits alongside Eagle Nest Lake at the intersection of US 64 and State Highway 38. The fishing village boosts some of the best trout fishing in New Mexico and hosts an annual fall Fish Fest featuring great prizes and an especially unique event - the world's only Worm-Eating Contest! As long as there's plenty of thick ice on Eagle Nest Lake, winter anglers can drill a hole, drop a line and pull out rainbows, cutthroats and kokanee salmon. Like many old New Mexico mountain hideaways, Eagle Nest has a bawdy past and today is a favorite RV stop for that senior tribe of motor home dwellers who roam the spine of the continent from Mexico northward. It is said that in its hey day when dignitaries would travel from the State Capitol in Santa Fe to the race track in Raton, the music would start and the slot machines roll out on the boardwalk at nine in the morning. Rumor has it that the slot machines can still be seen at the foot of Eagle Nest dam in low water at the bottom of the lake. Sporting a new Senior Citizen Center, today Eagle Nest's main street is lined with arts and crafts shops, lodging, restaurants and saloons. The town is also home of Cimarron District's Eagle Nest Elementary/Middle School which serves Eagle Nest, Angel Fire and some Red River students. Nestled on the western slope of Baldy Mountain of gold rush fame, Eagle Nest continues to be a paradise for summer visitors. The town's July 4th celebration features an old-fashioned parade, the annual firemen's barbecue and one of New Mexico's largest fireworks' displays over the lake. EAGLE NEST FACTS:
RED RIVER Situated in a box canyon carved by the mineral rich Red River, the town of Red River rests on the northeast face of Wheeler Peak. It is a town with a rich past. The area was once roamed by warring Apaches. Then came trappers in the early 1800s, followed by early settlers. Gold fever followed,with a flood of prospectors and miners. Remanants still remain of those mining days. Old mining roads are today's Jeep routes. Hikers can find crumbling old mining cabins or what's left of the turn-of-century water wheel on the Golden Treasure property. Today Red River is home to skiing, revivals, motorcycle rallies, and melodrama. Summer brings hiking, biking, horseback riding and Jeeping. Red River proudly claims it stocks more trout in its river than any other town in the country. There are Old West shootouts on Main Street on summer afternoons.This Old West town hasn't forgotten its past. Red River Ski Area caters to families. The town bills itself as "Ski Town of the Southwest." The ski mountain juts up in the middle of town toward the old 1800s mining sites. Red River is a mountain town that has withstood the test of time. A variety of restaurants, motels, hotels, saloons, shops, churches, and campgrounds call Red River home. RED RIVER FACTS:
TAOS On the western slope of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains at the mouth of Taos Canyon and six miles east of the Rio Grande Gorge, Taos sits at the intersection of US 64 and State Highway 68. The name "Taos" means "place of the red willows" in the Tiwa language Whether by way of the crystalline mountain atmosphere or the explosive sunsets over the high western desert, Taos provides inspiration in rare and splendid ways. The Taos Pueblo, for instance, and its surrounding reservation continue to exemplify the traditional North American ways and its significance was affirmed by the return to the Pueblo in 1970 of Blue Lake high on the south face of Wheeler Peak by President Nixon in recognition of the significance of the lake in the Pueblo's traditional spiritual practices. Taos is home to an airport, public as well as private elementary, junior high and high schools, and a University of New Mexico branch campus. Its adobe architecture, 100-plus art galleries, an array of unique shops, restaurants offering regional to international cuisine, high desert golfing, plus skiing at Ernie Blake's legendary Taos Ski Valley, bring visitors from around the world, some who return to makeTaos home. TAOS FACTS:
ANGEL FIRE What's in a name? You may already have guessed. It's the legendary sunrises and sunsets viewed by Moache Ute Indians, Franciscan friars, and other lucky folks that were dubbed "angel fire" that eventually became a town's name. A mile south of the US 64 intersection with Highway 434 on the southern end of the Moreno Valley, you'll spot the ski mountain of Angel Fire, backbone of a growing community. Ute Indians first called the area home. Ranchers, farmers and loggers followed. Eventually developers saw the potential for a ski and summer resort, and Angel Fire was born. Characterized by homes tucked away in the ponderosa, spruce and aspen forest on the valley's mountain rims, Angel Fire is emerging as a four- season resort destination and an alluring relocation spot to active retirees and the lone eagles of the information revolution. Bordered on the east by the CS Ranch and Philmont Scout Ranch and the west by Carson National Forest, residents enjoy a spectacular view across the Moreno Valley north to Wheeler Peak. From atop the ski mountain it's easy to see Eagle Nest Lake. New resort owners have pumped several million into the ski area, which boasts the state's only high speed quad. There are plans on the drawing board to spend more millions expanding the skiable terrain. Besides downhill and cross country skiing, there's a beautiful 18-hole PGA-rated golf course, an annual balloon festival, the Angel Fire Mountain Theatre summer repertory program with Texas Tech University, and Music from Angel Fire, which every August brings world renowned chamber musicians to town. Near Angel Fire is the DAV Vietnam Veterans National Memorial, a soaring monument to one father's fallen son as well as to all who lost their lives in the Vietnam War. Angel Fire is fast becoming known for more than just its rainbows and fiery sunrises and sunsets. The village boasts a resort hotel, casual restaurants, bars, rental condos, a few unique shops and sport shops for outdoor gear. Two new churches are under construction, as is a village community center. Angel Fire is home to the Sangre de Cristo Chronicle. ANGEL FIRE FACTS:
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The name 'Enchanted Circle' describes the approximately 90-mile route around the Sangre de Cristo mountain range in the Southern Rockies where daunting Wheeler Peak, New Mexico's highest at 13,161 ft., reigns in northern New Mexico.
mountains on the east slope of the Sangre de Cristo range of the Southern Rockies.
and evidence exists showing the Taos area was inhabited as far back as 3,000 BC. Long a pueblo village in the Tiwa civilization, and later a trading center of the northern tip of the Mexican Empire, today Taos is a world renowned center of art and culture where the challenges of ethnic tolerance and cooperation and profound intercultural interactions make Taos a place unique in its beauty and civilization.
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