New Mexico

Looking for the best photography in New Mexico? We've got you covered with the top trails, trips, hiking, backpacking, camping and more around New Mexico. The detailed guides, photos, and reviews are all submitted by the Outbound community.

Top Photography Spots in and near New Mexico

  • Albuquerque, New Mexico

    Hawk Watch Trail

    4.61 mi / 2267 ft gain
    The trail starts out at the Three Guns Trailhead and has great signage as you drive to it. You'll start the hike on the Three Guns Trail for about 0.5 mile before you'll officially cross into Cibola National Forest. Once you enter there will almost immediately be a spur to the Hawk Watch Trail to...
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  • Santa Fe, New Mexico

    Trail Run the Dale Ball Trails

    22 mi / 500 ft gain
    The Dale Ball Trail system, covers a wide swath of terrain between Santa Fe County, the City of Santa Fe, the National Forest, and The Nature Conservancy with a 22 mile network of trails in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Located a short distance from downtown Santa Fe, it is the...
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  • County Road A027, New Mexico

    Drive the Lake Valley Back Country Scenic Byway

    Highway 27 stretches from Highway 26, west of Hatch, to Hillsboro, NM. where it merges with NM 152. From there drive east to Interstate 25 near Lake Caballo where the scenic byway ends. It is a winding road with nice mountain views and a ghost town that is well worth a stop. Lake Valley ghost tow...
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  • Truth or Consequences, New Mexico

    Walk the Healing Waters Trail

    Walk around the downtown area of Truth or Consequences, NM and enjoy seeing the old saps and historic buildings. Take in local history and enjoy some great local food.See the full map for trail options here. 
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  • 6 1st Street, New Mexico

    Explore the Geronimo Trail National Scenic Byway

    65 mi
    This scenic highway goes through some nice country side and several old historic towns, some almost ghost towns. Lots of history and interesting places to stop. There are also festivals being held at different times of the year. Caballo Lake is also along the scenic byway .
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  • Petroglyph National Monument, New Mexico

    Petroglyphs National Monument, Albuquerque, New Mexico

    4.0
    2 mi / 10 ft gain
    Petroglyph National Park - Amazing Rock Art - Petroglyph National Monument has one of the biggest, and easiest to find group of petroglyphs in the United States. There are over 20,000 carvings in this monument. It is on the western side of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and is easy to reach. The vast m...
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  • Silver City, New Mexico

    Drive the Trail of the Mountain Spirits Scenic Byway

    93 mi
    Drive the 93-mile Scenic Trail from Silver City to Pinos Altos on Hwy 15  where you can stop to visit the Buckhorn Saloon and old Opera house. From there, drive Hwy 15 through the Gila National forest to the Gila cliff dwellings where you can stop for some hiking. Hwy 15 is very narrow and windin...
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  • Silver City, New Mexico

    Photograph La Capilla at Sunrise

    0.25 mi / 100 ft gain
    In the last 1800's when Silver City was a booming mining town the quickly growing hispanic population of the Chihuahua Hill neighborhood built a small chapel aka "La Capilla" as a center of community activities including pilgrimages and the Festival of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  When the statue it c...
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  • Jemez Springs, New Mexico

    Visit the Jemez Soda Dam

    4.0
    For the past 7,000 years, calcium carbonate at this spot in northern New Mexico. And after all those centuries, it has formed into a natural bridge across the Jemez river, roughly 300 feet in length.  Drive northeast from Jemez Springs on New Mexico State Route 4. Just under 2 miles later, the fo...
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  • Farmington, New Mexico

    Camp in the Bisti Badlands

    4 mi
    After driving down some dirt roads to the marked location, park in the main parking area. Free car camping is allowed here. Look across the blank landscape to the east. A compass may help you keep your bearing while out hiking because there are no trails or trail markers. Exit the parking area by...
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  • Santa Fe, New Mexico

    Catch a sunset over the hills of Santa Fe

    People come from all over the world to see sunsets in the southwest. This is a great little spot tucked away in a neighborhood I stayed in for a month. On Rodriguez street, there is a parking space for "visitors" of a particular house in the neighborhood (marked on the map). I didn't see a car t...
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  • Colfax County, New Mexico

    Hike to Clear Creek in Cimarron Canyon State Park

    4.0
    2.5 mi / 1000 ft gain
    Head North from Eagle Nest towards Cimarron, and about 7 miles (or less) on your right hand, you will find two big signs with a parking area on both sides of the road. If you park on the right side, walk on the inside of the guardrail until you find the trail head sign. If you parked on the left ...
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  • Dell City, New Mexico

    Hike up Alamo Mountain

    4 mi / 1500 ft gain
    There is actually not a trail. You will have to scramble up the mountain. There are good views of some very nice petroglyphs and great views of the Otero Mesa from the top.
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  • Lamy, New Mexico

    Hike to the Happy Valley Overlook in the Galisteo Basin Preserve

    1 mi / 150 ft gain
    The Galisteo Basin Preserve south of Santa Fe, New Mexico is community conservation area of some 10,000 acres with 28 miles of publicly accessible trails for hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians.The Happy Valley Overlook is a great, quick way to get an epic view of a large portion of Galisteo...
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  • Tularosa, New Mexico

    Dune Life Nature Trail

    1.03 mi / 49 ft gain
    Started the hike at the Dune Life Nature trail parking area. Two rangers took us all on the trail . We walked up and down the dunes and some flat areas. We started out at sunset and the views of the sunset were beautiful. 30 minutes later we walked in the dark with light of the moon. The sand was...
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  • Las Cruces, New Mexico

    Hike the Picacho Mountain

    3 mi / 1200 ft gain
    This is a somewhat strenuous hike up Picacho Mountain. The trail is 3 miles round trip and has an elevation gain of 1200 ft. Great views from the top and also many cacti species can be seen along the trail.
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