Outdoor recreation opportunities are one reason people move to New Mexico. It has things to see and do that rival any other Western state: horseback riding, camping, hunting, fishing, rock climbing, 4-wheeling, skiing, and cultural/ historic excursions.
However, it’s more than just a pastime for New Mexicans. It’s also an economic development issue. Karina Armijo, the director of the state’s outdoor recreation division for economic development, told us, “Our direct division is under the economic development department, so it's a little bit different than some other states who are under the tourism department. The governor identified nine different industries to diversify the economy, and outdoor rec was on that list. We have the outdoor equity fund, so we help youth get outside by granting awards every year to encourage little ones to get outside and explore further for a lot of different reasons: mental health, physical health, stewardship, and hopefully investing in the youth to be our next generation of stewards of our land.”
“We look at supporting areas that want to increase access to their communities for different reasons. Whether it's for their youth or for supporting the outdoor recreation tourism community. When we build trails and outdoor infrastructure, it really benefits everyone, including the outdoor recreation economy. That's really important to us, and that leads us to the third thing that we do. We try to support local outdoor recreation businesses and see what we can do to help them in whatever capacity. We provide marketing support or getting the word out about the great work that they do, connecting them with the tourism department to make sure that everyone understands all the great local outdoor rec businesses.”
To that end, we’ll profile a variety of excellent tour guides in New Mexico.
Joe Saenz runs Wolfhouse Outfitters in Arenas Valley, NM. He says of his group, “We operate wilderness tours and provide a historical and cultural perspective on the environment with Apache culture. We offer wilderness experiences with trips such as day rides, lessons, backpacking trips, seminars, packing training...things that allow people the opportunity to experience the wilderness and educate guests on the Apache perspective.”
After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in natural resources management and biology, Joe decided that his Nation, the Chiricahua Apache, could use more visibility in New Mexico. He told us, “I'm a descendant of the Apache from the Red Paint Band. I was born and raised in my traditional country, and that put me in a place with my family and my relatives to be able to learn as much as I could about our culture and our history. We are not part of the Pueblo culture, and our people were very secretive, so there wasn’t much information about us in New Mexico, and that led to misconceptions. We were asked by the elders to share more and tell people more about our history and background, so people understand our history.”
Wolfhouse Outfitters can provide multi-day pack trips, day rides, and hiking/backpacking tours. Their website is: https://www.wolfhorseoutfitters.com/
Sandra Young is one of the partners in Moss Adventures in Raton, New Mexico. They specialize in wilderness tours in the scenic terrain of the northern New Mexico mountains, as well as expeditions in other parts of the country, such as the remote parts of the Grand Canyon, the Mojave, Moab, and Death Valley. Moss is a legacy brand due to her partner being the son of Bill Moss, the inventor of the pop-up tent.
Moss Adventures has fully equipped off-road Land Rovers to navigate the backcountry's undeveloped roads. Sandra told us, “My husband builds extremely sophisticated Land Rover expedition vehicles. We teach people off-road driving and off-road recovery. You're basically getting out into places where most people don't get to go unless they own a $100,000 vehicle that can do all this.”
They started as retail outfitters and a rental shop. Sandra said, “We started a little adventure store called the Raton Adventure Center. We have a historic building down on 1st St., which is part of a revitalization from our local Main Street organization. We took over the Coors building, which had been vacant for a number of decades. There was a building put up by Adolph Coors in 1906 to keep beer distributed on the railway when prohibition hit Colorado and New Mexico. We have renovated the building and put in an outdoor adventure retail store with equipment rentals like kayaks and bicycles. We're also creating a little cafe with provisions.”
Moss Adventures has a variety of campsites and excursion routes that take advantage of the large wilderness areas in northern New Mexico. Their website is https://www.mossadventures.com/
Justyn Vogel, the operator of Enchanted Equitreks, describes her company as “An all-inclusive horseback riding adventure business here outside of Albuquerque. We take clients from all over the world, from intermediate to advanced riders. We do six, seven, and eight-day packages.”
We asked Justyn about a typical day with Enchanted Equitreks. “Guests are lodged at our ranch. We take only five clients at a time. We trailer out somewhere different every day, so sometimes we'll be in the mountains, sometimes we'll be out in the river, sometimes down in the desert, and then we always come back to the ranch. In the afternoon, we come back and hang out. We have a pool and then have dinner here. In the past, this is what they would have called a dude ranch, but we are more of an adventure business. Our equestrians were built more for people who know how to ride and are looking for a destination to see the world on horseback.” Enchanted Equitreks also occasionally rides into local music festivals, pow wows, and balloon events.
Justyn told us, “I was born and raised in New Mexico, so I grew up with racehorses and ranching, and then my mom and I started taking some vacations where we would go ride somewhere for a week. We've ridden in Ireland, Scotland, Australia, and Africa. During that time, we were also working with rescue horses. We wanted to use rescue horses for our excursions, so that's something that really makes us unique...all of our horses are from a rescue. We also started our nonprofit rehab center where off-the-track thoroughbreds, quarter horses, and performance horses can start a new life.”
Justyn explained how riding in New Mexico has educated people about the state. “We have so many people from all over the world. We work with a bunch of international tour companies, and the biggest thing is that no one really knows what New Mexico is about. Even in the United States, no one really knows much about New Mexico. They get here and they are so surprised by the amount of terrain that we have, the mountains that we have, the rivers that we have, and the desert. We're not just one thing. They love the history, they love the culture, they love the food. We’re this hidden gem.”
Enchanted Equitreks’ website is https://www.enchantmentequitreks.com/
Kialo Winters with Navajo Tours tells us his excursions are based in the northwest area of New Mexico...sometimes referred to as the New Mexico badlands. They specialize in exploring iconic locations in that part of the state. He says, “We showcase all the legacies of our communities in the area, and so our service areas include Shiprock Peak, the Bisti Wilderness areas, Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness, and Chaco Culture National Historical Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We also offer custom cultural adventures or custom photography adventures throughout the area of northwest New Mexico.”
If you’re looking for truly Southwest landscape photos, these places would be on your list. They are the stuff of Western movies...and car commercials. Also, these excursions are doable if backpacking isn’t part of your lifestyle. Kialo tells us, “We offer interpretive tours sharing local history and indigenous knowledge at all locations, and for the travel guest experience, we make sure that their journey and experiences are safe, and we pick the safest routes, highlighting the best formations, the best experiences.”
Kialo says, “Growing up just east of Trumbull Canyon, the majority of my life and my background includes being a schoolteacher for 15 years in our Navajo communities. My wife, Terry, and I had the idea of starting a small business, becoming a tour guide operation.” These days, their business has a big digital footprint with a sophisticated booking app. See the spectacular northwest landscape and explore the culture of the Navajo. Their website is: https://navajotoursusa.com/
We hope this sampler of tour guides has been helpful in your journey to explore New Mexico.
The governor identified nine different industries to diversify the economy and outdoor rec was on that list.
- Karina Armijo, the director of the state’s outdoor recreation division for economic development.
We operate wilderness tours and provide a historical and cultural perspective on the environment with Apache culture.
-Joe Saenz, Wolfhouse Outfitters
My husband builds extremely sophisticated Land Rover expedition vehicles.
-Sandra Young, Moss Adventures