2016 Mtns & Mesas with covers

Mountains & Mesas page 7
April 30 – Climax Canyon 5K Trail Run, Climax
Canyon, Raton.
Fridays, May-Aug. - Hummingbird Monitoring at
Capulin Volcano National Monument
Aug. 6 - Stonewall Century Ride, 102 mile bike ride
beginning in La Veta.
Aug. 13 – Las Animas County Relay for Life at Central
Park, Trinidad, 4 pm-midnight.
Aug. 19-20 - Ragnar Relay, Angel Fire www.runragnar.com/event-detail/trail/angel_fire_nm
Sept. 10 - Master of the Mountain, solo racers or
relay teams for running, paddling, biking, and shooting,
events held at Lake Maloya, Horseshoe Mesa,
Sugarite Canyon State Park, Raton, and the NRA
Whit-tington Center. www.ratonmom.com/
Sept. 24 - Glo-Ball Golf Tourney Trinidad Golf
Course, Trinidad
Scenic Drives
The Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway in northern
New Mexico is an 83-mile loop through mountains,
valleys, mesas, and national forests. The drive
is centered around Wheeler Peak. Visit enchantedcircle.org/
for more info.
The Santa Fe Trail National Scenic Byway follows
the route people would have followed in the
1800s to move from Missouri out to the Mexican
Frontiers. In 1987, the Santa Fe Trail was designated
as a National Historic Trail. Start at the Byway Visitors
Center at the Trinidad History Museum. Visit
www.santafetrailscenicandhistoricbyway.org/ for
more info.
The Scenic Highway of Legends Byway in Colorado
is one of the oldest scenic highways in the
state and loops through gorgeous mountain valleys
and communities, past lakes and stone walls, between
Trinidad and La Veta. Visit
www.colorado.com/articles/colorado-scenicbyway-highway-legends
for more info.
Visit anytime
Vermejo Park Ranch is located 40 miles west of
Raton on Highway 555, Vermejo has twenty-one
lakes and over 30 miles of fishable stream, other activities
include hiking, horseback riding, skeet and
sporting clay shooting, wildlife viewing and birding,
pre-history and historic site visits, photo tours, geological/botanical
tours, educational ranch management
visits and ecology projects. vermejoparkranch.com/
Capulin Volcano National Monument offers
the experience of walking around the rim of a volcano.
Located just east of Raton, there are about 5
miles of hiking trails in a unique and varied landscape.
www.nps.gov/cavo/index.htm
Climax Canyon Park and Nature Trail, just west
of downtown Raton, was named after an abandoned
coal mine. Choose between the east or west loop,
both under 2 miles long, of varied terrain. ra-
tonnm.gov/facilities/facility/details/Climax-
Canyon-Park-17
Sugarite Canyon State Park has facilities for
boating, camping, equestrian trails, fishing, picnicking,
hiking, volleyball, wildlife viewing, an historic
coal camp, an educational program, and a visitor
center. Soda Pocket and Lake Alice campgrounds
provide 40 developed campsites. In the winter season,
cross-country skiing, sledding, and snow-shoeing
are also options.
www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/sugaritecanyonstatepark.html
Trinidad Lake State Park, just outside Trinidad,
has excellent facilities for camping, fishing, hiking,
biking, and more.
cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/parks/TrinidadLake
Lathrop State Park, just outside Walsenburg,
has two lakes, a couple of different walking paths, a
hiking path, lots of camping areas, fishing, boating,
and swimming.
cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/parks/Lathrop
Raton Golf Course is a nine-hole course. The
club is open to the public, no membership is required
to play or to join tournaments. www.ratongolf.com/
The nine hole Trinidad Golf Course is one of the
oldest courses in the state. Call ahead or book online.
www.trinidadgolfcourse.com/
Walsenburg Golf Course is another nine hole
course. Nestled in Lathrop State Park, the course is
open to the public and does not require a parks pass
to get in. www.weteeoff.com/
Raton Museum is located in downtown Raton.
Exhibits include Raton’s mining, ranching, Santa Fe
Trail, and railroad history. The museum is open October-April
on Wednesday through Saturday from