Travel

New Mexico

The southern state of New Mexico boasts a strong cultural heritage, beautiful scenery and a host of amenities. A diverse region, New Mexico is a mix of both American Indian and Mexican cultures. Santa Fe, the capital city, boasts several galleries that showcase the colourful and unique artwork indicative of New Mexico. Activities are also plentiful, as the climate in New Mexico is conducive to everything from golfing in the Las Cruces area to skiing in the Taos mountains and ballooning over Albuquerque.

The landscape of New Mexico ranges from wide, rose-colored deserts to high, snow-capped peaks. Contrary to popular belief, New Mexico is not an arid desert, with heavily forested mountain wildernesses covering a significant portion of the state, especially in the north. The Rocky Mountains run north-to-south along the east side of the Rio Grande in the rugged north and the Rio Grande (the third longest river in the U.S.A.) is joined by many other rivers, including the Pecos, Canadian, San Juan, and Gila. The southern portion of the state is semiarid, with cacti, yuccas, creosote bush, sagebrush and desert grasses covering the broad plains.

New Mexico's climate ranges from arid to semiarid, with a wide range of temperatures. Average January temperatures vary from about 2°C in the north to about 13°C in the southern and central regions. Meanwhile, the July summer temperatures range from about 26°C at high elevations to around 33°C at lower elevations. The record high temperature for the state was a scorching 50°C and temperatures in some areas do frequent the 40°C range during the summer months.

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