Ruidoso, New Mexico is a perfect spot for outdoor recreation enthusiasts. Outdoor activities are plentiful in Ruidoso and the surrounding countryside. Using the Village of Ruidoso as your base camp, venture out for fishing, hiking, bird watching, back-packing, hunting, wildlife viewing, camping, horseback riding, picnics, paddle boating, sporting clays, both mountain biking and road biking and golfing. Winter offers skiing and snowboarding at Ski Apache and tubing, sledding and snowmobiling in the Sacramento Mountains of Lincoln and Otero Counties.
Hiking in Ruidoso
Ruidoso offers extensive hiking trails for both beginners and experienced backpackers. Ruidoso and Alto, New Mexico are surrounded on all sides by the Lincoln National Forest or Bureau of Land Management land providing easy access to trailheads. The Lincoln National Forest is known as the birthplace of Smokey Bear, the living symbol of the campaign to prevent forest fires. The original bear is buried just north of Ruidoso in Capitan, New Mexico.
Ruidoso Public Golf Courses
The Links at Sierra Blanca is Ruidoso’s municipal facility boasting a beautiful 18-hole links style course. Designed by PGA Senior Professional, Jim Colbert, the Scottish style course is designed to be both challenging for the experienced golfer and great fun for the novice.
Cree Meadows Golf Course is the area’s oldest course. Play 18 holes on its beautiful, well-kept fairways and greens. The views from every hole on this course are breathtaking. Cree Meadows also has a restaurant and lounge.
The Inn of the Mountain Gods Championship Golf Course winds around a man-made lake and through a myriad of forested canyons. Don’t be surprised to see an eagle soaring overhead or hear bull elk bugling in the woods which surround almost every hole. The course is ranked among the top 20 resort golf courses in the United States and boasts an island fairway.
Gaming in Ruidoso
For those seeking gaming excitement, Ruidoso and the surrounding area offers up three casinos for your pleasure. The Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort and Casino offers full Las Vegas style gaming only about 30 minutes from Alto Mesa Estates. Nearby the Mescalero Apache tribe also run the Casino Apache Travel Center with slots and table games as well. Ruidoso Downs Racetrack and Casino, which offers quarter horse and thoroughbred racing during the Summer months also includes Billy the Kid Casino … great slot action 365 days a year.
Skiing Ruidoso at Ski Apache
Located minutes away Alto Mesa Estates, Ski Apache offers a great ski experience for all ages and abilities. Skiers and snowboarders find a perfect variety of terrain on 55 trails served by 11 lifts and New Mexico’s only gondola. Ski Apache’s ample lift capacity allows more time for skiing and lift lines are rare. Quality grooming, snowmaking and our temperate climate enhance your visit there. High skiable elevations, between 9,600’ and 11,500’, provide abundant snowfall while sunny days are plentiful.
Fishing Around Ruidoso
Local streams and lakes are stocked at different times of the year with rainbow trout. State and Federal fishing waters include Alto Lake, Bonito Lake, Carrizo Creek, Eagle Creek, Grindstone Lake, Rio Ruidoso, and the Tularosa Creek. The Mescalero Reservation Fishing Waters include Mescalero Lake, Eagle Lake, Rio Ruidoso, and Silver Lake. Permits are available locally or at Mescalero Reservation locations.
Ruidoso Area Birding
Ruidoso and Lincoln County New Mexico is blessed with a wide range of habitats and over 200 species of birds. Lincoln County contains two wilderness areas. Elevations run from 5,400 feet (1696 meters) to 11,400 feet (3474 meters) and habitats vary from semi-desert through conifer forests to high-elevation grasses and forbs. A drive to San Antonio, NM on the Rio Grande (about 1 and 1/2 hours) will take you to the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, one of the best birding experiences in America.
Ruidoso’s Wildlife
Lincoln County’s greatly varying topography and climates offers up over 300 different species for the avid wildlife watcher. Over 200 different types of birds, including a wide variety of owls and hawks, nuthatches and vireos jays can be seen quite often in the forests. Other wildlife includes elk, deer and turkey, mountain lion and black bear.
Horseback Riding around Ruidoso
A wide variety of horseback riding opportunities are available in the Ruidoso area. Riding choices range from 30-minute to 1-hour rides through the pines around the edge of town to full-day excursions into the wilderness areas of the Lincoln National Forest. The shorter rides near town are geared toward novice riders and families. Half-day and full-day rides into the wilderness provide opportunities to see the magnificent backcountry that will appeal to adults and older children. Regardless of experience, there is a horseback adventure awaiting you in Ruidoso.
