Enchanted Hills, NM Outdoor Activities

The sun dances on the placid surface of the Rio Grande river, the wind carving peaks and valleys in the cerulean fabric of the water. A windsurfing board suddenly tears across this calm waterway, propelled by the wind and the shouts of jubilant windsurfers nearby. Obscure terminology and sailing theory soon fade into the background as students fly across the river during a windsurfing lesson, in which instructors provide encouragement and advice. When not chasing sandwich-stealing mermaids, instructors lead lessons in the slower-paced methods of standup paddle boarding, taking newcomers through intro classes on the Rio Grande and the more experienced on half-day excursions on Cochiti Lake.

The Santa Fe Southern Railway revels in a rich history, one that commenced in the 1800s and was heralded in the Academy Award–winning Judy Garland song "On the Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe". Connecting Santa Fe to the rest of the country, the train line helped to build the southwestern city's reputation as a great arts destination as it transported visitors and wanderlust-filled paintbrushes to the picturesque terrain. During regular expeditions to nearby Lamy, the railway continues to dazzle riders with sweeping vistas just outside the windows of vintage 1920s train cars, which each sport their own snack and drink bar.

Marker-toting teams duck behind stacks of discarded tires as they evade their opponents on 007 Paintball's three varied paintball fields. On the 180'x100' hyperball and speedball courses, posses attempt to eliminate their opponents one by one as they juke around gray and black inflatable obstacles at breakneck speeds. The woodsball-scenario field spans 2 acres, populated by large wooden spools, plastic barrels, and discarded road signs, and hosts four action-packed games, including team elimination and center flag, in which players engage in rounds of ring around the rosy about the flag's pole.

Roger Alink has never owned a television. As a kid, he was too busy with the pigs and cattle that roamed his 160-acre home, and this love of animals and the outdoors only grew over time. In the early '90s, Alink decided to share this love with others, so he and a team of volunteers spent 30,000 hours establishing Wildlife West Nature Park.

In addition to the wild creatures, migratory birds, and GPS-lacking manatees who settle at the park, representatives of the region's indigenous animals and plants live and grow on its 122 scenic acres, much of which hasn’t been altered since the park's inception. Elsewhere, 30 wildlife exhibits mimic the natural habitats of the black bears, wolverines, deer, pronghorn antelopes, and birds of prey that inhabit them. Two miles of trail connect each habitat, and each enclosure is specially designed for the particular needs of its residents. The same custom care goes into feeding the animals: to keep the beasts psychologically spry, staff members provide challenges that echo the animals' instinctual eating habits, placing meals up in treetops, burying snacks that need to be sniffed out, and arranging candlelit dinners for mountain lions who forgot their wives’ birthdays.

Sustainable practices such as recycling, organic farming, and water harvesting turn the park into an educational example of eco-friendliness. Facilities such as the amphitheater and the heated, enclosed Bean Barn also welcome special events ranging from music festivals and bird-handling workshops to the kite-spangled Wind Festival and the ursine Bear Fair.