Driving from Dallas to Angel Fire New Mexico - Best Route

I am making the trip from Dallas to Angel Fire New Mexico over
Christmas. Anyone have suggestions for the best route to take. It
looks like there are many once you start heading into the mountains...

Thanks!

snowtech2 wrote:

I am making the trip from Dallas to Angel Fire New Mexico over
Christmas. Anyone have suggestions for the best route to take. It
looks like there are many once you start heading into the mountains...

Thanks!

Dallas, eh?

Take I-35 north to I-70.

Go west on I-70.

When you get to the sign that says "Welcome to Vail" get off and start
looking for a parking space.

HTH Hand.

--
//-Walt
//
// The Volkl Conspiracy

On 4 Nov 2003 09:59:21 -0800, (snowtech2) wrote:

Angel Fire New Mexico

Bwhaahaahaaahaa !!!

-Astro

"snowtech2" wrote in message
m...
I am making the trip from Dallas to Angel Fire New Mexico over
Christmas. Anyone have suggestions for the best route to take. It
looks like there are many once you start heading into the mountains...

Thanks!

I made almost this same trip (from austin to angel fire) two years ago. Half
of our group was driving a new Pathfinder, and went through Clovis, NM by
way of Lubbock, which took about 12 hours. The other half, those of us in a
12 year old Rodeo with a blown head gasket, played it safe and stuck to
major interstates through El Paso, which took about 14.5 hrs. Your best bet
seems to be punching in Dallas to Angel Fire into mapquest, and going
through Amarillo to hit I-40.

Of course, if you want to make this a much better ski trip in New Mexico,
you'll keep going until you see the sign that says "Welcome to Taos Ski
Valley". Angel Fire Sucks.


Chris "Worst Trip Ever" Devidal

(snowtech2) wrote:
I am making the trip from Dallas to Angel Fire New Mexico over
Christmas. Anyone have suggestions for the best route to take.

Fastest drive? Shortest drive? Easiest drive? Most scenic / intteresting
/ touristy?

Most interstate highway:
I-20 to Swee****er. US 84 to Lubbock. Here you can choose -- I-27 through
Amarillo (not recommended) to I-40. I-40 to Albuquerque. I-25 to Santa Fe.
NM 68 to Taos. US 64 to Angel Fire. Hint -- get a NM map!! Or stop at
Taos.

Fastest nighttime drive:
US 287 (Jacksboro Highway) to Amarillo. I-40 to Clines Corner. US 285 to
Santa Fe. NM 68 to Taos. US 64 to Angel Fire.

Best route if Amarillo has winter weather
I-20 to Roscoe (west of Swee****er). US 84 to Las Vegas NM (via I-40 and
I-25). DEPENDING on if NM roads are clear, NM 518 to Taos. US 64 to Eagle's
Nest/Angel Fire. (or NM 518 to NM 434 to Angel Fire). If NM roads are
NOT clear, I-25 N from Las Vegas to NM 58. NM 58 to US 64. US 64 to Eagle's
Nest/Angel Fire. If NM 58 is not clear, stay on I-25 to Raton, and go south
(well, west) on US 64 to Angel Fire (adds 50 miles, saves an hour if there's
snow).

Notes:
I've never seen the more southerly interstate highways with ice. I've seen
US 84 with ice in Texas but not New Mexico the same night (go figure). US
285 is utterly deserted. When NM 518 is "open" it usually means 2" packed
snow or ice, but sanded and passable. US 84 is the traditional ski highway
from Texas to New Mexico -- the route number is also the speed limit. The
best tourist stuff is in Santa Fe, Taos, Ft Sumner, and Albuquerque.

You'll have more fun skiing Taos, Santa Fe, or Red River. When you're at
Angel Fire you're a long hour drive from Taos OR Red River, and it's worth
the extra drive.

Since you are a Texan, you need to leave at about 6 or 7 pm so you can arrive
sleep-deprived at the hill when the lifts open. This could put you on NM
518 at dawn -- if the road didn't make you hallucinate, the sunrise on 518
will, if the skies are clear.

Get a tune-up and a new car battery before you leave Texas. Trust me on
this.

Jim in Texas
driving all night since 1989

wrote in message ...
(snowtech2) wrote:
I am making the trip from Dallas to Angel Fire New Mexico over
Christmas. Anyone have suggestions for the best route to take.

Fastest drive? Shortest drive? Easiest drive? Most scenic / intteresting
/ touristy?

Most interstate highway:
I-20 to Swee****er. US 84 to Lubbock. Here you can choose -- I-27 through
Amarillo (not recommended) to I-40. I-40 to Albuquerque. I-25 to Santa Fe.
NM 68 to Taos. US 64 to Angel Fire. Hint -- get a NM map!! Or stop at
Taos.

Fastest nighttime drive:
US 287 (Jacksboro Highway) to Amarillo. I-40 to Clines Corner. US 285 to
Santa Fe. NM 68 to Taos. US 64 to Angel Fire.

Best route if Amarillo has winter weather
I-20 to Roscoe (west of Swee****er). US 84 to Las Vegas NM (via I-40 and
I-25). DEPENDING on if NM roads are clear, NM 518 to Taos. US 64 to Eagle's
Nest/Angel Fire. (or NM 518 to NM 434 to Angel Fire). If NM roads are
NOT clear, I-25 N from Las Vegas to NM 58. NM 58 to US 64. US 64 to Eagle's
Nest/Angel Fire. If NM 58 is not clear, stay on I-25 to Raton, and go south
(well, west) on US 64 to Angel Fire (adds 50 miles, saves an hour if there's
snow).

Notes:
I've never seen the more southerly interstate highways with ice. I've seen
US 84 with ice in Texas but not New Mexico the same night (go figure). US
285 is utterly deserted. When NM 518 is "open" it usually means 2" packed
snow or ice, but sanded and passable. US 84 is the traditional ski highway
from Texas to New Mexico -- the route number is also the speed limit. The
best tourist stuff is in Santa Fe, Taos, Ft Sumner, and Albuquerque.

You'll have more fun skiing Taos, Santa Fe, or Red River. When you're at
Angel Fire you're a long hour drive from Taos OR Red River, and it's worth
the extra drive.

Since you are a Texan, you need to leave at about 6 or 7 pm so you can arrive
sleep-deprived at the hill when the lifts open. This could put you on NM
518 at dawn -- if the road didn't make you hallucinate, the sunrise on 518
will, if the skies are clear.

Get a tune-up and a new car battery before you leave Texas. Trust me on
this.

Jim in Texas
driving all night since 1989

Jim:

Thanks for opening your playbook! This will be most helpful! Sounds
like you have made this trip many times.... I'll take the tune up and
battery advice, how about tire chains?

As for switching to the other resorts, Taos is out because my kids
ride snowboards, but the other two are possible. Why would you rather
visit Red River or Santa Fe?

Jim:

Thanks for opening your playbook! This will be most helpful! Sounds
like you have made this trip many times.... I'll take the tune up and
battery advice, how about tire chains?

As for switching to the other resorts, Taos is out because my kids
ride snowboards, but the other two are possible. Why would you rather
visit Red River or Santa Fe?

snowtech2 wrote:
As for switching to the other resorts, Taos is out because my kids
ride snowboards, but the other two are possible. Why would you rather
visit Red River or Santa Fe?

What about Apache? Is that in the district?

ant

(snowtech2) wrote:
Jim:

Thanks for opening your playbook! This will be most helpful! Sounds
like you have made this trip many times.... I'll take the tune up and
battery advice, how about tire chains?

As for switching to the other resorts, Taos is out because my kids
ride snowboards, but the other two are possible. Why would you rather
visit Red River or Santa Fe?

Both are good hills for 'boarding. Red River is close enough to Taos that
the 'rents could ski Taos while the spawn boarded at Red River.

In my experience, Santa Fe is a vastly better ski hill than Red River, but
Red River is more fun. If the kids aren't strong boarders yet, they'd probably
enjoy Red River more. Both the hill and the town of Red River are a little
like what Walt Disney would have done if he'd included "Redneck Honky Tonk-land"
at Disney World.

On the other hand, Taos and Santa Fe carry more of a refined European flavor
(except for that little redneck bar half-way down the main run at Santa Fe).


The best part? The huge variety of local culture and ski terrain in northern
New Mexico. With a little planning, you can be in a completely different
world every day for a week.

Jim in Texas

PS -- Carry chains and a tow strap. You'll probably never need them.