Filed under: Activities & Attractions, Family Camping, Nature & Wildlife, Outdoor Recreation & Hiking

A Winter Family Adventure!

Outdoor family fun need not stop when the weather grows colder, or even when the snow flies. Over the holidays this year, we had the distinct pleasure of enjoying the company of all three of our grown children for an extended period of time.  In addition to enjoying all of our usual holiday activities, such as playing games, putting puzzles together, cooking, eating and shopping, we had the pleasure of engaging in another favorite pursuit in a new place: cross country skiing.

Loving the outdoors, we have long enjoyed the winter activities of cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in the colder months, near our cabin in northern Wisconsin. Far from there this winter, however, we sought out a new place to enjoy these activities and happened upon the Enchanted Forest Cross Country Ski Area in Red River, NM. We were not disappointed.

Located on NM Highway 38 just 3.5 miles east of Red River, NM, just below the summit of Bobcat Pass in the Carson National Forest. New Mexico’s only full service cross country ski and snowshoe area, Enchanted Forest offers over 30 kilometers of cross country trails groomed for skating and classic skiing as well as 18 kilometers of snowshoe trails. In addition, they offer five kilometers of trails groomed for skiing or snowshoeing with your dog.

We set out on a lovely winter day and drove the 45 minutes from our home to reach the trails. The temperature was about 40 degrees and the sun was shining brightly. Out for a leisurely afternoon, the girls and I decided to stick with the easier “green” trails while the guys took off for the more difficult blue, black and black diamond trails. The trails wind through over 500 acres of the Carson National Forest, traveling through old growth forests, aspen groves and mountain meadows, allowing views of the Wheeler Peak Wilderness, Red River, Latir Wilderness, Gold Hill, Touch Me Not Peak and the Moreno Valley at various points.

Our afternoon was an absolute delight; the best of all worlds. Warm sunshine and well groomed ski trails with the beauty of backcountry wilderness skiing. Enchanted Forest also has a full-service warming hut providing rental equipment, a variety of snacks and  cross-country ski clothing. They also have warming huts available along the trail, though we did not have need of them during our visit.

As an added attraction, Enchanted Forest has several yurts available for rent for a night or a weekend. Families may reserve the yurt, then spend the day skiing, ending the day at their yurt to spend the evening “camping out.”   Other amenities include learn to ski lessons and packages and season passes. More information is located at their website as www.EnchantedForestXC.com.

While lodging is available in the yurts on sight, Red River also has several full-service RV parks as well. One in particular, the Red River RV Park, boasts that it is open all winter long. Interestingly, in addition to the  RV sites, they also have yurts and cabins available for rental as well. They can be reached at www.RedRiverRVPark.com.

For a complete list of the choices for RV or tent camping sites in New Mexico, browse Woodall’s listings of New Mexico RV camping resorts.

 

Last 5 posts by Diane Berry

• Another Winter Family Adventure - February 10th, 2013
• The Forest in Winter - January 27th, 2013
• A Lookout in Winter - January 20th, 2013
• Picuris Peak 2: The Royal Road! - January 13th, 2013
• Hiking the Picuris Peak Trail - January 6th, 2013