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Santa Rosa
Here in Northeast New Mexico, where the Great Plains rise up to meet the Rockies, lies a startling oasis. Amid the red mesas is an unusual array of spring-fed lakes, from clear mineral springs to the Blue Hole, famous for scuba diving, to the man-made Santa Rosa Lake. This ranching area on the banks of the Pecos River is full of surprises, from its legacy of railroading to cowboying and wild beauty. Halfway between Albuquerque and Amarillo, travelers stop off in Santa Rosa, some for a few days, and some forever.
Though Billy the Kid's shots no longer ring out and Route 66 has given way to I-40, some things haven't changed. Whether you stay for a few days or settle in permanently, you'll love the down-home friendliness of the little city on the banks of the Pecos.
While the landscape around Santa Rosa is more semi-arid ranch country than desert, it's true! Santa Rosa is a scuba diving mecca. There's the famous Blue Hole, a geological phenomenon. The natural, bell-shaped pool is 80 feet deep and has astonishing clarity and a constant water temperature of 64 degrees. There's even a training platform at 20 and 25 feet.
Water lovers have other choices besides scuba diving. Among 12 spring fed lakes in the area you can head for any one of the watering holes including Park Lake, the Southwest's largest swimming pool featuring a 32-foot waterslide. Rent pedal boats, canoes, swim, hike down El Rito Creek or walk along improved paths and sidealkes connecting Historic Route 66 to Old Route 66 along Blue Hole Road. Kids and seniors can fish in two specially-stocked ponds nearby.
Santa Rosa Lake is the largest of several area lakes, and was created to tame the wild Pecos River. Though the Pecos floods no more, it once gave cowboys a tough day trying to "git their little dogies" across it. These days Santa Rosa Lake gives urban cowboys and locals alike some exciting days of waterskiing, fishing, windsurfing, or jet skiing. Another option is to just kick back at the lake's New Mexico State Parks campsites, either with bare-bones camping or RV spots in the surrounding piñon and juniper-covered hills.
Santa Rosa
Santa Rosa, NM 87746
www.santarosanm.org/
