Links are highlighted below 

From Rick Butler (Planner of this ride)

We built this ride 2 years ago which started out as a ride to the Ruidoso, NM area and I turned it into a ride to include a couple of days to ride to Silver City, NM to ride AZ 191 or the Old Coronado Trail (aka the Devil’s Highway).  That’s why I call this ride an adventure where we will not only ride the famous Devil's Highway, but we will also visit:

1. The Morenci Copper Mine overlook

2. The Gila Cliff Dwellings

3. White Sands National Monument

4. New Mexico Museum of Space

5. Sunspot Solar Observatory

6. Many of the historical spots around Ruidoso including Fort Stanton, etc.

7. And lastly Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe National Park

This is what I enjoy about being in this group, and that is introducing fellow riders to great rides like this.  Thinking back, we have been to this area many times and each time we have had new riders attending.

Photos from our 2017 Ride

Daily Itineraries:

Day 1 – May 17 Denton, TX to Artesia, NM – 454 mi

Departing at 7:00 AM from the Race Trac at I-35 and 380 north of Denton

Lodging – Best Western Pecos Inn in Artesia, NM 2209 W Main Street (575)748-3324

Day 2 – May 18 Artesia, NM to Silver City, NM – 306 mi

         Departing at 8:00 AM

         Lodging – Comfort Inn in Silver City, NM  1060 E US Hwy 180 (575) 534-1883

Day 3 – May 19  Ride AZ 191 (Devils Highway) and back to Silver City – 304 mi

         Departing at 8:00 AM

Video of Devils Highway Part 1

Video of Devils Highway Part 2

Video of Devils Highway Part 3

Lodging – Comfort Inn in Silver City, NM  1060 E US Hwy 180 (575) 534-1883

Day 4 – May 20 Silver City, NM to Alamogordo, NM – 263 mi

         Departing at 8:00 AM

         Gila Cliff Dwellings

         Emory Pass Vista

         White Sands National Monument

         Lodging – Quality Inn  Alamogordo, NM 1020 White Sands Blvd (575) 434-4200

Day 5 – May 21 Alamogordo NM to Ruidoso, NM – 67 mi

         Departing at 9:00 AM Wed,

         POI:  New Mexico Museum of Space History  We will spend the better part of the day here. In 2017 the Dome Theater was closed so it will be available for our visit this ride.

Then we will depart from here to Ruidoso through Cloudcroft. 

Lodging  for 2 nights - Best Western Pine Springs Inn Ruidoso, NM  111 Pine Springs Drive (575) 378-8100

Day 6 – May 22 Ruidoso Day Ride – 97 mi

         Departing Motel at 9:00

We will spend most of the day riding most of the scenic roads in the area to visit the following POI:

1. The ride up Ski Apache (or Sierra Blanca) Ride up video    Ride down video

2. Fort Stanton

3. Smoky Bear Museum

4. Billy the Kid Museum

At the end of the day, my friends John and Sanna Obermiller are going to have us over to their place for a cookout.

Day 7 – May 23 Depart Ruidoso to Carlsbad, NM – 263 mi

         Departing Motel at 8:00  

We will ride to Cloudcroft to visit the Sun Spot Observatory south of Cloudcroft:

And on the way to the city of Carlsbad we will take a short side trip and visit the

Sitting Bull Falls

Lodging  for 2 nights – Days Inn, 3910 National Park Highway, Carlsbad, NM  575-200-1854

Day 8 – May 24th Spend most of the day at Carlsbad Caverns – 118 mi  

However, it turns out that we will have to make reservations for these caverns since it is a national park.  I think we can make one reservation for the group, once we have a good count.  And if need be, we can make individual reservations:

Carlsbad Caverns Reservations

If we leave the motel at 9:00 then we can make reservations for 10:00 which will give us plenty of time.

Then when leaving the caverns, we will head south to visit Guadalupe Mountains National Park where the famous El Capitan peak resides, which was a barrier reef 260 million years ago.

Then we will head back to our motel in Carlsbad to spend the evening before departing for home the next day.

Day 9 – May 25 – Head for home – approximately 479 mi to the metroplex.

This will be a long day, so we will slab it to I-20 west of Sweetwater to make the best time to the metroplex.

Total Miles for Routes:  2,350

Lodging Details:

Day 1 – May 17th Denton, TX to Artesia, NM

Best Western Pecos Inn Artesia, NM 2209 W Main Street (575)748-3324

Day 2 – May 18th Artesia, NM to Silver City, NM

2 nights – Comfort Inn in Silver City, NM  1060 E US Hwy 180 (575) 534-1883

Day 4 – May 20th  Silver City, NM to Alamogordo, NM

Quality Inn  Alamogordo, NM 1020 White Sands Blvd (575) 434-4200

Day 5 – May 21st Alamogordo NM to Ruidoso, NM

2 nights - Best Western Pine Springs Inn Ruidoso, NM  111 Pine Springs Drive (575) 378-8100

Day 7 – May 23rd  Depart Ruidoso to Carlsbad, NM

2 nights – Days Inn, 3910 National Park Highway, Carlsbad, NM  575-200-1854