New Mexico ~ Land of Enchantment

Part 1: Heritage of New Mexico
Albuquerque, Santa Fe, & Taos
April 20 – 26, 2025 * 7 Days * Price TBD

Part 2: The 2025 Biennial AVA Walking Convention
April 25 – May 5, 2025 * 11 Days – Price TBD

New Mexico ~ Land of Enchantment is currently in the planning phase. Travelers who wish to hold their spot on this tour are encouraged to submit a refundable $100 pre-registration deposit by clicking the green PRE-REGISTER button below.

An on-site scouting trip is scheduled for late September, at which time details of Convention walks and activities from the AVA Convention planning committee should be available. We hope to offer the final itinerary and pricing by mid-October.

When the tour is released for full registration, pre-registered travelers will one week of priority access to full registration, which requires an additional $200 ($300 total registration). Registration deposits are non-refundable.

Highlights:

The biennial walking convention of the AVA – America’s Walking Club is held a remarkable corner of the American Southwest – the culturally, scenically, and historically diverse state of New Mexico. The 20^th anniversary celebration of WAI has held in New Mexico back in 2009, the year we first became aware of its well-earned nickname – “Land of Enchantment”.

The itinerary is built around the convention in Las Cruses, with five days of walking and activities from April 28 to May 2. Around this walking festival, WAI will share treasures discovered in our 2009 Reunion research. These include:

• Jemez Mountain Trail, a scenic drive that takes in surprising geological formations, ancient Indian ruins, an Indian pueblo, and remainders of the area’s logging, mining, and ranching heritage;
• Acoma Sky City Pueblo, a native community perched high atop a mesa in an area of dramatic high-desert landscapes with a story dating back to AD 1150, making it the oldest continuously inhabited community in North America;
• the capital city of Santa Fe where the Spanish Heritage Walk abounds with echoes of this 395-year-old city’s Spanish past, blended with the ambiance of a world-renowned art community;
• Bandelier National Monument, one of the best places to see cliffside dwellings of the ancestral Pueblo people; and
• Taos, an intriguing historic yet bohemian community in a splendid scenic setting near the stunning Rio Grande Gorge with dramatic profiles of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains providing the backdrop.

Adventure Pace

Tour Pace: 1 2 3 4 5
Walk Challenge: 1 2 3 4 5