Sightseeing, noun - the act of visiting places and things of interest, for pleasure, education, etc.Sightseeing, adjective - for or engaged in seeing sights
Sometimes the dictionary is lame, especially when it uses etc. Yes, those are legitimate definitions but they really don’t begin to fill the bill when it comes to explaining the activity.
The high country of Northern New Mexico offers some wonderful opportunities for “visiting places and things of interest, for pleasure, education, etc.”
Don’t miss the Little Red School House Museum located on Jayhawk Trail behind the Red River Library at the “Y.” Built in 1915-16, the school building houses the photos and artifacts of Red River’s early days and has an outdoor exhibit of mining equipment which makes for great gawking.
There are several other historical buildings in town and some abandoned mining sites can be seen just a short distance up Pioneer Canyon, behind the Red River Ski Area Chalet.
Are you into the scenery? Red River is the perfect homebase for daytripping.
Good example? Nearby Greenie Peak, elevation 11,249 feet above sea level. Towering high above the old gold camps of Midnight, Anchor and Labelle, Greenie provides a great view of the Taos Plateau to the west, the Moreno Valley to the south and the peaks of nearby Colorado to the north.
How about the Ski Area Overlook on the way to Greenie. Take Mallette Canyon road - rocks and dirt but very navigable - and keep bearing left. It’s not far up the mountain and you can’t miss it: if you see the RRSA, you’re there.
Over the hill from Red River is Eagle Nest Lake State Park. Relatively new to the state parks system, it is surrounded by two of the New Mexico’s highest peaks, Mt. Wheeler and Baldy. This 2,400-acre lake is famous for its kokanee salmon and rainbow trout fishing. The birds are nifty, too.