Angel Fire, NM

At the beginning of September 2022, we made our way, again, to beautiful northern New Mexico and camped at the Angel Fire RV Resort.

This was our second time to camp in this location and we absolutely love it!  We'll make a second post detailing the sites and amenities at Angel Fire RV Resort.

The village of Angel Fire, New Mexico, is located in northern New Mexico within the Sangre De Cristo Mountains at an elevation of 8406 feet.  Its population is around 1300.  Angel Fire is home to the Angel Fire Resort, with ski slopes and terrain parks, plus a summer mountain-bike park and zip line. The Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway passes the Vietnam Veterans Memorial State Park, which is home to the Vietnam Veterans Peace and Brotherhood Chapel. Farther north, Eagle Nest Lake is ringed by mountains and is stocked with salmon and trout.

TK's sister and brother-in-law owns a cabin in Angel Fire so we took advantage of there hospitality to visit the acreage around the cabin and play on their ATVs.

We also did a little hiking on the Elliot Barker Trail.  In the summer months the trail is popular for hiking, horseback riding and mountain biking.  The trail is open to snowmobiles, cross-country skiers and snowshoers in the winter months. To access the trail you'll drive west on Highway 64 about .7 miles from the Angel Fire RV Resort.  There is plenty of parking available at the trailhead.  When you enter through the gate the trail follows and old jeep road for the first 1/4 mile. At 0.6 miles, there is a fork to the left that loops back to the trailhead.  Elliot Barker continues to Apache Pass through a variety of terrain, passing Forest Roads 70, 70A and 70B.  The trail continues to the south, eventually tying into the South Boundary Trail #164, but may be difficult to follow. 

During this trip we spent a little time exploring around the village of Eagle Nest, New Mexico. Eagle Nest is a small, summer home community and resort area.  The area offers camping, backpacking and hiking, gold exploration and fishing. Right in the middle of the village and off highway 64 is the Enchanted Circle Gateway Museum & Visitor Center.  Unfortunately, the museum was closed during our visit so we explored the area around the museum which had many artifacts from the areas gold mining days.

Traveling back towards Angel Fire we had the opportunity to visit the Angel Fire Vietnam Veterans Memorial.  The Chapel was the first major memorial created to honor the veterans of the Vietnam War.   It was recognized by the United States Congress as a “memorial of national significance” and served as inspiration for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C.  

In 2017, the Department of Veterans’ Services took over management of the Memorial.  Today, the Memorial includes a visitor center and museum, with a library of over 1,000 books and 2,000 photographs, memorabilia exhibits, touchable displays, artwork, and sculptures that provide a glimpse into the daily life of our troops.  The Memorial also includes an amphitheater, a memorial walkway, memorial gardens, a Huey Helicopter display, and the gravesites of Doc and Jeanne.   The Memorial also overlooks the Angel Fire State Veterans Cemetery, which opened in July 2020.  Approximately 45,000 individuals come each year.

If you'd like to see more of our Angel Fire adventure check our our latest video on our YouTube Channel: