OSO VISTA RANCH

Day Trips from Oso Vista Ranch . Adventure . Culture . History . Natural Beauty

Click on thumbnails to see larger photos

El Morro National Monument

Right next door to Oso Vista Ranch. Great for hiking and exploring.

"Imagine the comfort and refreshment of finding water after days of dusty travel. A reliable waterhole hidden at the base of a sandstone bluff made El Morro (the headland) a popular campsite for hundreds of years. Here, Ancestral Puebloans, Spanish and American travelers carved over 2,000 signatures, dates, messages, and petroglyphs. We invite you to make El Morro a stopping point on your travels."
Click to view El Morro's website

El Malpais National Monument, NM
Half an hour from Oso Vista Ranch, just off Hwy 53, experience an extreme land. The primeval black basalt terrain of El Malpais was created by volcanic forces over the past million years. Molten lava spread out over the high desert from dozens of eruptions to create cinder cones, shield volcanos, collapses, trenches, caves, and other eerie formations. This stark landscape preserves one of the best continuous geologic records of volcanism on the planet.
Pueblo of Zuni, Zuni, NM 87327
Less than an hour from Oso Vista Ranch, The Pueblo of Zuni is nestled in a scenic valley, surrounded by the enchanting mesas. The main reservation, is located in the McKinley and Cibola counties in the western part of New Mexico. The estimated number of acres encompasses about 450,000 acres. The tribe has land holdings in Catron County, New Mexico and Apache County, Arizona, which are not adjoining to the main reservation. 
Chaco Canyon National Monument, AZ
The Center of An Ancient World: Today the massive buildings of the ancestral Pueblo peoples still testify to the organizational and engineering abilities not seen anywhere else in the American Southwest. For a deeper contact with the canyon that was central to thousands of people between 850 and 1250 A.D., come and explore Chaco through guided tours, hiking & biking trails, evening campfire talks, and night sky programs. 
Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site
Sheep, Coffee, Rugs and Turquoise:  The squeaky wooden floor greets your entry into the oldest operating trading post on the Navajo Nation.  When your eyes adjust to the dim light in the "bullpen" you find you’ve just entered a mercantile.  Hubbell's has been serving Ganado selling groceries, grain, hardware, horse tack, coffee and Native American Art since 1878.  
Canyon De Chelly National Monument, AZ
http://www.nps.gov/cach/index.htm
If these walls could talk, they would tell you that for nearly 5,000 years, people have lived in these canyons - longer than anyone has lived uninterrupted anywhere on the Colorado Plateau. Their homes and images tell us their stories. Today, Navajo families make their homes, raise livestock, and farm the lands in the canyon. The National Park Service and Navajo Nation are actively working together to manage park resources.

Crown Point Navajo Rug Auction,
Crownpoint, NM
http://www.crownpointrugauction.com/index.php

The main rug auction and craft sale on the Navajo Reservation. Leave behind the usual tourist fare and see hundreds of exquisite handmade Navajo rugs. The tribe's rugs are world famous, and New Mexico is beautiful!

Acoma/Sky City, NM
About an hour from Oso Vista Ranch on Hwy 40/Historic Route 66, Between Grants and Gallup
http://www.acomaskycity.org/
Sky City Hotel and Casino: http://www.skycity.com/alpha.html

Sky City Cultural Center: Discover the traditional Native American culture and living history of Acoma Pueblo in New Mexico. The Sky City Cultural Center is the gateway to our Pueblo and Museum exhibits. The adobe houses, plazas, and walkways on the 367-foot tall mesa have been used for nearly one thousand years, making Acoma Sky City the oldest continuously inhabited community in the United States.  Throughout the year, Acoma residents provide tours of Sky City, including the 17th century church San Esteban del Rey, introducing visitors to the art, history, and culture of the pueblo.  Acoma Sky City is a National Historic Landmark and an official project of Save America’s Treasures.