Ski Apache
The Verdant Fist That Is the Mescalero Apache Reservation:
Mescalero Apache Reservation: more than just Geronimo, Cochise and Mangas Coloradas
When most people think of New Mexico’s Mescalero Apache Reservation, they think of Geronimo, Cochise and Mangas Coloradas. And rightfully so; the reservation does comprise part of the Mescalero, Chiricahua and Lipan Apaches’ treasured homelands, and descendants of those celebrated 19th century leaders still make their homes here.
But there’s much more to this 463,000-acre Mescalero Apache Reservation, which rises like a verdant fist from the surrounding New Mexico desert. Pocked with clear blue lakes and streams, cloaked in pine forests and capped with snow, this hidden gem might be one of the Southwest’s best-kept secrets.
Ski (and Bike!) Apache
During the winter months, tourists from across the Southwest and Mexico converge on Ski Apache, the southernmost ski and snowboard area in the United States. Owned and managed by the Mescalero Apache tribe, Ski Apache boasts more than 750 acres of ski-able terrain and 10 lifts, including three quads, five triples, a handle tow, a conveyor lift and even a gondola. There’s a sledding area, too.
With a base elevation of 9,600 feet and a top elevation of 11,400 feet at “the Gazebo,” the resort has a vertical drop of nearly 2,000 feet, and its 55 runs cater to beginners, intermediate skiers and experts. You’ll find wide greens, comfortable-cruising blues, expert areas like bump runs and a large bowl, and a snowboarding terrain park with jumps, tubes and rails.
The area receives more than 15 feet of snow per year and has snow-making capabilities. And, thanks to its geographical location, it just might have some of the best skiing (and snowboarding, and sledding) weather on the continent.
If you’re planning a summer visit, you can ride the gondola to 11,400 feet and enjoy beverages or a meal at the Yurt Cafe; hiking is another favorite summer pastime here. The resort also has added 5.5 miles of mountain-biking trails with grades between 6 and 8 percent. They run from 11,981-foot Sierra Blanca Peak, which crowns the ski area, back to the base.
Championship Golf
Less than 150 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, the Mescalero Apache Reservation has roughly nine months of great golfing weather. The Inn of the Mountain Gods Championship Golf Course, designed by Ted Robinson, features an island fairway, fast-breaking greens, views of Sierra Blanca, Mescalero Lake and thick pine forests. Guests can take advantage of the clubhouse and pro shop, as well.
Golf Digest rated the course No. 23 on its list of “Top 40 Casino Golf Courses.” Golf Week proclaimed it “one of the top 50 golf courses nationally,” and Travel and Leisure said it’s “the most underrated golf course in the Southwest.” It also received the M&C Gold Tee Award for three consecutive years.
With this golf course, the tribe’s Inn of the Mountain Gods resort is recognized as one of the first Native American properties to combine the sport with casino gaming. The 18-hole course opens for the season in April; hotel guests can reserve tee times up to three months in advance.
Camping, Fishing & Boating
With a base elevation of 9,600 feet and a top elevation of 11,400 feet at “the Gazebo,” the resort has a vertical drop of nearly 2,000 feet, and its 55 runs cater to beginners, intermediate skiers and experts. You’ll find wide greens, comfortable-cruising blues, expert areas like bump runs and a large bowl, and a snowboarding terrain park with jumps, tubes and rails.
The area receives more than 15 feet of snow per year and has snow-making capabilities. And, thanks to its geographical location, it just might have some of the best skiing (and snowboarding, and sledding) weather on the continent.
If you’re planning a summer visit, you can ride the gondola to 11,400 feet and enjoy beverages or a meal at the Yurt Cafe; hiking is another favorite summer pastime here. The resort also has added 5.5 miles of mountain-biking trails with grades between 6 and 8 percent. They run from 11,981-foot Sierra Blanca Peak, which crowns the ski area, back to the base.
Championship Golf
Less than 150 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, the Mescalero Apache Reservation has roughly nine months of great golfing weather. The Inn of the Mountain Gods Championship Golf Course, designed by Ted Robinson, features an island fairway, fast-breaking greens, views of Sierra Blanca, Mescalero Lake and thick pine forests. Guests can take advantage of the clubhouse and pro shop, as well.
Golf Digest rated the course No. 23 on its list of “Top 40 Casino Golf Courses.” Golf Week proclaimed it “one of the top 50 golf courses nationally,” and Travel and Leisure said it’s “the most underrated golf course in the Southwest.” It also received the M&C Gold Tee Award for three consecutive years.
With this golf course, the tribe’s Inn of the Mountain Gods resort is recognized as one of the first Native American properties to combine the sport with casino gaming. The 18-hole course opens for the season in April; hotel guests can reserve tee times up to three months in advance.
Camping, Fishing & Boating
The Mescalero Apache Reservation welcomes the public to camp and fish in three of its recreational areas. The first, the Mescalero Recreation Area, is located 5 miles west of Ruidoso and also is known as the Eagle Creek Lakes Recreation Area. It has primitive campsites for tent enthusiasts and RV hookups for those who seek a more comfortable camping experience, and the two lakes are stocked for anglers.
Rio Ruidoso Recreational Area, located just outside Ruidoso, is also known as Upper Canyon or Ruidoso Cabins Recreational Area. It features developed campsites (but no RV hookups), and the river is flowing with rainbow trout. Then, on the reservation’s south side, there’s the Silver Lakes Recreation Area, with its stocked 10-acre lake, primitive and developed campsites, RV hookups and convenience store.
Boaters are welcome to launch on Silver and Eagle lakes, and camping and fishing permits are available at recreation areas’ entrance stations. Other great fishing spots: Carrizozo and Eagle creeks, the Grindstone Reservoir and Mescalero Lake. At Mescalero Lake, you can purchase your permit at the Inn of the Mountain Gods or, during the summer months, at the inn’s boat docks.
Stocked with 20,000 trout annually, 100-acre Mescalero Lake can be fished daily from sunrise to sunset. And if you don’t have a boat, you can rent kayaks, canoes, rowboats and paddle boats at the boat docks.
The tribe encourages anglers to practice catch-and-release methods (barbless hooks are recommended) unless the fish will be a meal. The bag limit is three fish on the river and six at the lakes.*
By Heather Steinberger
*https://indiancountrymedianetwork.com/travel/destinations/the-verdant-fist-that-is-the-mescalero-apache-reservation/?mqsc=ED3890879
CIB
Kin 16: Yellow Electric Warrior
I activate in order to question
Bonding fearlessness
I seal the output of intelligence
With the electric tone of service
I am guided by the power of universal fire.
Once the human mind is established in the 13:20 timing frequency,
then the frequency locks open.*
*Star Traveler's 13 Moon Almanac of Synchronicity, Galactic Research Institute, Law of Time Press, Ashland, Oregon, 2016-2017.
The Sacred Tzolk'in
Muladhara Chakra (Seli Plasma)
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