Once a booming mining town, Grants is still a great area in New Mexico to visit and enjoy.
Grants, New Mexico is located 60 miles west of Albuquerque on Interstate 40. Before the Interstate was constructed traveling to Grants from Albuquerque would have been on the historic Route 66. It is located 80 miles east of the New Mexico and Arizona border.
Grants began in 1872 when Don Jesus Blea established a home and called it Alamitos (little cottonwoods). He brought his family to Grants in 1873. His home was on the southern side of San Jose creek. He and his brothere owned the contracts to build the railroad to Grants from the East. In 1881 the railroad reached Grants and Alamitos became a coaling station. Alamitos was renamed Grants after the Grant brothers who had constructed the railroad. In the 1800's there was an abundance of water and excellent grazing for cattle and sheep and many homesteaders and settled moved into the Grant's area. Logging was abundant during this time.
Uranium was discovered in Grants and the great boom started. There were 11,800 people in Grants in 1980 and in 1983 after the uranium boom ended it was like a ghost town. Now it is a small town with friendly people who love the town and the area and remain there. In the middle of town the Grants Chamber of Commerce built a New Mexico Museum of Mining over a former mine. You will see the machinery used to work the mine and you can descend into a real mine. There is a self guided tour of Section 26. This is the only underground Uranium Mining Museum in the world. In the museum you will see a history of Cibola County, minerals and gems from all over the world and artifacts dating back to 700 A.D. There are various examples of New Mexico pottery, baskets, weaving and other arts and crafts.
Mt. Taylor with an elevation of 11,369 feet can be seen from Grants. There are hiking trails, picnic areas and camping in the area surrounding Mt. Taylor. In the spring and even in early summer you can see snow still on the peaks. The drive to the summit is beautiful and you can hike on the upper most area of the mountain. In February of each year the Winter Quadrathlon and the Mount Taylor Junior Quadrathlon are held. The race starts in Grants each year at an elevation of 6,500 feet, includes four events and eventually goes to the summit of Mt. Taylor then back down to Grants. They even have titles given to the Iron Man and Iron Woman.
Starting June 30 and ending July 4, the National Barrel Horse Assocation (NBHA) and the local Grants Rodeo Association will have their annual rodeo. There is a Jr.Rodeo, Open Rodeo and Western dancing. There will be just about any rodeo event that might be of interest to you and your family including bull riding.
In October in Grants the annual Oktoberfest is held. The entire town celebrates with this festival. There is street dancing, booths, and activities for the entire family. In May the 4-H auction and barbecue are held yearly. On Labor Day weekend not far from Grants the Tri-County Fair is held at Pruitt, New Mexico. There are auctions, arts and crafts, and rodeos.
Grants has their own Dinosaur Discovery Museum located just a short distance from town. There are dinosaur robots, great artwork on displays that you can have work interacting with and these are not just for small children as adults love this museum. There are fossils and casts and mind puzzles. This museum is called "A Playground for the Mind."
Laguna Pueblo is located off Interstate 40 around 15 miles east of Grants and was established in 1699. The Spanish governor, Pedro Rodriguez Cubero while on an expedition to Zuni, New Mexico established this pueblo. It is the largest east of the Continental Divide and is the only pueblo established before the Spanish invasion. It is the "mother pueblo" of seven framing villages within a radius of a few miles. This is a well known and much visited Pueblo and well worth the time. On September 19 they will hold their annual feast and harvest dance. There are several dances held during the year and these will include the Buffalo, Tablita and the Deer. San Jose De Laguna Church was built in 1599, is made of stone with plain massive walls with four openings. The ceiling has paintings of Indian symbols and two paintings of saints, one of Santa Barbara on the North and San Juan Nepumoceno on the South. There are several shops in the area where the Laguna arts and crafts can be seen and bought. Fishing is available at the Paguate Reservoir. Mexico established this pueblo. It is the largest east of the Continental Divide and is the only pueblo established before the Spanish invasion. It is the "mother pueblo" of seven framing villages within a radius of a few miles.
This is a well known and much visited Pueblo and well worth the time. On September 19 they will hold their annual feast and harvest dance. There are several dances held during the year and these will include the Buffalo, Tablita and the Deer. San Jose De Laguna Church was built in 1599, is made of stone with plain massive walls with four openings. The ceiling has paintings of Indian symbols and two paintings of saints, one of Santa Barbara on the North and San Juan Nepumoceno on the South. There are several shops in the area where the Laguna arts and crafts can be seen and bought. Fishing is available at the Paguate Reservoir.
If you drive southwest for around 25 miles you will come to the Bandera Volcana. The hike to the volcano is about ¾ of a mile to reach the caldera. This is the open cone from which the volcanic lava erupted. From the volanco you can walk to the ice caves. The ice caves are called the Perpetual Ice Caves. The crevices in a volcanic sinkhole have ice and are aquamarine with bands of dark horizontal strips. The ice bed is 50 feet wide and 14 feet high. There is a visitor's center and a small hike to the ice caves.
Bluewater Lake is nearby with much of fishing including ice fishing in the winter months when the lake is frozen.
From Grants you will want to drive to the El Malpais Monument. El Malpais means "badlands", from the Spanish mal (bad) and pais (country). It is located in a 115,000 ace valley with lava from three million years ago. On Country Road 42 you will enter the West Malpais Wilderness and the Chain of crater's area. The roads are not the best but the journey is well worth the time. You will enjoy your stay in Grants, New Mexico and the area surrounding this old mining town. There are numerous places to stay such as motels, hotels, campgrounds and many fine places to dine.
