Discover Things to Do in Cimarron NM in the Summer

When our son went to Philmont with the Boy Scouts at the end of June, we decided to explore Cimarron for two days. We came from Eagle Nest, around 24 miles west of Cimarron. Surprisingly, we found some cool things to do in Cimarron, NM, for the summer that I share with you below.

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We drove from south of Dallas/Ft. Worth area early morning, following our son’s Boy Scouts Troop. They decided to drive straight to reduce cost, and it’s fine by us. Besides, we drove non-stop to Albuquerque from DFW several times, and it was just ten minutes longer to Eagle Nest.

After saying goodbye to our son and the troop members, we continued to Eagle Nest, driving on US-64 W through Cimarron Canyon. It was a beautiful drive, and we could see Baldy Mountain in the distance, where our son and the troop would climb.

Cool Things to Do in Cimarron, NM, for the Summer.

1. Hiking the Clear Creek Trail in Cimarron Canyon State Park

I read about this trail from the Cimarron Travel Brochure I picked up at the RV campground in Eagle Nest. It is legitimate I wasn’t disappointed at all. 

The trail winds along Clear Creek, with tall trees canopied the trail. I hiked with my dog and decided to turn around whenever needed.

Clear Creek Trail was flat, and we passed a few cascades. We also crossed two wooden bridges up to where I stopped and turned around. I saw a boulder on one side and a creek on the other side. The trail was narrow, and I had to scramble a rocky trail to continue. A couple I met on their way back told me about that spot. They said I might need to carry my dog because that’s what they did with their dog. I was alone, and my dog was bigger than their dog. I knew I couldn’t make it.

So, I took a break there, just listening to nature.

It took me around an hour to hike here, with stops for pictures. The whole trail is a 4.1-mile out-and-back. It is a moderately challenging route with an average of 2 hours and 20 min to complete.

Coming from North Texas, Northeastern New Mexico made me jealous of this Clear Creek Trail in Cimarron Canyon State Park.

Clear Creek Trailhead is about 7 miles from Eagle Nest. It will be on the right, with a small parking spot on both sides of the road.

2. Get enchanted by the Palisades Sill

I don’t know about you, but big rocks always enchanted me.

Palisades Sill towering along part of US-64 W. It will be on your left. You won’t miss it. In the summer, there will be car parks there. Roadside parking is bigger than Clear Creek.

The spectacular cliffs you’ll see are cut by the Cimarron River through igneous rock known as a sill and composed of the rock type monzonite, which emplaced some 40 million years ago as the Southern Rocky Mountains uplifted. The elevation is 8,000 feet.

I asked my husband to turn the car around so I could take a good picture of our teardrop trailer with Palisade Sill as the background on our way to Eagle Nest.

3. Self-guided tour and lunch at the Historic St. James Hotel

I heard footsteps from the second floor when I was in the restroom. The first thing that crossed my mind was the ghosts in St. James Hotel didn’t only make appearances in the evening. Later, I realized it was from the people who did the self-guided tour. Lol.

But the historic St. James Hotel is haunted. Room 18 on the second floor is said to be haunted by T.J. Wright. It will remain intact and un-booked as if he were still rooming there today. There are nail scratches on the door, and they put a padlock to keep people away.

Hotel St. James was first built in 1872. Many infamous outlaws have stayed there, including Wyatt Earp, Jesse James, Buffalo Bill Cody, Annie Oakley, Billy the Kid, and Thomas James Wright.

The 13 restored rooms upstairs are named after some of these people. You can stay in these historic rooms to experience the paranormal activity. Or, stay at one of the additional ten rooms in the two-story modern Annex adjacent to the hotel.

Yellow color dominated the interior of the hotel. Images of Cimarron ca. 1870-1930 covered the hallway. They leave the door rooms open for visitors to see unless guests stay there. 

Every room is beautiful, but not all have a private bathroom. Some guests will share a communal bathroom. Rooms aren’t equipped with a phone or television to keep up with the period. Therefore, guests will use the hotel’s 1800s AC. 

When visiting, allow time to have lunch or supper at the Lambert’s restaurant in the hotel. Walk into TJ’s Bar to see the bullet holes from the yesteryear.

Note that the restaurants are closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Address: 617 S Collison Ave.

4. Learn local history at the Aztec Mill Museum

It is a place to find information on local history. Cimarron’s Famous 2 Headed-Calf, a mirror from St. James Hotel, ball & chain from 1890, and the mills’ equipment are some of the collections in this three-stories museum.

The old mill was built in 1864 by Lucien B. Maxwell to provide ground grains for the Maxwell Ranch and the Jicarilla Apache Indian Reservations, as well as Santa Fe Trail travelers.

The museum is open from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Volunteers run the museum, so expect to find the museum is closed when you are there when volunteers are not available. It is a dog-friendly museum.

Address: W 17th. St.

5. Antique shopping at Cimarron Antiques

Be sure you have a room in your car because Cimarron Antiques has reasonably priced cool collections. Well-behaved dogs are welcome, so Snoopy got to go inside with us.

Address: 716 S Collision Ave.

6. Rock Shopping at Rocks Ore Minerals

I stayed in the car with our dog when my husband went inside. It’s not a big store, but my husband said they have reasonably priced collections.

My husband bought me an ammonite fossil that I hope to find during one of my hikes. (I saw a lot of ammonites at Eisenhower State Park in North Texas, but you can’t take it home with you.)

Address: 444 9th St.

7. Visit the National Scouting Museum at Philmont Scout Ranch

Stop at this free museum if you or someone in your family is a Scout. It shares the rich history of the Boy Scouts of America and is home to the Seton Memorial Library.

Mr. Seton was the founder and first Chief Scout of the Boy Scouts of America. The library is home to his personal art, library, and natural history collections.

Address: 17 Deer Run Rd.

8. Visit the Kit Carson Museum at Rayado

Kit Carson was a frontiersman who joined Lucien Maxwell in his colony on the Rayado River in the mid-1800s. Their ranch on the Rayado was visited by many traders traveling on the Santa Fe Trail.

In 1950, the Boy Scouts of America built an adobe museum at Rayado to serve as an interpretive to portray the ranch’s history.

Staff at the Kit Carson Museum dress in period clothing and demonstrate frontier skills and crafts like blacksmithing, cooking, shooting, and farming. Each room in the museum is outfitted with reproduction furniture and objects typical of New Mexico in the 1850s.

When we were there, the volunteer was a college student from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Several years ago, our son and his cousin got to practice blacksmithing and brought home the hook they made that day.

Location: Seven miles south of Philmont’s Headquarters on New Mexico Hwy 21.

9. Spotting Tooth of Time

When driving between Philmont and Kit Carson Museum, spot the most popular sights, the Tooth of Time. It is a geological feature of an igneous intrusion that looks like a tooth! The location is about five miles from Cimarron.

The Santa Fe Trail crossed the plains in this area in the mid-1800s. The travelers knew that once they passed the Tooth, they had only one week to go until they reached Santa Fe, New Mexico.

10. Dawson Cemetery

Dawson was a bustling mining town that was abandoned after two major mining explosions that killed hundreds of miners in 1913 and 1923. Most of the miners came from southern and eastern Europe and Mexico.

The miners’ graves are marked with iron crosses, but some people say these miners are not at peace. Some said they saw lights bobbing around the cemetery, some heard low voices, and some reported ghostly figures walking around.

Dawson Cemetery is said to be one of the most haunted places in New Mexico.

If you like to explore creepy places, go to Dawson Cemetery when it closes to dark. As for us, we visited during daylight hours. 

Location: about 17 miles north of Cimarron on NM-64. 

Restaurants in Cimarron

Besides eating at Lambert’s in St. James Hotel, we got to eat at a few more restaurants in Cimarron.

– Burrito Banquet

It was a restaurant that caught our attention when driving into Cimarron.

There’s a food truck at the front where you order your food. Then you can play several games or take pictures (lots of photo ops) while waiting for your food. They will take your order to the table under a covered patio.

The food was delicious, and I’m glad we stopped there for lunch. Because it’s outdoor sitting, our dog Snoopy could come with us.

We saw several groups of Scouts while there. It looks like a favorite for the Boy Scouts after their trip to Mount Baldy.

Address: 400 E 10th. St.

– Cree-Mee Drive-In

Who doesn’t like ice cream in the summer? The name reminded me of creemee we had in Vermont during our road trip to New England. I asked the girl who took our order whether the owner was from Vermont, but she didn’t know.

The cree-mee was yummy. It’s not too sweet.

Several years ago, we stopped here for cree-mee and burgers. Unfortunately, I didn’t remember how the burger tasted.

It is another favorite for the Boy Scouts. Prepare for a long line when you are there around lunchtime.

Address: 31089 US-64.

– Kit Carson Restaurant

We had breakfast at Kit Carson because the troop’s leader asked us to find a good place for breakfast after they left Philmont. They decided not to eat breakfast at the camp.

We weren’t impressed with the breakfast at Kit Carson, though.

You may check out Hikers Coffee Co. for breakfast. They serve pastry and breakfast sandwiches.

Philmont Scout Ranch

Cimarron is home to Philmont Scout Ranch, the Boy Scouts of America’s premier High Adventure base. It challenges Scouts and Venturers with more than 214 square miles of rugged northern New Mexico wilderness. This legendary country offers young people many ways to experience backpacking treks, horseback cavalcades, and training and service programs.

Many scouts dream of going to Philmont and climbing Mount Baldy at least once in their Scouting years, just like my son and his scouting friends did.

Where is Cimarron in New Mexico?

Cimarron is a village in Colfax County, northeastern New Mexico. It lies at the intersection of US-64 and SR-58.

It is 215 miles from Albuquerque, 126 miles from Santa Fe, and 93 miles from Las Vegas.

The closest cities in New Mexico to Cimarron are Eagle Nest (23 miles,) Springer (27 miles,) Angel Fire (36 miles,) Raton (40 miles,) Red River (42 miles,) and Taos (57 miles.)

Throughout the year, the temperature in Cimarron varies between a low of 14°F and a high of 84°F. Bring a light jacket when exploring the village in the evening.