A preserve with 75,000 ancient drawings remains the realm of public – not just scientific – exploration.

Natural sonic phenomenon comes with a grisly legend of murder and blood.

This towering volcanic plug stands out among the dramatic formations that dot this otherworldly desert valley.

This volcano rises like a giant anthill from the plains below, with a road spiraling up to the rim.

The shattered remnants of a meteor that struck Santa Fe more than a billion years ago.

This pseudo-steampunk weapons facility is the world's largest wood and glue structure, and packs quite a wallop.

This innocuous New Mexico storefront was once the secret jump-off spot for Manhattan Project scientists.

This museum started as a collection of Manhattan Projects and continues to add exhibits as they are declassified.

A one-of-a-kind sundial at the Very Large Array honors a radio astronomy pioneer, incorporating the original piers from his breakthrough radio telescope.

The U.S. Air Force has an anti-satellite laser weapon.

The most powerful laboratory radiation source in the world pulses with 1,000 times the electricity of a lightning bolt.

If drivers cross the rumble strip on this stretch of Route 66 at just the right speed it plays "America the Beautiful."

The land is full of geologic eye candy, such as otherworldly spires, mushroom-shaped hoodoos, and prehistoric fossils.

The second-largest cave chamber in the world was discovered in 1898 by a 16-year-old and a friend known as "Pothead."

A museum dedicated to the alleged Roswell Incident.

Explore the largest pure gypsum deposit in the world, and go dune sledding while you're at it.

An immersive environment that is part haunted house, part choose-your-own-adventure, and part jungle gym.

A burnt-out motel with priceless Native American artwork in the basement, redeveloped into apartments.

Despite time, colonization, and the brutal New Mexican heat, these Pueblo ruins still stand.

These Pre-Columbian petroglyphs contain representations of birds, deer, hunters, and even some early Native flute players.

Legends surround this jagged rock formation in the New Mexico desert.

An abandoned amusement park based on the popular 1940s Red Ryder comic strip.

One of the American Southwest's most extensive collections of Navajo rock art.

More than 21,000 images fill this overlooked gem of a prehistoric site.