Ruidoso Family Vacation
Our family, like I’m sure most of yours, has been feeling real cooped up lately.
With Jackson working from home, we’ve had a ton of time at home together but in April we realized that being around each other was different then spending quality time together and we knew our family needed some TLC. So off to the mountains we went!
Ruidoso isn’t a horrible drive from Austin, about 8 hours. We stayed with friends in Lubbock to break up the drive and it was worth every hour of the drive! Here’s a look at our 5 day family vacation spent in the mountains in Ruidsos! Head over to the Ruidoso Travel Guide for more recommendations!
The first day we got in later than expected and it was total chaos to get the kids fed, get rooms ready for them (we’re big blackout curtain folks because, well, we love sleep around here), and get them to bed. So tip #1 is absolutely do not arrive at your destination within 30 minute of bedtime with hungry, antsy children and no beds ready to put them in.
While Jackson got rooms and beds ready, I ran to the nearby Randall’s and did a Supermarket Sweep style run through to buy whatever I could find to fill their little tummy’s. See the photo below of their very nutritious meal consisting of a slice of American cheese, a couple pieces of sandwich meat and veggie sticks.
Day One
The next day, we woke up ready to spend time outside! We found a trail nearby rated as easy (Lower Cedar Creek Trail) and thought that would be a perfect first hike. It was the perfect trail to let a busy toddler run around and explore. We ended up having so much fun, we went back later that afternoon after naps!
Day Two
Our second day, we woke up ready to try a more difficult hike. We bought a hiking backpack on Facebook marketplace the day before we left for $25 and had our lillebaby carrier and decided to just go for it! We ended up completely underestimating how much longer a 6-mile hike takes with a 3 year old and a baby and got in a little over our heads. It was a great hike and it ended up being fun and worth it for the view but we probably should have eased in a bit more. We were also very jealous of all of the not 7-year old hiking backpacks we were seeing other parents using! Would definitely invest in a newer and more comfortable pack going forward. This is what we’re investing in before our next hiking trip!
After the hike we were all exhausted so we headed home to grill some hot dogs (honestly, what better post-hike lunch is there?!) and took some needed naps. We were ready to get out of the house after our rest but wanted to take it easy so we headed to Alto lake and it was the perfect easy outing! Eliot loved seeing everyone fishing and mostly just had fun throwing rocks into the water (which I’m sure everyone fishing didn’t love).
Day 3
After seeing how much fun Eliot had at the small Alto lake, we headed out to Grindstone lake for a couple hours! We grabbed burgers on the way from _____ which we ended up devouring. Great burgers and exactly what we were hoping for. We brought a picnic blanket and Eliot’s swimsuit and headed out to find a good spot to let her play in the water. There isn’t much shade, so make sure to wear lots of sunscreen! Eliot had a blast playing in the water and it was perfect for a warm afternoon.
Day 4
After a couple days of taking it easy, we were ready for another good hike! There was a trail Jackson and I hiked right after we got married, 5 years ago, that he was insistent on finding. I thought he was crazy and that there was absolutely no chance that he would find it but I shouldn’t have doubted the man who remembers all details. After driving around a bit, he proved me wrong by finding it. I literally couldn’t believe it. Here’s us on the trail in 2015! Babies! We took a photo in the same spot, clearly a lot has changed!
This area was really affected by the wildfires from a few years ago, so it didn’t look too promising at first but it ended up being a great trail. About ¾ of a mile down, there was a perfect shaded area with some big boulders that Eliot had so much fun climbing. We stopped there for a snack and let her play and then hiked another couple miles before turning around to head back. It did have a pretty steep drop off in some areas, but we just made sure that Eliot was close to us in those parts. Overall, another fun toddler friendly hike!
Day 5
We read about a small zoo about 45 minutes outside of Ruidoso in a town called Alameda. I read that it was really small and all open air and we figured it would be mostly safe for social distancing. This is also about 20 miles from the White Sands National Park and we figured it would be fun to knock out both things in one drive! So we headed to the zoo and Eliot was so excited.
It ended up being really fun! It’s definitely small but it was honestly the perfect size for a toddler’s attention span. There were a few other people there, but not many and we walked through the entire zoo in about 45 minutes. Eliot especially loved the otters and the foxes! It was worth the drive.
When we left we were all hungry and found the cutest hot dog shop just down the street called Caliche’s. We got hotdogs and ate in the back of the Subaru for a perfect afternoon lunch. Come to think of it, we ate more hot dogs on this trip than probably the last year combined, but I have absolutely no regrets.
We left the restaurant and headed towards white sands, very excited about the pictures we would take there! Unfortunately, we pulled up and they were closed due to Covid. Such a bummer but totally our fault for not verifying. Whenever they open again, it really would be such a fun trip to Alameda to experience the zoo and White Sands!
Overall, a family vacation in Ruidoso was exaclty what we needed. There were a few things we didn’t get to that we wanted to do, like the Chuckwagon Supper and Western Show at the Flying J Ranch. But we’ll definitely be back again! Ruidoso doesn’t have the biggest mountains or tons of rivers, but it is a really nice close getaway full of affordable cabins and plenty of fun outdoor things to do and we give it a huge thumbs up for our first family vacation as a family of 4!
Head over to our Ruidoso Travel Guide for all the specifics on where to Eat, Hike and Play on your Ruidoso family vacation!