Raton
The Gateway to the Land of Enchantment
Raton is located at the junction of I-25 and Hwys 87/64 at the base of the Raton Pass, seven miles from the Colorado border. Raton's transportation network is complemented by bus lines, AMTRAK rail service, and a general aviation airport. Being equidistant from the major metro areas of Denver, Albuquerque and Amarillo (224 miles), Raton offers a great get away location from the stress of big city life. Discover Raton and enter the enchantment of the coal mining camps, Railroad Wars, and embrace the history of the Old West along the Santa Fe trail from atop the Raton Pass. Bring the family and vacation in Sugarite Canyon State Park, one of America's premier parks, ranked 9th of 5,000 nationally.
Distance (Miles) from Raton to
- Albuquerque, NM: 224
- Oklahoma City, OK: 420
- Amarillo, TX: 224
- Phoenix, AZ: 581
- Colorado Springs, CO: 165
- Pueblo, CO: 106
- Dallas, TX: 654
- Santa Fe, NM: 165
- Denver, CO: 224
- Taos, NM: 95
- Los Angeles, CA: 1,040
Climate
Summer
Warm and dry with cool nights. Highs in the 70s and 80s with very few days in the low 90s. Lows in the high 40s and 50s on the average.
Winter
Predominantly sunny and mild. Highs usually in the 40s and 50s. Lows in the 10s and teens with some 20s. Occasional below-zero temperatures
Humidity
- Low year-round
Average Annual Precipitation
- 16.34 inches
Growing Season
- Average first fall day with 32 degrees — October 6.
- Average last spring day with 32 degrees — May 11.
- Span of 152 days.
Temperatures
| Avg. | High | Low | |
| Jan. | 31.5 | 44.5 | 18.5 |
| Apr. | 46.7 | 60.2 | 33.1 |
| July | 69.0 | 82.4 | 55.4 |
| Oct. | 51.9 | 65.7 | 28.1 |
Precipitation
| Mean | High | |
| Jan. | 0.40 | 1.42 |
| Apr. | 1.00 | 3.03 |
| July | 3.01 | 5.99 |
| Oct. | 1.09 | 4.97 |
Walking Around Raton
Discover Raton and enter the enchantment of our historic sites and museums. Enjoy live theater and stage acts in the Shuler Theater or regional art work at the Old Pass Gallery. Embrace the history of the Coal Camps in New Mexico beginning in Sugarite Canyon State Park, with its humble beginnings as a coal town, then relax by fishing or hiking in Sugarite Canyon State Park ranked 9th of 5,000 state parks in America.
For Art & Culture Lovers
Raton Arts & Humanities Council
The Raton Arts and Humanities Council was organized in 1988 to encourage and strengthen the cultural life of the area and provide residents with opportunities for artistic participation, self-expression, education and enjoyment. The Raton Arts Council presents a performing arts series every year from October to May. Family-oriented programming, as well as children's shows and theater, are also presented. Every summer the Missoula Children's Theatre provides a week-long theater residency for area youth.
Raton Arts & Humanities Council Inc.
P.O. Box 774
145 South First Street
Raton, NM 87740
1-877-278-2489
575-445-2052
575-445-2052 FAX
ratonarts@bacavalley.com
The Old Pass Gallery
The Old Pass Gallery, located at 145 S. First Street in the newly-renovated Wells Fargo Building, is also operated by the Raton Arts Council. The gallery represents more than 35 area artists working in a variety of media and creative styles. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the summer and Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the winter.
For History Buffs
Thanks, Uncle Dick!
Raton Pass had been used by Spanish explorers and Indians for centuries to cut through the rugged Rocky Mountains, but the trail was just too rough for wagons on the Santa Fe Trail. In 1866, "Uncle Dick" Wootton, a mountain man and Indian Scout, recognized a chance to serve his fellow man and make a little profit at the same time. He blasted his way through the mountains, set up a toll gate and charged everyone who passed. What if they didn't want to pay? No problem, they could just turn around their team of oxen and take the detour 100 miles to the east. Traveling Indians didn't have to pay the toll.
Raton was founded at the site of Willow Springs, a stop on the Santa Fe Trail. The original 320 acres for the Raton townsite were purchased from the Maxwell Land Grant in 1880. In 1879 the Atchinson, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad bought the toll road from "Uncle Dick" and established a busy rail line. Raton quickly developed as a railroad, mining and ranching center for the northeast part of the New Mexico territory, to become the county seat and principal trading center of the area. The community, nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, enjoys pleasant summers, colorful autumns and mild winters. Mining is a major income-producing activity in the county. The tourism industry also plays a significant role in Raton's economic base. Drawn to a place where rolling prairies, rimrock mesas and alpine meadows come together, visitors find Raton an attractive year-round vacation destination.
Raton Museum
Revisit life on the rails, in the camps and on the range. The floor creaks with memories as visitors wander up a row of mining, railroad and ranching displays and down another row with artifacts from everyday life of Ratonians in the 1800s as well as of their American Indian neighbors. Thousands of photographs adorn the walls from front to back, such as the photo of the Mary and McCuistion School, the first public school in New Mexico, located in Raton in the 1800s. President Teddy Roosevelt's visit to Raton was captured on film and hangs in the museum, as do many photos giving visitors a then-and-now perspective. The museum itself once was a Coors building and housed beer kegs. Paintings from local and regional artists adorn the walls, including several works by Manville Chapman of Taos and some dark works by Meinrad Craighead of Albuquerque. Other items point out the big differences between then and now. For example, in the early part of the century, a visitor could have stayed at the Gate City Motel, located at 232 South First Street, for $1.25 a night! One favorite item is an old tinny piano, which still holds a tune after 70 years. The mining displays lead to information on the coming of the railroad, which had a symbiotic relationship with mining since one wouldn't have been here without the other. A map of ghost towns in the area is evidence of the many towns that saw their booms and then faded into memory. This museum also displays sheet music to the New Mexico March written by John Philip Sousa.
Winter hours: October through April Wednesday through Saturday 10am - 1pm and 3pm - 5pm.
Summer hours: May through September, Tuesday through Saturday 9am - 5pm
Free admission
Raton Museum
108 2nd Street
Raton, NM 87740
575-445-8979
Visiting Nearby Raton
The National Rifle Association's Whittington Center
Take Hwy 64 West and visit the United States' most comprehensive shooting facility, the NRA Whittington Center, featuring ranges for all disciplines to welcome thousands of shooters and visitors each year. The center offers ranges for all types of pistols and rifles as well as trap and skeet ranges. There's something here for everyone — shotgun, pistol and rifle shooting, muzzle-loading events plus limited drawings for spectacular deer, turkey, bear and elk units.
It's the largest and finest competition facility in the world. At the Whittington Center, safety and the teaching of safety is a priority. They regularly hold pistol, rifle and shotgun training schools which are conducted by nationally-known instructors. Also, firearm safety and conversation classes are held in climate-controlled instruction facilities. They strongly promote marksmanship and competition — but key to all is the safe handling of firearms for men and women of all ages. The center encompasses more than 33,000 acres of pinon-juniper wildlife and fair-safe shooting ranges. National Championship events are held annually. The center is open daily to the public for tours.
Since the National Rifle Association built the Whittington Center entirely with member donations in 1973, Whittington has developed into the modernized complete facility that it is today — despite having to raise its own funds after the NRA pulled its financial support away in 1977. Visitors today find everything they need for daily living right on the vast Whittington Center landscape. Competitor housing, a dining facility and an R.V. campground are available.
A primitive area offers campsites in a heavily wooded section designed for small R.V.s and tents. A central water point and chemical toilets are provided in this area.
NRA Whittington Center
Shooting Range
Box 700
Raton, NM 87740
575-445-3615
Sugarite Canyon State Park
Photo by John Robertson
Eight miles northeast of Raton is Sugarite Canyon, New Mexico's newest state park. The name Sugarite is an anglosized slur of the Comanche word Chicorica, meaning "an Abundance of Birds."
In summer, the beautiful historic Park offers trout fishing on three lakes, picnicking, hiking and overnight camping. Cross-country skiing and ice fishing are also available in the winter months. Camp along the main road or amidst grassy meadows below towering pines. Also three mountain lakes are stocked with rainbow trout for fishing enjoyment. Sugarite also offers excellent opportunities for winter activities such as cross country skiing, innertubing, ice fishing — winter fun for the whole family.
Sugarite has been known since the earliest of times. Folsom Man hunted this area nearly 10,000 years ago. Later, nomadic tribes, such as the Apaches, Utes and Comanches, frequented the area. Many homesteaders passed here on their way over Raton Pass on the Santa Fe Trail.
On the way to the park, view the remains of one of the finest turn-of-the-century resorts and the stone foundations of an old prosperous coal camp. The Coal Camp of Sugarite was built in 1910 and is located north and east of the visitor center. The building, which is now the Visitor Center, was once the Sugarite Post Office. The coal camp supplied home heating-type coal to as far away as Kansas and Oklahoma until it closed in 1941. At its height, approximately 1,000 people lived here. The camp contained a school house, company store, doctor's office and even a nice club house. The Sugarite Coal Camp contained a melting pot of many nationalities — Slavs, Italians, Japanese, Mexicans, Americans and English were just a few of the ethnic groups who worked and lived here. A trail is now cleared from the visitor center through the coal camp to mine 22. Walk a walk through time and enjoy some of Sugarite Canyon's colorful history.
Sugarite Canyon State Park
HCR 63, Box 386
Raton, NM 87740
575-445-5607
10 miles east, off of I-25 and Hwy State Road 72 and Hwy 526
Fees: Day-use: $3 per vehicle. Walk-in/bicycle free; $15 per commercial bus
Vermejo Park Ranch
Vermejo offers unsurpassed opportunities for fishermen, hikers, photographers and all other nature enthusiasts. This private resort and working cattle ranch in a wilderness setting is dedicated to sound land use management.
Vermejo Park
P.O. Drawer E
Raton, NM 87740
For more information about Raton
For more information about rounding up your Raton visit:
