Vanderwagen
This town of under 1,400 is 20 miles south of Gallup and nestled in the Zuni mountains.
Like much of New Mexico, the area is rich in cultural resources, including many historic sawmills and logging community sites and logging railroad beds. Vanderwagen residents take advantage of developed recreational areas in the Zuni Mountains, where there’s even a regulation golf course offering views of extraordinary scenic beauty. Lyman Lake State Park is a water recreation haven with boat launch ramps and a boat dock, as well as hiking trails (one with petroglyphs) and even a herd of roaming buffalo. Also close by are the Casa Malpais Indian Ruins from the Mogollon Indian culture that occupied the area around the 13th century.
Combined with the slow pace of life in town, the outdoor life surrounding Vanderwagen makes it easy to appreciate the Native American legacy of respect and reverence for a land that holds so many natural wonders.