The outdoor enthusiast will thoroughly enjoy the abundant opportunities in the Raton area for hunting, fishing, hiking, horse-back riding, golfing, camping, and outdoor shooting.

The Raton Country Club Golf Course is open to the public and with Raton's mild climate, can be played throughout the year. Horse-back riding is enjoyed at the Jackson Stables, and there are many outfitters in the area which provides hunts for a variety of game.

For hiking, camping and outdoor shooting, visit the NRA Whittington Center just south of town, and for camping, fishing, and hiking, be sure to spend time in Sugarite Canyon State Park.

NRA Whittington Center

The NRA Whittington Center, located just south of Raton on NM Highway 64 to Cimarron, is the largest outdoor shooting facility in the world.

Established in 1973, the 33,000-acre facility welcomes more than 100,000 visitors a year. Hunts, trap shooting, target practice ranges and other events are offered with access for handicapped gun enthusiasts. Open every day all year, it features lodging,meeting rooms and dining. This facility is located on the eastern slope of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The center holds many shooting events and competitions throughout the year and offers conference/meeting rooms, and overnight accomodations, including RV areas.

For a complete list of events visit the NRA Whittington Center website.

Raton Country Club Golf Course

The Raton Country Club offers one of the best nine-hole golf courses in the state of New Mexico. Nestled against the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo mountains where they meet the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, this course offers a challenge to even the most skilled golfer. Yet, is fun for every skill level.

Play nine or eighteen holes while enjoying great scenery. Share the course with wildlife like deer and turkey. This course is open to the public. Tee times are not necessary.

Lake Maloya/Sugarite Canyon State Park

Just twelve miles from Raton, this beautiful state park offers fishing, hiking and overnight camping.

Sugarite includes two lakes,Lake Dorothy and Lake Maloya, which host some of the best trout fishing in New Mexico. Above 8,000 feet, Lake Maloya is home to the Kiwanis Fishing Derby every spring, for which the lake is stocked with several tagged trout. During the winter months, if there is at least nine inches of ice formed on the lakes, ice fishing is enjoyed.

Overnight camping is available at the two campground areas and there are several hiking trails throughout the park. The beauty, altitude and clean air, provide a natural attraction for many from all over the world who participate in the annual Volksmarch in early summer. During a weekend in December, the trails behind the visitor's center, which is located at the entrance to the park, are decorated with luminaries for the "Christmas on the Chicorica" event, which offers an inspiring evening under the clear skies to view the winter stars and enjoy a hot cup of cocoa with cookies. A museum with information about the former coal camp that occupied the park is inside the visitor's center, which was formerly the post office for the coal camp.

For more information about Sugarite Canyon State Park call the park office at (575)445-5607.