Red Rock Balloon Rally
December
Gallup, NM
1-800-242-4282
Get your camera ready and prepare the be amazed by the sight of more than 200 rainbow-colored hot air balloons taking flight, backdropped by New Mexico’s signature blue skies and the massive sandstone bluffs and deep canyons of Red Rock Park. What started as a small flying challenge has grown into the second-largest balloon rally in North America.
Admission to all Red Rock Balloon Rally events is free, with only a $5 parking fee to enter Red Rock Park. The Balloon Rally schedule of events includes daily mass ascensions, balloon glows, and competitions. Visitors can also enjoy beautiful, handcrafted Native arts and crafts and jewelry vendors; Native dance performances; a parade in downtown Gallup; an art show; and more.
Other Things to See While Visiting the Area
Gallup Trading Posts
Gallup is home to more than 1,000 Native artisans creating unique works in jewelry, pottery, basket weaving, rug weavings, sculptures, textiles, paintings, and more. Discover these exquisite treasures for yourself at one of the 30 trading posts promoting Native arts and crafts in the Gallup area.
El Morro National Monument
A reliable waterhole hidden at its base made El Morro a popular campsite among explorers in western New Mexico for hundreds of years. Lace up your walking shoes and embark upon El Morro’s Inscription Trail, a half-mile trek that takes you past the thousands of inscriptions left behind by Ancestral Puebloans, Spanish, and American travelers of yesteryear.
Zuni Pueblo
Zuni Pueblo is the largest of New Mexico’s 19 pueblos and is also considered one of the most traditional pueblos, with a unique language, culture, and history that resulted in part from their geographic isolation. The pueblo offers discerning visitors many rich experiences that draw from their deep cultural heritage, special history, exquisite arts, and awesome scenic beauty.
Chaco Canyon
A major center of Ancestral Puebloan culture, Chaco Canyon was a hub of ceremony, trade, and administration for the prehistoric Four Corners area. Visit the park’s six major ancestral sites, marvel at the incredible Chacoan architecture, enjoy miles of hiking trails, and experience Chaco’s unforgettable Night Sky Program.