Los Alamos is a small town in northern New Mexico, about an hour northwest of Santa Fe. Its claim to fame is the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), where Oppenheimer and other physicists created the world's first atomic bomb during World War II. Many of Los Alamos's 11,000 residents work at the laboratory. White Rock, an outlying town of about 7,000, is formally a part of Los Alamos, but is separated from the main town by LANL, which is closed to the public apart from the Bradbury Science Museum.

Get around

The downtown area is compact, and the museums and most restaurants are within easy walking distance of the main hotels and many of the B&Bs. There is no public transportation except that connecting the town to Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Many Los Alamos residents bicycle to work and around town. Cycling is feasible for visitors as well, but be aware that the town is at an elevation of about 7100 feet (2200 meters) and quite hilly. Puffing up the hills before you've acclimated to the altitude can be a surprisingly exhausting experience. White Rock is nearly a thousand feet lower and about 10 miles (16 km) away by road; riding to it on a bike can be a thrill, but oh, that hill coming back!

Activities

 • Bandelier National Monument is nearby and contains many Pueblo dwelling ruins to visit and other hiking opportunities. (505) 672-3861. Adjacent to Bandelier is Valles Caldera National Preserve, a brand-new unit of the national park system in the Jemez Mountains. Recreational opportunities at the Preserve are still being developed; inquire locally. Hiking and mountain-biking trails around the town itself have been impacted severely by a catastrophic forest fire in 2000, but pleasant (at least until summer heat sets in) trails lead into White Rock Canyon from several points around White Rock. Beware of rattlesnakes in White Rock Canyon.
 • Santa Fe National Forest lies west of the town and offers many recreation opportunities such as hiking and exploring four-wheel drive roads. The reference book below is usually available at Otowi Station and the Historical Society and gives more details.
 • A surprisingly good (and surprisingly challenging) downhill ski area is located on Pajarito Mountain just outside town. Snow conditions can be marginal (indeed, during the drought years at the end of the 20th century, there were seasons when the area didn't open for months, or even at all), but when the snow is good, it's excellent value for dollar, with very small crowds. Rentals are available and a good lunch can be had. Cross-country ski trails are accessible from the same parking lot as services the downhill area; however, snow conditions are more likely to be marginal or unskiable than on the higher downhill runs. The area often runs its lifts during the summer to allow hikers, mountain bikers, etc., access to the top of the mountain. See the web site under "External links" below for details. Camp May is a county park just beyond the ski area that is nice for picnics during the height of early summer heat, but skip it if you're prone to respiratory problems, as it's at very high altitude.
 • For a small town, Los Alamos attracts some very good musical groups, particularly in the classical genre. The Los Alamos Concert Association (web site below) runs a subscription series of concerts by internationally-known classical performers. The professional Santa Fe Desert Chorale and non-professional but very good Sangre de Cristo Chorale (web site below) and Coro de Camara perform choral music. Popular concerts occur frequently in the main community shopping center, and there are "coffeehouses" on several Friday nights a year at Fuller Lodge; inquire locally for details.

Dining

Los Alamos used to have a well-deserved reputation as a culinary wasteland, but things have improved considerably in recent years. As with many communities in New Mexico, it makes sense to categorize restaurants as "New Mexican" (specializing in enchiladas, stuffed sopaipillas, etc., with the usual "red or green?" choice of chile -- red is usually hotter, green more flavorful, but inquire) or otherwise. Area code for all restaurants is 505. One thing to note: most of the restaurants cater to the community more than to the tourist, and consequently, many are closed on Sunday and some even on Saturday(!). Check on open days and hours before deciding where to eat.

New Mexican
 • Chili Works, 1743 Trinity Drive, 662-7591. A take-out joint that looks like (indeed, used to be) an old used-car lot. Open for breakfast and lunch only, closed on Sunday. Lunches are nothing special, but the breakfast burritos are excellent; you'll have to wait in line with commuters and students heading for high school who flock here to start their days. Although it's mainly take-out, a few outside tables are available.
 • Viola's, across Trinity from Chili Works (the local phone book's Yellow Pages entry for its address is incorrect), 662-5617. Standard New Mexican fare in a busy diner-like setting, run by a long-standing Los Alamos restauranteur family. Good enchiladas. Open for breakfast and lunch, Monday through Saturday.
 • Las Salsas, 11 Sherwood Blvd (White Rock), 672-4074. More "Mexican" (as opposed to "New Mexican") than the others, a relative newcomer that is still working some of the bugs out but has a wider variety than most of the New Mexican places. Lunch M-F, dinner M-S (maybe Sunday), and a large Sunday brunch that doesn't open until 10 a.m.
 • De Colores, 2470 East Road (on highway 502 east of town), 662-6285: Standard New Mexican fare done quite well, if a bit heavy, with pleasant service and a nice setting. The stuffed sopaipillas with green chile are particularly good. Its location on the road into town makes it somewhat remote from the hotels/B&Bs, but there is a striking view to the east as compensation. Open for lunch and dinner, Monday through Friday only; expect to wait a while on Fridays. You should hope the musicians sometimes providing "entertainment" for Friday dinner don't show up.

Budget
 • Hill Diner, 1315 Trinity Drive, 662-9745: Standard American fare, well-prepared if a bit long on fried foods. The only place in town serving Tex-Mex-style "chili" (note spelling) that's edible. Open daily for lunch and dinner; may be open for breakfast, but not always, so inquire.
 • Allied Fine Foods Deli and Meat Market, 751 Central Avenue, 662-2777: Despite its name, the fare is more that of a standard American-style eatery than a New York delicatessen. However, it combines with a more deli-like butcher shop that offers the best meat in town if you want to pick up a steak and barbeque it yourself. (The ribeye is particularly good.) Excellent cheeses too. Open M-S, breakfast and lunch.

Mid-Range
 • China Moon, 121 Central Park Square (shopping center in the middle of town), 662-2883: One of several surprisingly good Chinese restaurants in town. This one is subpar for dinner, but the lunch buffet (open M-F) is very good value for dollar. Come here for lunch, but for dinner, instead try China Palace.
 • China Palace, 759 Central Avenue, 662-4433: The best Chinese dinners in town, with pleasant service. The various clay-pot dishes are excellent. Take-out is available. So-so for lunch (M-F), but strongly recommended for dinner (7 days).
 • Chin Shan, 124 Longview Drive (White Rock), 672-1433: Weaker than the other recommended Chinese restaurants, but its location in White Rock, en route to Bandelier, is convenient for the traveler who's just passing through, and the fare is passable. Take-out is available. Open for lunch M-F, dinner M-S; the owners often take a long vacation in summer and close up shop.
 • Central Avenue Grill, 1789 Central Avenue, 662-2005: A recent menu change to offering "1980s comfort food" headed by new Chef Phil Kephart has seen considerable improvement in what was once a distinctly average menu. Now has separate lunch and evening menus. Server recommendations included a the "Loco Hot Brown", an interesting open-faced sandwich (lunch) and the "Epic Chicken Fried Steak" (dinner), a truly enormous and fairly well prepared take on this meal. One of the few places in town with satisfactory banquet facilities. Lunch M-F, dinner 7 days.
 • Hot Rocks Java Cafe, 4200 W. Jemez Road, 663-5282: The only eating place on the "Laboratory," as opposed to "town," side of the bridge separating LANL from the community (other than the lab's own cafeteria, where the public is only grudgingly accepted), and hence convenient if you're driving into the mountains, although parking is a headache. A reasonable mixed bag of lunches, again with edible quiche, but usually very busy as it serves the LANL workforce. Breakfast and lunch M-F only.

Splurge
 • Blue Window Bistro, 813 Central Avenue, 662-6305: American-meets-Continental fare with some creativity. Lunch M-F, dinner M-S. Experienced a severe fire in November 2005, and it may be a while before they're back up to standard, or open at all; inquire locally.
 • Katherine's, 121 Longview Drive (White Rock), 672-9661: Continental cuisine well prepared, with far-above-average service and a good wine list; arguably the best restaurant in Los Alamos. The Caesar salad for two is a meritorious appetizer, but save room for the main course; the balsamic shrimp is recommended, as are the beef medallions. Lunch T-F, dinner T-S. Reservations advised.
 • Trinity Beverage Company, 2201 Trinity Drive (at the Quality Inn), 662-7211: The newest upper-end restaurant in town and popular, in no small part because it's one of the few with a satisfactory bar. Open 7 days for lunch and dinner. They serve a large and tasty Sunday brunch. Note: there have been complaints recently about poor service.

Drink

Los Alamos contains more churches than bars, which is a probably sufficient commentary on the night life. Some of the restaurants occasionally offer live entertainment on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Improbably enough, Los Alamos contains a winery that's operated by a retiree from the nuclear weapons program at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Il Santo Vineyard is a low-volume operation and doesn't advertise or distribute widely, but their irreverently named "Bomba Grande" sometimes appears in local outlets. It's a reasonably potable table wine, and the whimsical label makes the bottles an amusing memento of the town.

Lodging

A caution: accommodations can be hard to find during the second week of October, when Albuquerque, 90 miles away, hosts the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. If you're visiting at that time and planning to stay in a hotel or B&B, reserve well in advance.

There are curiously few hotels/motels in town, given the number of travelers (mainly professional) who pass through the area. The following list is complete as of December 2005, and is presented without recommendations; all are adequate, none outstanding. There are also several bed and breakfasts in Los Alamos and one or two in White Rock; see the Virtual Los Alamos link (good for other information on current events in the community as well) below for details. All phone numbers are area code 505.
 • Best Western Hilltop House, 400 Trinity Drive, 662-2441
 • Hampton Inn, 124 State Road 4 (White Rock), 672-3838
 • Holiday Inn Express, 2455 Trinity Drive, 661-1110
 • Quality Inn and Suites, 2201 Trinity Drive, 662-7211

Camping
 • Campgrounds are available at Bandelier National Monument. Juniper Campground caters to families/small parties while Ponderosa Campground is reserved for large groups (by reservation).  • Camping in the nearby Santa Fe National Forest is convenient. The forest is big, the people are few, and the campsites are great. Explore back on the dirt roads until you find a fire ring. Seasonal closures due to fire hazard are common (see under "Stay safe"). Call (505) 667-5120 for information on current closures/restrictions.

Stay safe

Violent crime is almost unknown in Los Alamos; it is one of the safest communities you'll ever visit. The biggest lawbreaking threat to life and limb is drunk drivers. Northern New Mexico has an unfortunate and well-deserved reputation for DUI problems. Until recently Los Alamos was an exception to this, but not any more. Be alert when driving on the arterial roads after 10 p.m. or so, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights. Another driving hazard is wildlife. Herds of elk come down from the Jemez Mountains during the winter and often congregate around the roads. If your car hits an elk at highway speed, the elk may lose, but you will most assuredly not win. Again, be careful driving after sundown during the winter months.

Believe it or not, one of the most important types of fatal accident sustained by townspeople is falling off a cliff -- sometimes a cliff literally in the victim's back yard. The sheer canyon walls that give the area much of its natural beauty also pose traps for the unwary recreational hiker. If you're out enjoying the many hiking trails around town, stay on the trail when around a cliff unless you're doing roped climbing.

In most other regards Los Alamos itself is an almost absurdly safe place. When in the forest camping, hiking, etc., take the usual precautions, with maybe a little extra attention to fire safety; several of the disastrous forest fires the area experienced over the last 30 years resulted from poorly constructed campfires that were not well put out and thus smoldered, eventually starting up again and igniting tinder. If the national forest is closed to camping owing to fire hazard (as often happens in early summer) or forbids open fires (which can happen almost any time from May until August), please comply and seek your accommodations somewhere else. One final note: bubonic plague is endemic to northern New Mexico, and plague-bearing fleas and rodents have been trapped from within the city limits. As cautioned in the article on Bandelier National Monument, if you see a distressed or dead rodent or other small animal, leave it alone; buzzards are immune to plague, you are not.