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Santa Fe is the right base for exploring the remainder of New Mexico so I’d extremely suggest you lease a automobile when you’re there. Popular day journeys from Santa Fe embody Bandelier National Monument, Jemez Springs/Spence Springs, the Turquoise Trail and naturally Taos Pueblo. We took the Santa Fe to Taos High Road, stopping at a vineyard and likewise the gorgeous El Santuario de Chimayó church on the way in which.
There are two roads you possibly can take from Santa Fe to Taos; there’s the High Road, which takes you thru the gorgeous Sangre de Cristo mountains, and the Low Road, which travels alongside the Rio Grande River and is usually a lot faster.
I’d counsel taking the High Road to Taos on the way in which there, and the Low Road in your approach again to Santa Fe. After a day of sightseeing you’ll be drained and can most likely simply need to get again to your lodge.
Here’s the whole lot you should plan your good Santa Fe to Taos day journey itinerary.
How Long Does it Take to Drive from Santa Fe to Taos?
Taos is situated about 70 miles northeast of Santa Fe. The drive takes roughly 1.5 to 2 hours relying on site visitors and which street you’re taking. Obviously it should take longer when you cease at fuel stations or in a few of the small cities alongside the way in which.
As I discussed earlier than, we took the High Road there and the Low Road again. We made a few stops on the way in which there after which drove with out stopping on our return.
Our journey there took about 3.5-4 hours. We spent about half an hour on the El Santuario de Chimayó church after which about 1.5 hours enjoyable on the vineyard. It will take longer when you add in additional stops.
Try to go away early within the morning so you’ve got loads of time to make stops and revel in Taos. Check the sundown time as properly so that you may give your self sufficient time to drive again earlier than dusk. I don’t learn about you however I actually don’t like driving at evening!
How Long is the High Road to Taos?
The Taos High Road is a scenic byway that stretches for 56 miles by means of New Mexico’s stunning desert panorama. It takes you previous varied small cities and historic stays of Old Spain. After spending 3 days in Santa Fe, my buddy and I have been itching to get exterior the town and discover the New Mexico panorama, so we selected to go to Taos for our day journey.
Santa Fe to Taos High Road Directions & Route
Starting in Santa Fe, Head north on US 84/285 and switch proper on NM 503 the place the High Road to Taos begins. Take NM 503 to NM 76 and cease in Chimayó, then proceed on NM 76 by means of the cities of Cordova, Truchas, Ojo Sarco and Las Trampas.
At the tip of NM 76 you possibly can both take a detour and head west on NM 75 to Vivac Winery in Dixon (that is what we did), or you possibly can proceed on the Taos High Road.
To proceed the Taos High Road, be a part of NM 518 at Peñasco and drive by means of the Carson National Forest to US 68 at Ranchos de Taos. Eventually you’ll attain Taos, which is house to a number of eating places, outlets, and naturally, Taos Pueblo.
Stops On the Santa Fe to Taos High Road
Since we have been solely doing a day journey to Taos, we didn’t cease at that many locations alongside the way in which. We selected to cease on the Santuario de Chimayó church after which take a detour to Vivac Winery. If you’ve got extra time otherwise you plan to remain in a single day in Taos then you could possibly cease at a number of cities and buildings alongside the way in which.
Start your day by grabbing espresso and breakfast at Dolina Cafe in Santa Fe. This cafe and bakery has each indoor and out of doors seating and serves fashionable American brunch with an jap European twist. It additionally affords freshly baked pies, home made soups, ready meals and scrumptious espresso and occasional.
Chimayo
Your first cease on the Santa Fe to Taos High Road shall be Chimayo, which is a conventional weaving village with galleries showcasing creations by highly-skilled weavers. The village is house to the Plaza del Cerro, which is the final surviving Spanish fortified plaza within the southwest.
The major spotlight of Chimayo is Santuario de Chimayó church, which attracts round 300,000 pilgrims annually and has been dubbed the “Lourdes of America”.
This stunning adobe church options two bell towers on both facet and stylish doorways that have been carved by the Nineteenth-century carpenter Pedro Domínguez. Inside the church is a small prayer room referred to as el pocito, which incorporates a spherical gap full of “holy dirt” that’s thought to have therapeutic powers.
Santuario de Mayo is open every day from 9am to 5pm, with mass going down at 11am. I introduced my canine alongside on the street journey and by chance the church is pet pleasant. There’s additionally a present store and a restaurant on website, do you have to need to seize a espresso or snack.
Vivac Winery
Our second cease on this Santa Fe to Taos day journey was Vivac Winery, which sits at 6,000 ft, making it one of many highest altitude wineries on the planet. The vineyard is situated on freeway 68, about 25 minutes south of Taos. As I discussed earlier, we took a detour off the High Road to go right here.
The adobe tasting room was created by the winemakers themselves and is embellished with artwork work from up to date New Mexico artists. Visitors can buy tasting flights, wines by the glass and 14 beers on faucet, in addition to cheeses, meats and different picnic gadgets. Chocolates, home made Wine Nefertiti pasta and honey from the property’s bees are additionally obtainable for buy.
The Wine Nefertiti pasta is made with wine from VivácWinery and is created with love and care by Maddox Padberg, who began making pasta at age 8. Chocolates are constituted of 73.5% Venezuelan caca and provided by Ek.chuah, a chocolatier situated in New Mexico.
The surroundings right here is completely gorgeous so we ended up spending a superb hour and a half right here simply chilling and having fun with the view.
Standard wine tastings price $12 and the vineyard is open every day from Mon-Sun 10-6pm.
Summer hours are Mon-Fri 10-7pm, Sat 10 – 8pm, Sun 10-7pm.
If you need to proceed on the Taos High Road, you can also make the next stops:
Cordova
Cordova is a city recognized for its wooden carvers and takes its identify from the surname of Matías Córdova, one of many inhabitants of Pueblo Quemado situated right here. A spotlight of Cordova is the San Antonio de Padua Church, which incorporates a big altar display screen painted by Rafael Aragon. The church is simply open for providers, but when the timing’s proper, you might get to peek inside.
Truchas
The city of Truchase was constructed on a mesa beneath 13,101-foot Truchas Peak – the second-highest mountain in New Mexico. Here you possibly can see Nuestra Señora del Rosario, which was constructed within the early 1800s and has many well-preserved previous santos (small carved, painted statues of holy figures).
Las Trampas
In Las Trampas pay a go to to San Jose de Gracia, which was constructed within the cruciform fashion with two towers. The church has been round for over 225 years and is one in every of New Mexico’s best-preserved examples of Spanish Colonial structure.
Rancho de Taos
The final main cease on the High Road to Taos is Rancho de Taos, a conventional agricultural neighborhood with a historic plaza surrounded by galleries and outlets. The major attraction right here is San Francisco de Asis Church, which options giant adobe buttresses, excessive ceilings with vigas and hand-carved corbels. It additionally options the most important altar display screen in New Mexico and has been designated a National Historic Landmark. Many artists have photographed and painted this church, together with Georgia O’Keeffe and Ansel Adams – two of America’s most well-known artists.
Things to Do On Your Taos Day Trip
Once you arrive in Taos you’ll drive alongside the principle road, which is lined with outlets, eating places and cafes. Taos Pueblo UNESCO World Heritage Site is the principle attraction, however there are additionally a number of museums and galleries to discover.
Taos Pueblo
Taos Pueblo is a Native American neighborhood consisting of multi-storied adobe buildings which were constantly inhabited for over 1000 years. The pueblo lies 1 mile north of Taos and is taken into account to be one of many oldest constantly inhabited communities within the United States.
Since it’s a dwelling tribal neighborhood guests are requested to respect the privateness of the individuals who reside there. You can enter the pueblo and take photographs, however you should not take photos of tribal members with out permission. Visitors might solely enter houses which can be marked as enterprise with clear signage and should all the time abide by the “Restricted Area” indicators. The river and the cemetery are off limits.
Within the pueblo you should purchase mica-flecked pottery, silver jewellery, moccasins, boots and drums made by native artisans, in addition to up to date artworks created by the Pueblo’s fantastic artists.
Taos Pueblo is open Thursday- Monday 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM, closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Entry prices $16 for adults, $14 for seniors and college students. Kids underneath 10 can enter at no cost.
Taos Plaza
Located within the coronary heart of the downtown space, Taos Historic Plaza is a well-liked gathering place with timber, benches and a gazebo. The plaza is lined with outlets and galleries, and infrequently hosts farmers markets and reside music. It dates again to the 18th century, when the King of Spain gave the Don Fernando de Taos Land Grant to 63 households within the Taos space.
Rio Grande Gorge Bridge
Standing 650 ft above the river, the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge is the fifth highest bridge within the United States and the second highest on the US freeway system. Constructed within the Nineteen Sixties, this stunning metal bridge spans a really deep gorge and has been featured in varied Hollywood films, together with Paul, Natural Born Killers, Terminator Salvation, Wild Hogs, and White Sands. It is commonly dubbed “The Bridge to Nowhere” as a result of funding didn’t exist to proceed the street on the opposite facet.
Park your car within the car parking zone on the west facet of the bridge and comply with the strolling path alongside the rim of the gorge to seize some unimaginable photographs!
Taos Art Museum and Kit Carson & Home Museum
Housed within the former house of Russian artist Nicolai Fechin and his spouse, Taos Art Museum incorporates highlights from his fifty yr profession from the 1910s-Fifties. Nicolai, who studied on the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg, primarily created portrait and panorama charcoals and work. The museum additionally hosts rotating exhibitions and occasions.
The Kit Carson & Home Museum is devoted to the lifetime of frontiersman Kit Carson and is a wonderful instance of Spanish colonial structure. The constructing served as Kit’s house from 1843 till his demise and have become a chosen National Historic Landmark in 1963.
Driving in New Mexico: Tips
We rented a automobile from Albuquerque Sunport (airport) in the course of our Santa Fe journey. Pick up and drop off was a fairly seamless expertise and there are quite a few automobile rental corporations there, together with Enterprise, ACE, Thrifty. To discover the most effective automobile rental costs I normally use Discover Cars or Rentalcars.com.
Santa Fe additionally has its personal airport but it surely’s a lot smaller than Albuquerque and primarily accommodates personal plane and only a handful of airways. Airfare to Santa Fe Regional Airport tends to be costlier, so it’s typically cheaper to fly to Albuquerque and lease a automobile from there.
The roads in New Mexico have been typically fairly empty once we visited. I reside in New Jersey the place I’m used to busy roads and plenty of site visitors. Driving in New Mexico was a breeze, nonetheless we noticed a number of police on the roads in New Mexico. Make positive you observe the velocity restrict to keep away from getting pulled over. The velocity restrict is 75 mph on rural interstates and normally 55 mph on different roads.
On the final couple of days of our journey there have been forest fires out close to Jemez Springs and Valles Caldera National Preserve, so a number of roads have been closed. Always examine Google Maps in addition to the native information for street closures, particularly within the scorching summer season months.
FAQ About Driving the High Road from Santa Fe to Taos
The excessive street is probably the most scenic route you possibly can take to Taos. You’ll be capable to see stunning views of the Carson National Forest and the mountains within the distance.
Yes, it’s very fairly. It’s some of the scenic drives within the US and positively price your time. As you drive alongside the hilly excessive street, you’ll be met with gorgeous views of the encompassing mountains and desert panorama.
Santa Fe and Taos are about 70 miles other than one another.
Taos is price visiting because it’s house to Taos Pueblo, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The pueblo is made up of multi-storied adobe buildings and is without doubt one of the oldest constantly inhabited communities within the United States.
You can positively do Taos as a day journey, for the reason that drive time is round 1.5-2 hours. However, if you wish to cease at a number of cities alongside the way in which, you might need to contemplate stopping the evening in Taos and driving again the next day.
It’s higher to remain in Santa Fe as a result of there’s much more to see and do there than in Taos. Plan to spend round 3 days exploring Santa Fe after which you possibly can both do a day journey to Taos or drive up there and keep the evening.
Between Santa Fe and Taos there are many cities to find with some well-preserved examples of Spanish Colonial structure. Popular stops alongside the way in which embody Chimayo, Cordova, Truchas, Las Trampas and Rancho de Taos.
There are quite a few issues to see on the High Road from Santa Fe to Taos. Stop on the Santuario de Chimayó church, a well-liked pilgrimage website, and the well-known San Francisco de Asis Church, which is situated at Rancho de Taos.
A Final Word…
The Santa Fe to Taos High Road is without doubt one of the most scenic drives I’ve ever taken. We actually didn’t do a lot analysis in regards to the High Road so I had no thought what to anticipate. It’s positively price renting a automobile in your Santa Fe journey so you possibly can drive this route and go to Taos Pueblo. Another route price taking is the Turquoise Trail, which is a scenic byway between Santa Fe and Albuquerque that passes by means of varied mining cities.
