|
|
| View Map |
| The Picturesque Landscape of Georgia O’Keeffe |
| |
Visit the countryside and the natural attractions that inspired Georgia O’Keeffe and countless artists and visitors to northern New Mexico. This route takes you north from Santa Fe on US 285/84, picking up US 84 in Espanola, approximately 23 miles north of Santa Fe. |
 |
Abiquiu Lake: Developed as a way to control downstream flooding from the Rio Chama, Abiquiu Lake offers opportunities for water sports and camping |
|
Ghost Ranch: Owned by the Presbyterian Church of the U.S.A., Ghost Ranch gives visitors a chance to see the landscape that so inspired Georgia O’Keeffe. Guided tours of her home are available by advance reservation; obtaining reservations at (505) 685-4539 requires about three months' lead-time. |
|
Ghost Ranch Living Museum: This regional center displays information about the geology of the area, its cultural history and information about the flora and fauna. Periodic exhibits also take place here under the outreach auspices of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History. |
|
Echo Amphitheater: The natural sandstone formation is a great place to camp or picnic while admiring nature’s handiwork of wind, erosion and rock. |
|
Cumbres Toltec Scenic Railroad: Farther north on US 84, travelers can hitch a ride on this scenic railroad, a narrow-gauge train trip through the high country of New Mexico. Particularly beautiful in the fall when the leaves are changing, this trip up north is an all-day excursion; Chama is 106 miles north of Santa Fe. Call 505-756-2151 to obtain seasonal hours, as the area is subject to weather conditions. |
| |
| The Legend Light of Taos |
| |
With two ways to reach Taos, travelers have a choice of sightseeing adventures. The High Road winds up through the mountains past the Truchas Peaks where Spanish colonial lifestyles have left their imprint on the small mountain villages. This route takes approximately 2 1/2 hours. By following the Rio Grande north, visitors see the panorama of the Rio Grande Gorge and see the sights and the light of northern New Mexico spread out ahead. This is a shorter route and takes about 1 1/2 hours. |
|
Nambe Pueblo and Nambe Falls: Nambe, meaning "mound of earth in the corner" is a 700-year-old pueblo located north of Santa Fe at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, although few of the original pueblo buildings remain. Nambe Falls, 4 miles beyond the pueblo, makes a dramatic drop through a cleft in the rockface and a recreational site offers fishing, boating for non-motor boats, hiking and camping. Call 505-455-2036 for pueblo information. |
|
Chimayo: The historic weaving center of Chimayo maintains the tradition of hand-woven textiles begun generations ago. This quaint northern town is also the home of the Santuario de Chimayo, a church built in 1814-1816 that has been the destination of countless pilgrims who attribute to it miraculous powers of healing. Designated a National Historic Landmark, the church is known for the healing powers of its earth and its beautiful examples of sacred Spanish artwork. |
|
San Juan Pueblo: Declared as the first Spanish capital city of the New Mexico Territory in 1598, the Pueblo of San Juan lies 25 miles north of Santa Fe. The intricately carved red pottery for which San Juan is known can be purchased at the Oke Oweenge Crafts Cooperative. Call 505-852-4400 for pueblo information.
|
|
Taos Pueblo: The northernmost of all the pueblos, Taos Pueblo, the "Place of the Red Willows," lies nestled at the base of the mountains. Located 2.5 miles north of the town of Taos, the Pueblo continues to maintain the age-old beliefs and cultural traditions of their ancient society. Privately owned shops and galleries throughout the village support the numerous local artists. Call 505-758-1028 for pueblo information. |
|
The Kit Carson Home and Museum: Located one block east of the Taos Plaza, this is the only general museum of Taos history. The museum bookshop, adjacent to the entry, has a comprehensive selection of New Mexico historical books. Museum hours and exhibition information can be obtained by calling 505-758-0505. |
|
The Millicent Rogers Museum: Four miles north of Taos, this museum showcases the collection amassed by Standard Oil Heiress Millicent Rogers. The scope of the museum’s original collection of Native American artifacts has been expanded to include Hispanic secular and religious arts and crafts, from colonial to contemporary times. Museum hours and information can be obtained by calling 505-758-2462. |
|
The Taos Art Museum and Fechin House: The home of Russian artist Nicolai Fechin from 1927 to 1933, this magnificent adobe home is embellished with hand-carved doors, windows, gates, posts and other features of a Russian dacha. Tours of the home are half-price with a stay at the Inn on the Alameda’s sister property in Taos, the Fechin Inn. Hours and exhibition information can be obtained at 505-758-2609 (www.taosartmuseum.org) |
|
San Francisco de Asis: Artists such as Georgia O’Keeffe and Ansel Adams have memorialized this famous mission. Four miles south of Taos on NM 68, this edifice is ideally entered through the garden on the west side to fully appreciate its massive structure and authentic adobe construction. The church is open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., but is closed from noon to 1:00 p.m.. Hours for Mass on Sunday can be obtained by calling 505-758-2754. |
|
The Rio Grande Gorge Bridge: This impressive structure spans the Southwest’s grandest river. It is one of America’s highest bridges, perched 650 feet above the rushing Rio Grande. |
| |
| The Jemez Mountains |
| |
This driving adventure winds through pueblo ruins and the high-tech facilities of Los Alamos, birthplace of the atomic bomb, with scenic overlooks from which to view a volcanic crater and the stunning Black Mesa. |
|
San Ildefonso Pueblo: Famous for the matte-finish black-on-black pottery originated by potter Maria Martinez in the 1920’s, San Ildefosnso has several on-site craft shops operated by local artisans. The pueblo offers fabulous views of Black Mesa, a sacred Native site and is easily accessed on the way to Los Alamos. For pueblo informtaion, call 505-455-2773. |
|
Los Alamos: Home to some of the brilliant scientific minds of the past half-century, Los Alamos was the site of an elite boys school, one of whose young scholars was J. Robert Oppenheimer. Remembering the site, he suggested it to the US government as a remote location ideal for secret development of the first nuclear weapons. The Laboratory is operated by the University of California and is known as one of the world’s foremost scientific institutions. |
|
The Bradbury Science Museum: This intriguing museum is the lab’s public showcase, an outstanding display of scientific and historical memorabilia, with many hands-on exhibits; educational and historic films are shown continuously. Hours and exhibition information can be obtained by calling 505-667-4444. |
|
Los Alamos Historical Museum: Located inside Fuller Lodge, the massive log building that once housed the Los Alamos Ranch School for Boys, this museum depicts the history of the area from prehistoric cliff dwellers to 21st century technocrats. The museum also operates a tax-free bookstore. The museum's exhibition schedule and hours can be obtained at 505-662-4493. |
|
Bandelier National Monument: Bandelier is the prehistoric site most conveniently located to Santa Fe. An extensive complex of cliff dwellings built by the Anasazi, ancestors of today’s Pueblo culture, it consists of a self-guided tour of the ruins, which are surrounded by miles of canyon wilderness. More than 50 miles of maintained trails lead to unexcavated ruins and wildlife habitat throughout the monument. Bandelier information is available by calling 505-672-3861. |
|
Tsankawi: This section of the Bandelier National Monument, reached by an ancient 2-mile trail and located before the main entrance to Bandelier, gives visitors a chance to see the unexcavated ruins as they looked before the monument was restored. |
|
Valle Grande: This collapsed volcanic caldera is the largest of its kind in the world. A vast meadow 16 miles in diameter, it is all that remains of a massive volcanic eruption that occurred a million years ago. This stunning site is located 15 miles west of Los Alamos on NM 4. Five new guided hikes are available, along with van tours and special interest hikes; information can be obtained at 505-438-2858. (www.vallescalderaadventures.com) |
| |
| The Pecos and Las Vegas |
| |
This is "the other Las Vegas," a frontier railroad town that was part of the historic Old Santa Fe Trail. On the way to Las Vegas, fishermen will find fly-fishing nooks along the Pecos River. |
|
Pecos National Monument: Located 2 miles south of the town of Pecos on NM 63, the monument showcases the ruins of a 14th century pueblo and the 17th century mission church built upon it. A self-guided walk demonstrates the history of the early pueblo culture and the effects of the Spanish conquest and its evangelical mission. Hours for the mounment can be obtained by calling 505-757-6032. |
|
Las Vegas: Situated in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo range, Las Vegas was founded as a land grant from the Mexican government in 1835. It soon became a main trading outpost on the Santa Fe Trail, and with the advent of the railroads, became one of the most important business centers of the West. The new settlers shunned the local adobe building style, erecting instead the Victorian homes with which they were familiar. Current residents have lovingly restored some of these ornate, gingerbread structures and many are on the National Register of Historic Buildings. |
|
United World College: Housed in the historic Montezuma Castle, a luxury resort built in the 1880’s by the Santa Fe Railroad, this college was founded by Armand Hammer to give students from around the world an opportunity to learn from each other while pursuing academic goals. On the campus is the Montezuma Hot Springs, open to the public, which have attracted health-seekers for at least a millennium. The World College can be reached at 505-454-4200. |
| |
| The Turquoise Trail |
| |
NM 14, known as the back road to Santa Fe from Albuquerque, is called the Turquoise Trail, so named for the old mining towns where the beautiful blue stones were harvested along with silver and gold. |
|
Cerrillos: Founded during a lead boom in the late 1800’s, this town once boasted several hotels and several dozen saloons, although today, only some of these buildings still stand, accurately reflecting the look of an Old West frontier town. |
|
Madrid: Located in New Mexico’s turquoise mining strip that dates back to prehistoric days. Gold and silver mining followed the turquoise motherlode, and when these petered out, coal mining took over, producing up to 100,000 tons of coal annually. Today, the town, kept alive by committed members of the 60’s counterculture, offers galleries and crafts shops, antique and import stores, and a local jazz festival takes place in the old ballpark each summer. |
|
The Mine Shaft Tavern and Museum: Live music happens daily, and a seasonal melodrama is performed, at the Mine Shaft, and a cold beer tastes great in the way station between Santa Fe and Albuquerque. Next door is the coal mining museum featuring mining and railroad relics, including a fully-restored 1900 Baldwin Steam Locomotive. Call 505-473-0743 for moe information. |
|
Golden: Not much remains of this ghostly town, although a bottle seller’s glass garden always catches the eye as light glitters from its many facets. |
|
Sandia Crest: The road to the crest leads hikers to the backside of the Sandia Mountains, named for the watermelon color that sunset brings to them. The crest, the highest point in the Sandias, offers a panoramic view in all directions. The restaurant on top is open daily from May through October and offers box lunches for purchase by hikers.
Santa
Fe Activities and
Day Trips
|
Call 888-984-2121 for help in planning your adventures.
|
|
