Distance: 145 miles/235 KM

Time: 7-8 hours

Route: From Taos Plaza, Paseo del Pueblo Norte northeast to Taos Pueblo, take Hwy 68 to south of Española, Hwy 502 west to Hwy 4 to Bandelier, Hwy 30 north to Santa Clara Pueblo, Hwy 502 east to San Ildefonso Pueblo. The remaining Pueblos are along or near Hwys 84/285 and 68 between Santa Fe and Taos.

Prepare to enter a foreign world of sovereign nations with their own languages, traditions and customs. You will be a guest on Indian lands during this exploration of ancient and contemporary Indian culture. Start your tour by visiting Taos Pueblo, a World Heritage site that has been continuously inhabited for centuries. The largest existing multi-storied Pueblo structure in the United States, Taos Pueblo holds within its mud and straw adobe walls a way of life little changed by the passage of time.

After your visit to Taos Pueblo, drive to Bandelier National Monument for a chance to learn more about the Anasazi, ancient ancestors to Pueblo Indians. Bandelier's Visitors Center has excellent exhibits and an interpretive film on the Anasazi who occupied the area from 1050 to 1550 A.D. A short hike from the Visitors Center are Pueblo ruins, underground kivas in the canyon floor and rooms carved out of soft volcanic rock high in the canyon walls. Bandelier also has several wonderful nature trails.

After Bandelier, visit any seven of the living Pueblos clustered around this area: San Juan, Santa Clara, San Ildefonso, Tesuque, Pojoaque, Nambe and Picuris. Each Pueblo has distinct art forms including weaving, pottery, beadwork, painting, drum making, carving and jewelry, as well as different feast days and dances open to the public. For more details, pick up the "Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Guide," available at Taos Visitor Center. This guide also has a helpful section on appropriate modes of conduct while visiting the Pueblos.

Click Here to Download Tour Map PDF (1.2 MB)

Distance: 180 miles/291 KM drive and 64 mile/103 KM train ride
Driving Time to Chama (Cumbres & Toltec depot): 2-1/2 hours

Driving Time to Antonito (Cumbres & Toltec depot): 1-1/2 hours
Route: From Taos Plaza, Hwy. 64 west to Tierra Amarilla; Hwy. 84 north to Chama; Hwy. 84 south to Tierra Amarilla; Hwy. 64 east to Taos.

 Travel west across the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, the second highest bridge on the U.S. Highway System. The bridge is a three-span steel continuous-deck-truss structure with a concrete-filled steel-grid deck. It was called the "bridge to nowhere" while it was being built because the funding did not exist to continue the road on the other side. Continue to Tres Piedras - see if you can locate the three rocks this little town is named for - and through the Brazos Mountains. Stop at the Brazos Overlook for an inspiring view of the Brazos Cliffs.

 Continue down into the Chama Valley and detour west at Los Ojos to Tierra Wools, a spinning and weaving cooperative that sells the wool products of the valley. The Chama Valley offers extensive outdoor opportunities such as cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, fishing and hunting, but the star attraction is the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, which operates daily from June to October. This historic narrow gauge train gives passengers an authentic example of railroading in the 1880s. The steam train winds its way through 64 miles of mountain scenery from Chama, New Mexico to Antonito, Colorado, traveling through the 10,022-foot-high Cumbres Pass and the 1,100-foot-deep Toltec Gorge. While half-way trips are available from both depots at Chama, NM and Antonito, CO, Taos visitors can easily enjoy the full-day trip by driving to Antonito, riding the train to Chama and returning to Antonito by bus provided by the railroad. A homemade, hot lunch is available midway at Osier, CO.

To make reservations call (888)286-2737 or visit www.cumbrestoltec.com

 Click Here to Download the PDF (1.2 MB)

 Distance: 84 miles/136 KM
Driving Time: 2-1/2 to 3 hours

Route: From Taos Plaza, Hwy. 64 north to Hwy. 522 north to Questa; Hwy. 38 east to Red River, then south to Eagle Nest and Angel Fire; Hwy. 64 west to Taos.The most popular tour in our area, this National Forest Scenic Byway circles Wheeler Peak, the highest in New Mexico at 13,161 feet. Throughout the drive, you'll see some of the oldest rocks in the southwest - quartz and feldspar that date back two billion years. Look for special Enchanted Circle markers to help guide your way.Travel through the lush Hondo Valley and watch for the sign to the D.H. Lawrence Memorial. The English author spent much of his time from 1922 to 1925 writing in the solitude of a ranch on this property. After his death, Lawrence's ashes were brought here and placed in a chapel built by his widow, Frieda.Continuing north, the scar on the mountains to your east was left by the San Cristobal/Lama fire of 1996, which destroyed almost 8,000 acres of national forest. Reforestation projects continue today.Stop at the Red River Fish Hatchery which has free self-guiding tours of a show pond and several trout raceways. Children especially enjoy the show pool of the large rainbow trout, but fishermen downstream benefit from the harvest, too! Every year volunteers carry containers of brown trout fry down to the Rio Grande to help propagate the trout population.In Questa, you will want to visit Artesanos de Questa. Local woodworkers, tinsmiths, painters, stained glass workers and sculptors show their work at this cooperative. Continue past Molycorp, Inc., which mines and mills molybdenum, a steel-hardening agent and lubricant.Take a break in Red River and enjoy a stroll through this family-oriented town with an old west feel, complete with saloons and a melodrama theater. Red River offers winter skiing and snowboarding; the ski area lifts also operate in the summer.As you leave Red River begin looking for elk and other wildlife between Bob Cat Pass and Eagle Nest Lake, one of the finest trout and landlocked salmon waters in the United States.The old gold mining town of Elizabethtown is off to the south. Established in 1870 after gold was found, this was the first incorporated town in New Mexico, with at least seven saloons and three dance halls.Visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, built by Dr. Victor Westphall and family in memory of the death of his son and others in Vietnam.Take a break in Angel Fire, a four season resort with skiing, golfing, shopping and restaurants. Drive the twisting canyon road back to Taos. Many of our artists live and work in this canyon. If you would like to visit their studios, more information is available in the little village of Shady Brook.

Click Here to Download the PDF (1.2 MB)

 Distance: 250 miles/405 KM (half interstate/half state highway)
Time: 7-8 hours minimum
Route: From Taos Plaza, Hwy. 64 east to Cimarron; Hwy. 21 southeast to Springer; Hwy. 56 east to Chico Springs; Hwy. 25 south to Wagon Mound and Watrous; Hwy. 121 north to Fort Union; Hwy. 25 south to Las Vegas; Hwy. 518 north to Taos.

 Take a trip to the other side of the mountains for a history lesson of what happens when two empires meet. The older north-south Spanish Empire ended in Santa Fe and the younger, brasher east-west American Empire reached no further than Independence, Missouri. A grand 600-mile prairie lay in between, with mountains to pass and rivers to ford. Wagon after wagon would follow the Santa Fe Trail, leaving a legacy of tracks that can still be seen today.

Drive through Taos Canyon to the majestic Moreno Valley and continue past the dramatic granite walls of Cimarron Canyon to Cimarron, a stop on the Santa Fe Trail and the home of Lucien Maxwell, at one time the largest single landowner in the western hemisphere. Take a self-guided tour of Cimarron's 18 historic sites, including the St. James Hotel with its famous resident ghost and bullet-riddled bar ceiling and the Old Mill Museum, which exhibits memorabilia from the wild west.

South of Cimarron, visit Philmont Scout Ranch, the world's largest camping facility. Three museums on the ranch are open to the public. Continue up the beautiful valley to the south. See if you can locate the Santa Fe wagon ruts just south of mile marker 15 on Hwy. 21. In Springer, visit the Santa Fe Trail Museum, located in the historic Old County Court House, and the Livery Stable, which houses a large collection of antiques of the Southwest.

Continue south to Wagon Mound, now a quiet town with straight streets that parallel the Santa Fe Railroad. Take time to walk through Wagon Mound and admire the numerous examples of classic northern New Mexico territorial style adobe buildings. Travellers on the Santa Fe Trail called both the town and the hills "Wagon Mound" and thus it has been named ever since.

From Wagon Mound south to the roadside hamlet of Watrous, some of the finest Santa Fe Trail ruts are visible from the access road northeast of exit 366. Continue to Fort Union National Monument for a superb history lesson. At one time Fort Union was the largest fort west of the Mississippi.

Now drive to Las Vegas. Once the principal town on the Santa Fe Trail and the largest city in New Mexico during the heyday of the Santa Fe Railroad, Las Vegas reflects its history with 900 buildings on the National Registry - more than any other city in the U.S. The Rough Riders Museum is filled with mementos and relics of the Spanish American war.

Wind through small mountain valleys and villages to La Cueva Mill, a restored mill and home to a burgeoning raspberry industry. Between August and October, buy fresh berries at the farm store or cool off with a raspberry sundae. Admire the tiny village of Mora, which stands at the northern entrance to the beautiful 15-mile-long Mora valley. Stop at the Cleveland Roller Mill, the last flour mill to be built in New Mexico, the last to cease operations and the only roller mill in New Mexico with its original milling works. The mill was converted into a museum with exhibits on Mora County history and culture.

You'll have the chance to visit family-owned Sipapu Resort and Ski Area for a charming and old-fashioned mountain experience. Drive through scenic Carson National Forest to complete your journey back to Taos.

Click Here to Download the PDF (988 KB)

Distance: 105 miles/170 KM
Driving Time: 2-1/2 hours from Santa Fe to Taos (no stops)

Trip Time: As there are so many interesting places to stop along the way, this trip can take from 4 to 7 hours. Please allow some extra time to enjoy this unique scenic byway and its tiny villages along the way.
Route: From Taos Plaza, Hwy. 68 south to Ranchos de Taos; Hwy. 518 east; Hwy. 75 west to Peñasco; Hwy. 76 south to Trampas, Truchas, Cordova and Chimayó; Hwy. 68 south to Santa Fe; Hwy. 68 north to Española and Taos.

Another tour popular with visitors, the High Road travels through awe-inspiring scenery and remote mountain villages that cling to their Spanish colonial roots. Start in Ranchos de Taos, a traditional agricultural community. With its massive adobe buttresses, high ceilings with vigas and hand-carved corbels, the San Francisco de Asis Mission is our most photographed and painted church. Georgia O'Keeffe and Ansel Adams are two of many artists who have depicted the church in their work. The retablos and bultos on the northeast screen were created by Molleno, an early 19th century santero, and the church has the largest altar screen in New Mexico. Be sure to explore the galleries and shops located around the plaza.

Visit Talpa's charming little church of Nuestra Señora de San Juan de los Largos del Rio Chiquito. Then stop at Fort Burgwin, where a garrison was stationed after the Taos Revolt against U.S. occupation. Drive 30 scenic miles through Carson National Forest to Peñasco, a small farming community.

In Las Trampas, admire San Jose de Gracia, a church still in use after 225 years. This larger mission was built in the cruciform style with two towers. Enjoy visiting artists' studios in Ojo Sarco, before the little town of Truchas, which was built on a mesa below 13,101-foot Truchas Peak, the second-highest peak in New Mexico. In Truchas, see Nuestra Señora del Rosario, which was built in the early 1800s and has many well-preserved old santos. In Cordova, a village known for the many woodcarvers who have lived there, is the San Antonio de Padua Church. The church is only open for services, but if you can enter, you'll appreciate the large altar screen painted by Rafael Aragon and other fine examples of religious work.

Chimayó's Plaza del Cerro is the last surviving Spanish fortified plaza in the southwest. Believed to be built on sacred earth with miraculous healing powers, Santuario de Chimayó is probably the most visited church in New Mexico. Chimayó is also famous for the weavings of the Ortega and Trujillo families, and many shops contain their work, as well as fine crafts from the region.

Near Española is the massive church of Santa Cruz, Iglesia de la Santa Cruz de la Cañada, which has thrived during more than 250 years of continuous use.

Now travel to Santa Fe, which was founded in 1610 and is the oldest capital city in the U.S. Sites worth visiting include the Palace of the Governors, the Museum of Fine Arts, the International Museum of Folk Art, the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian Arts, the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, Santuario de Guadalupe, St. Francis Cathedral, Loretto Chapel, San Miguel Chapel (the oldest church in the U.S.) and the shops and galleries of Canyon Road.

Travel the "River Road" back to Taos, driving through Española where Spanish explorer Don Juan de Oñate staked his claim 400 years ago. Visit the nearby village of La Mesilla to admire the simple beauty of San Isidro, built in 1918, and the village of Velarde to see Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, built in 1817. Velarde is also a fruit-growing community, and roadside stands offer the season's freshest produce. Follow alongside the fertile valley of the Rio Grande as it winds through a narrow canyon to the villages of Embudo, Dixon, Rinconada and Pilar. For information about the artists and studio tours, stop at Dixon's Casa de Piedra Cooperative and the Pilar Yacht Club. At the top of the "horseshoe turn" just south of Taos, stop to admire the rich landscape of Taos valley. 

Click Here to Download the PDF (1.2 MB)