Civil War

One of the most critical battles of the Civil War took place in Glorieta Pass, just north of Santa Fe.

• Battle of Glorieta Pass

• Tours of the Civil War sites are available through Pecos National Monument.

Information about self guided tours is available at the Pecos National Historic Park Visitors Center.

Ghost Ranch & Abiquiu Area

Ghost Ranch is a little over an hour from Santa Fe. The retreat center at Ghost Ranch is owned by the Presbyterian Church, but visitors are welcome to hike, visit the museums, and the gift store on the property.  We love the hikes in the Ghost Ranch area.  Check the Ghost Ranch website to purchase a day palls make your visit plans and to make reservations.

You also may be interested in booking:

• Tours

• Horseback Rides

Before arriving at Ghost Ranch, you can stop at Bode's General Store in Abiquiu for a picnic lunch.

Hotels

• Abiquiu Inn

• NOSA Restaurant and Inn

• Monastery of Christ in the Desert Overnight

• Ghost Ranch Dorm Rooms

Sights

• Abiquiu Lake

• Echo Amphitheater

• Georgia O'Keeffe Museum and Home in Abiquiu. 

• Monastery of Christ in the Desert

• There is a good restaurant and lodging at the Abiquiu Inn.

Highway 14

This is a scenic drive between Santa Fe and Albuquerque. The drive takes you by some places that are worth exploring (these locations are in order going from Santa Fe to Albuquerque).

• San Marcos Cafe - This is just out of Santa Fe. Really great breakfast and lunch stop.

• Cerrillos - a town just off Highway 14.  Movies have been filmed on the Cerrillos main street.  Cerrillos is also home to the Cerrillos Hills State Park.  The park has a small visitors center and the trails at the park are sparse, but allow for some great views of the area.  A great restaurant to try in Cerrillos is the Black Bird Saloon.

• Madrid - an old mining town with lots of funky shopping and art.& There have been a couple films and TV shows made in Madrid, our favorite being Longmire.  The Mine Shaft Tavern was the Red Pony in Longmire. A great location for watching people.

• Sandia Crest Byway is a 13 mile drive up the Sandia Mountains to the Crest. There are walking trails and amazing views at the 10K foot end of the road.

• Tinker Town

• The Triangle Grocery Store - in Cedar Crest is a good stop for food (local and Polish), and they usually have some fun local cards and/or crafts. If I could, I would shop here always!

• Greenside Cafe - in Cedar Crest is a great restaurant run by local people.

Los Luceros

Los Luceros is one of New Mexico's newest state parks.  It is about 1 hour north of Santa Fe and has quickly become a favorite meeting place to picnic and relax with our family.  It has a small museum and a self guided tour of the historic property.  Make sure to take time to take the trails the weave beside the Rio Grande.

Pecos National Historic Park

Pecos National Monument is about 45 minutes east of Santa Fe.  There are a lot of activities associated with the park including:

• Walking tour of the historic pueblo

• Information about New Mexico's involvement in the Civil War

• Tours of the Forked Lightening Ranch once owned by Greer Garson.

Pueblos, current

Acoma

• Acoma Pueblo is one of my favorite places on earth.  It is about 3 hours from Santa Fe.  Acoma is built on a hill. The views are remarkable and the old pueblo itself is always interesting to visit. The tour guides are outstanding.  I recommend paying the extra fee to take pictures.  For tour information visit here.  

Taos Pueblo

• (has been closed through most of the pandemic and as of summer 2022 is still closed to visitors) Taos Pueblo is one of the most conservative pueblos in NM and one of the most exciting to visit. On past visits, artists have had works they are selling from their homes, and have been very generous about sharing information and stories.  It has an historic town plaza that is often used in illustrations about Native American life and culture.  Recent tours have been great.

Pueblos, unoccupied

There are four national monuments/parks that encompass historic pueblo within day trips of Santa Fe.

• Bandelier National Monument - is about 1.5 hours north of Santa Fe. . This is a great place to visit.  It was, however, impacted by fire in 2022 and may have limited access. There are two primary trails that go to the main ruins (mostly in caves) but there are lots of hiking options in the national monument area. If you just do the primary trails - this could be a 1/2 day trip from Santa Fe. I would recommend taking a lunch with you.

• Chaco Canyon - is very very hot in the summer and sometimes hard to get to in the winter - but the ruins are stunning and the stories are great.  It is about 4 hours from Santa Fe. You will need to take food and water and plan to make this an all-day long trip if Santa Fe is your base (sun up to past sundown). There aren't any restaurants or hotels in the immediate area.

• Pecos National Monument is about 30 minutes northeast of Santa Fe. This area is being impacted by fires in summer 2022 and may have limited access.  There is a good walking tour, and there are frequently good guided tours provided by the rangers. I think these ruins are some of the most beautiful in the area. It would be easy to spend 1/2 day at Pecos and get back into Santa Fe to do something else for another 1/2 day.  Along with the pueblo other highlights at this monument include the ranch that was owned by Greer Garson and information about stops that are kind of hidden dealing with New Mexico's involvement in the Civil War. It is a must-do for Civil War buffs.

• Salinas Pueblo Missions - These are about 2-3 hours from Santa Fe. This is the starting point for visiting three pueblos and missions.  The three sites are Abo, Quarai, and Gran Quevera. Each site has a staff to answer questions and includes a small visitors center.  Leaving around 8am from Santa Fe you can visit all of the sites in one day and still get back to Santa Fe for dinner. A picnic lunch is recommended.  Each of these sites was occupied by different people and has a different history.