In our month working remotely from Taos, we got to experience a slice of New Mexico’s unique beauty (mostly the north) and understand why it’s known as the Land of Enchantment. Read on for information on hikes, national parks and food around the Taos and Santa Fe areas. I also included a section about our Airbnb because it started to feel like home to me only after a month and I would recommend it to everyone.
(I) Arriving in New Mexico
(II) The AirBnB
(III) Hikes (Ranked)
(IV) Hikes (Detailed)
(V) National Parks/Monuments
(VI) Scenic Drives
(VII) Dining in Santa Fe and Taos
Arriving in New Mexico
As we landed in Santa Fe, we looked out of the airplane window to get a preview of what would welcome us when we landed. All we could see were swaths of desert so we weren’t sure what to expect. We picked up our car rental for the month and started our drive towards our Airbnb near Taos. Through the course of the drive, New Mexico greeted us with the most unique scenery we’d ever seen. First we saw clusters of Adobe houses and restaurants on tree lined streets in Santa Fe. On the drive towards Taos, we saw thousands of pinyon trees covering rolling hills and plateaus. As we got closer to the AirBnb, we found expanses of sagebrush decorating desert plains at the foothills of the snow streaked Sangre De Christo Mountains. Infinite cumulus clouds hung low and dotted the unobstructed 360 degree views of blue skies.
The Airbnb
Our Airbnb was located in a town called El Prado (15-20 minute drive from downtown Taos). We drove 3 miles on a private dirt road amid scenery similar to the one I described earlier (sagebrush with mountains at the back) to get there. The owners, Abby and Dean, described the place as an “Earthship” and we had never heard of the term before. We learnt that an Earthship is a self sustainable home made of recycled materials – dirt-packed tires, cans and bottles, etc. It harvests rainwater and solar energy and insulates itself from the cold and cools itself when it’s too hot.
Abby and Dean told us the inspiring story of how they built their Earthship in 2 years from the ground up 25 years ago while living in a tiny air streamer. When we saw the inside of the Earthship, it did not feel 25 years old. It was a large open floor concept alcove studio tastefully decorated with bright colors that complimented each other to give the home a quirky, modern feel. I immediately felt at home with the bookshelves lining the wall, colorful paintings, wide selection of board games and hammock outside. The birds chirping in patio, the sound of the wind blowing roughly, Oki the pet dog knocking politely on the glass door to come in and keep us company (honestly I believe he came for food), and gorgeous sunsets that enveloped the sky every evening made me fall in love and wish I could stay longer.
Hikes (Ranked):
- Nambe Lake Trail (5/5) – 6.5 miles, hard, lots of climbing, beautiful views (lakes, meadows, waterfalls)
- Williams Lake Trail (5/5) – 4 miles, easy (if you take the right path), incredible lake views (better than Nambe but hike to Nambe was more fun)
- Gavilan Trail (4.5/5) – 6.6 miles, hard, decent views, very enjoyable hike through forest and meadows, steep climb at the end
- High Dune Trail (4.5/5) – 3 miles, HARD, variety of views, lots of sand, hiked in socks, difficult climbing through sand
- Big Arsenic Trail (4.5/5) – 2.5 miles, moderate, climb down first, steep climb up, beautiful views of Rio Grande Gorge
- Alcove House Trail (4.5/5) – 2.2 miles, easy, lots of ladder climbing, like a step back in time to the way Pueblos lived
- South Boundary Trail (4/5) – 3.3 miles, moderate, okay views, good evening workout
- Devisadero Loop (4/5) – 5.5 miles, moderate, less steep if you turn left at fork, no views, great workout
- Oeste Vista Trail (4/5) – 2.5 miles, moderate, steep climbing, okay views, good workout
- Lower Eagle’s Nest Lake (4/5) – 5 miles (did not finish), poorly marked trail, good spot for picnic or relaxing walk
Hikes (Detailed):
Big Arsenic Trail
A sales assistant from Taos Mountains Outfitters recommended this trail to us for sweeping views of the Rio Grande Gorge. The drive to the Big Arsenic Trail is well marked and the path begins at the Big Arsenic Campground. We descended the trail quite easily – it’s a ~700 foot gradual descent over a mile down to the Red River. The path has beautiful, open views of the gorge and posts with information about rock formations and New Mexico’s flora kept us company.
We got to the Red River and ate burritos we picked up from Tia’s Cafe and relaxed on the rocks for a bit. Eating the burritos before finishing the climb was a mistake because the path back up was a continuous grilling 30-40 minute climb with minimal flat land. I could feel my stomach cursing me. The hike was like a reverse roller coaster – a quick 1 mile down and up. Make sure you pay for parking at either the self service pay area or at the visitor center because you could be fined $100! If you do forget to pay, you might get a warning on a red ticket. Don’t worry as you can still pay in one of the self-service envelopes (put the warning in the envelope too).
Oeste Vista trail was a quick 2.5 mile workout for us that took us 50 minutes. The well marked trail is loop through the woods and the first half was steep uphill with views of the valleys of Angel Fire and surrounding peaks. The second half was mostly downhill. We did the hike in the evening after work so we saw only 2 other people on the trail. Overall, the hike was a peaceful walk through the woods with scenic (although obstructed) views. I wouldn’t classify at easy because there were parts that got me out of breath.
South Boundary 164 Trail
This was another out and back trail that was quick enough to do after work. It shares the same parking lot as the Devisadero trailhead. We finished the uphill section (1.7 miles) in 50 minutes and downhill in 30. Alltrails estimated the trail to be 2 hours so we were happy we finished under the estimated time for once.
For a well marked trail, there were at least 3 times I took a wrong turn. Luckily, after the St. Mary’s Glacier fiasco in Colorado, we kept checking Alltrails to make sure we were on the right path. Except the one point when I was happily running downhill and got a call from Rohit to remind me I ran too far ahead down the wrong path. (I was deaf to his yells over the music blaring in my ears.) There are a few sharp turns so be mindful! As for the views, they were nothing spectacular. Regardless, we enjoyed it for the gradual uphill workout through a mostly shaded path. Final thing to note, the path is really narrow in some places and the edge is a free fall so be careful while navigating the rocks.
Nambe Lake Trail
After Bandelier, we drove to Nambe Lake Trail in Santa Fe. This trail had everything from streams, waterfalls, lakes, mountains and meadows. It started moderately with a slightly steep climb through the first mile. The second mile was a gradual downhill walk through forested area. The real strenuous elevation began in the the third mile. This was also where we saw the most beautiful views. I think we climbed around 1400 feet continuously before reaching Nambe Lake.
Snow covered the last mile and got deeper as we neared the top. We were post-holing a lot and there were several times we were knee deep in the snow. Because there was so much snow, it was hard to identify exactly where the trail was. We kept the AllTrails map open the whole way because it was so easy to miss a creek crossing or a turn at a tree. One of our wrong turns lead us into a gorgeous meadow with an open view of the mountains. After an intense climb at the end, we were rewarded with stunning views of Nambe Lake. This was one of my top 3 hikes this trip, for both its views and intensity.
Gavilan Trail
After spending 3 weeks in the area, we had still not been to Taos Ski Valley. It had been snowing/raining a lot and most of the trails I marked for us to do were fully covered in knee deep snow. Finally, in the third weekend, we just decided to go for one of them. We chose Gavilan because it was an estimated 3 hours and we only had that much time due to late morning showers. A lot of reviews on Alltrails said this trail is snow-covered but when we went most of it had melted. The trail was a steep uphill for the first 2 miles. Mile 3 was more gradual and went through a beautiful meadow with gorgeous views of the surrounding peaks of the Ski Valley. We thought the meadow was the last hurdle because the map showed us only around 5-10% of the hike was left.
Unfortunately we were mistaken. After we got out of the meadow, there was a steep climb through the snow before the end. One thing that spooked us a bit was we didn’t see anyone on the trail except 2 people. They turned around just before the meadow so we were a little nervous because we could see storm clouds in the distance and we were completely alone. The fact that the Taos Mountain Outfitters storekeeper had scared us with some stories about mountain lions didn’t help. Regardless, we decided to complete the trail and it was worth it. The bad weather stayed away right until we finished except for a short 2 minute flurry. We didn’t run into any mountain lions or bears but we did see a big horned sheep right near the beginning of the trail. Overall, this was one of our favorite hikes in Taos.
Lower Eagles Nest Lake
Again, the bad weather foiled our plans to go back to the ski valley. There were warning winds in the forecast for Sunday so we decided to keep it simple. We drove to Angel Fire to do the Lower Eagles Nest Lake Trail, a 5 mile trail through around the lake. The lake is located on the side of the road but feels removed once you get to the trailhead. The views weren’t anything special but it was nice to get a simpler hike in after multiple steep climbs. One issue we had was the AllTrails trail was very poorly marked and led us through areas that didn’t have any walking paths. After some point, we decided to follow our own path around the lake. There were some people relaxing right where the trail started so it’s a cute spot to just picnic as well.
Devisadero Loop
On a Monday evening after work, we decided to do the Devisadero Loop. We took a little more than 2 hours to do the 5.5 mile trail. There is a fork in trail around half a mile in – we went right and ended up doing the trail counterclockwise. We realized that route had more elevation gain when we were coming down. Our route was a lot of unshaded, moderate uphill climbing until the top followed by a very gradual shaded downhill. Of course, going the right way would’ve meant an easy shaded uphill but we forked up. (good place pun intended :)).
Devisadero peak didn’t have any views when we reached the top. There were some trees and a sign that said ‘Devisadero Peak’. We did see some nice views of Taos on the way up/down but nothing incredible. This hike was a great evening workout but I’m glad we didn’t go in with any expectations for the views.
Williams Lake Trail
One of the 2 hikes we did in the Taos Ski Valley, Williams Lake Trail was absolutely stunning. We wanted to do Wheeler Peak so badly but the weather just didn’t permit. Also, the day we did Williams Lake Trail we were getting our second dose COVID vaccine so we didn’t want to overexert. The trail’s route (4 mile total, 2 miles to the lake) is also the Williams Peak’s first 2 miles so it’s definitely possible to do both with a short detour to the lake. When the trail starts, make sure to stay left! We strayed right and ended up taking a much harder route to the lake. It was completely covered in snow and we were mostly post holing and struggling to climb through the snow without spikes.
We made it though, and the effort was 1000% worth it. The views of the lake were incredible from every angle. I went around almost the whole perimeter for the varying views and gorgeous photos from each point. The lake is a nice spot to picnic as well, as there’s plenty of room to sit and absorb the views. When we were going back, we realized how easy the trail could’ve been if we’d stayed on the path. There was much lesser snow and we hardly post-holed or fell in the snow.
National Park/Monuments
Great Sand Dunes National Park
On 05/17, we drove to our first national park experience in 2021.
Driving from Taos to Colorado
The drive alone from Taos to the national park was beautiful. We saw North New Mexico’s high desert landscape transform slowly into South Colorado’s stunning San Luis Valley. The flora grew more varied as multiple shades of yellow, dull orange and green replaced the unchanging sagebrush green. Cows grazed in open pastures and we passed a few small towns. We drew closer to the Sangre De Christo mountains and saw the sand dunes appear at their base. The sight of the dunes right at base of the alpine peaks was surreal and we’d never seen anything like it before.
Before entering the Park
We wanted to surf the dunes so we stopped at a sandboard rental shop 4 miles from the park. The shop is called Oasis and every piece of equipment is $20 per person. Tip: Later we realized we should’ve gotten a sled and board so we could try both activities. (You sit in the sled and stand on the board – board requires more balance.) The line might look intimidating but it goes by quickly. Again, as we entered the park, the line of cars stretched out over half a mile. This time, it didn’t go by so quickly because we chose the wrong line. We had a pass and realized we should’ve gone to line on the left instead of right. Anyway, it didn’t matter because the views even as you drive into the park are stunning.
High Dune Trail
Our first activity was the High Dune Trail, the hike to the highest dune in the park. Alltrails said it’s 3 miles long and 650 ft of elevation.. and rated hard? I thought there must be a mistake and maybe the absolute lack of shade would make it difficult. I soon realized I was sorely mistaken. Every step up in the sand was one step forward and two steps back and we had to climb multiple dunes. Luckily, we decided to the trail in our socks and I think that was the right choice because shoes would have added more resistance to the sand. Also, the socks made us feel like we were walking on a warm soft bed. We took 2.5 hours to do the trail (1.5 hours up, one down).
As we climbed higher, the winds grew stronger and sand flew everywhere. When we reached the top, the 360 degree views were definitely worth the sand on every inch of us. Each way we looked, the scenery was different. On one side we could see the point where we started the hike with the creek at the base of the mountain. We saw snow covered mountains, some much further in the distance and some close up.
Dune Boarding
The High Dune Trail was definitely one of the more tiring hikes we completed. At the end of it, it was only 2pm but we were done for the day. We had little energy left for the sandboards we’d rented. After taking a 30 minute break to eat leftover pizzas from the previous night, we were ready to board. We chose one of the dunes near the entrance of the park to board on. Even though these dunes were only 20-25 feet tall, it was still thrilling to slide down them and race each other. Stopping the board correctly was challenging and we fell on our butts each time at the bottom of the dune. When we were completely wiped from climbing up the dunes several times to come back down, we called it a day.
Bandelier National Monument
We forgot we were in the 21st century as we walked through Bandelier National Monument. The monument transported us to a much simpler era and gave us a small glimpse of what life must have been like before the abundance of modern conveniences. The monument houses homes of the Pueblo who lived in the area 600-800 years ago. These dwellings are caves scattered along large, imposing canyons of varying sizes with forests and creeks surrounding them. We saw thousands of holes in these caves, presumably windows, and there were small ladders that climbed into some of these holes. The dwellings stretched out for a mile and resembled ancient skyscrapers. Their sheer size gave us the impression that at least thousands of Pueblo families lived here at some point.
We did the Alcove House trail, a simple 2.5 mile trail with minimal elevation until the end. The trail culminates in a ~200-300ft climb to the Pueblos’ ceremonial house where they conducted marriages and other functions. The climbing is only on ladders – there were 5-6 ladders we climbed to reach the the top.
Looking down while descending was definitely a bad idea and there were several times my stomach dropped. Overall, the experience was really unique. Usually, our hikes are about the views and push to get to the end. This one felt more thoughtful and fascinating with our imaginations working hard instead of our bodies.
Scenic Drive – Enchanted Circle
We did a portion of the Enchanted Circle Drive from Taos to Angel fire before completing the Oeste Vista Trail. As soon as we left Taos, the scenery changed from sagebrush covering plains to abundant conifers lining rolling hills. Every turn the car took, I couldn’t resist clicking a photograph. The road took some sharp turns and some parts of the drive had no railing along the side. Our stomachs dropped a few times, especially when we saw a massive car-shaped dent in one of the guardrails.
The incredibly picturesque and quaint small town of Angel Fire looked straight out of a fairytale with houses spaced out on stretches of green valleys at the base of the mountains. Some notable spots to stop for pictures were by Enchanted Circle Pottery on the way to Angel Fire and the area behind Angel Fire Resort. The drive took us around an hour including stopping for pictures.
Dining in Taos (and Santa Fe)
Ranked:
- Paper Dosa (5/5) – South Indian
- Chalupp’s (5/5) – Pizza
- Taos Cow (4.5/5) – Ice cream + Breakfast
- El Cocina Conejo (4.5/5) – Mexican
- La Cueva (4.3/5) – Mexican
- Orlando’s (4.25/5) – Mexican
- Tsong’s (4.25/5) – Chinese
- Azteca (4/5) – Mexican
- Sushi Siam (4/5) – Japanese
- Raaga Go (3/5) – Indian
Raago Go (3/5)
- Hadn’t dined in an Indian restaurant in over a month when we arrived in Santa Fe
- Stopped at Raaga Go (sadly takeaway only) to satisfy our Indian food craving before driving to Taos.
- Will start with the good things
- Incredible mango lassi, as the chef rightfully claimed – he was willing to give it to use for free if we didn’t like it and his confidence was justified
- Spinach kofta was delicious too and Rohit loved his lamb biryani
- Now for the bad
- Tough and chewy naans
- Average spring rolls, yellow daal and paneer makhani
- Yellow daal is not difficult to get right so I’m not sure what went wrong there
- I was so excited about the paneer and thought I’d be transported to the dhabas of Punjab with the incredible smells wafting through the air (I was not)
- The gravy had the potential to be so much more flavorful with some minor tweaks
La Cueva (4.3/5)
- First dining experience in Taos
- Cute patio for seating that’s slightly tucked away from the busy street the main entrance is on
- Went around 3pm on a weekday so didn’t have to wait but as soon as we sat there was a line out the door
- Reasonably priced food
- First visit – vegetarian burrito and Christmas chicken enchilada. 10/10 enchilada but average burrito (5/10).
- Was not a fan of the squash in my burrito – it’s a burrito, not a wrap
- Second visit – the enchiladas dropped in quality but they were still good (just not a 10 anymore.)
- Tried beer battered fish tacos this time and they made up for bad burrito experience
- LOVED the tacos and they would definitely be our recommendation here
- Also enjoyed the horchata (not on the menu) except for the cinnamon in it
- Note (if you order the horchata): The default horchata at every restaurant had cinnamon in it so if you’re not a fan, make sure to specify no cinnamon. Unfortunately I kept forgetting to so I had to scoop it out with a fork every time
Azteca Mexican Grill (4/5)
- Nice outdoor patio for dinner
- Amazing vegetarian nachos
- Dish 1 – mixed platter – 8/10 – tamales, enchiladas, tacos and rice and beans
- Dish 2 – veggie quesadilla- 6.5/10 – better than La Cueva’s burrito but way too oily – ended up leaving the tortilla because my fingers were soaked with oil
- Margarita was delicious
Sushi Siam (4/5)
- Came here hoping for New York style sushi based on recommendations but was a bit disappointed
- Got 2 rolls – Sexy roll and Top Model roll (yup, went for the looks) – they tasted very similar and were good but not New York level
- Take away only – we waited for around 35-40 minutes to get the food
- Interior looked nice and would’ve been a cute dine in place if it weren’t for COVID
El Conejo Cocina (4.5/5)
- Cute patio upstairs with mountains in the distance
- We went after a hike and food hit the spot
- First visit – got the veggie burrito and a hatch chili burger – rank 2 in burritos in NM, hatch chili burger was also yummy
- Second time went with friends – got the shrimp spaghetti – tasty but huge portion (I struggled to finish), huevos rancheros – just average
- They don’t serve alcohol but allow you to bring your own
Chalupp’s (5/5)
- 3 words. BEST. PIZZA. EVER.
- First time we got large veggie on a Friday evening – take away and got it in 20 minutes
- Perfect proportion of vegetables and cheese and crust was New York style
- Came back a second time after 2nd dose vaccine – got XX-large and that tasted even better than the large
- We finished that 24 inch pizza over the course of 2 days
XX Large veggie pizza
Paper Dosa (5/5)
- First time we went, it was closed (not open on Mondays)
- Went here after a long day (around 9 miles of hiking) and was the perfect meal
- Was takeout only for dinner so we sat outside in a small seating area and ate – there was a permanent line the whole time
- We saw at least 50 people come and go
- Got masala dosa (9/10), chennai chicken (11/10), mango lassi (10/10), jeera pani (10/10) and ras malai (10000/10)
- Masala dosa’s flavors were on point (but I hadn’t had a dosa outside in almost a year so not sure if this is sound judgement)
- Stopped eating chicken 2 years ago but couldn’t help myself with this Chennai chicken – was the best chicken we’ve ever had
- I would come back to Santa Fe just for that homemade ras malai (drools)
- Waiter told us chef makes all the food in the morning
- Was inspiring to watch his Youtube videos later and see how humble he was and how he learnt everything from his mom who also helps him out
Orlando’s (4.25/5)
- Another patio dining experience after a hike
- Adorable, colorful outdoor space
- Smothered burrito for me – rank 2 burrito (tied with Conejo), nachos were also amazing, smaller than Azteca but right portion as we weren’t stuffed after
- Enchilada plate for Rohit hit the spot too and beer washed it down perfectly
Tsong’s (4.25/5)
- Ordered tofu curry, general tso’s chicken to go
- Got what the waitress recommended and we both loved it – chicken was a bit too greasy but still good – 8/10.
- Loved my tofu curry – usually not a tofu fan but the peanut and coconutty flavors in this one really complimented the tofu
Taos Cow (4.5/5)
- Little charming truck in the town of Arroyo seco 10 minutes from Taos
- Just before our second dose and after Williams lake, we got their bean burrito (Rank 1 burrito in Taos for me), coconut ice cream (fresh but gross after-taste) and chocolate ice cream (rich, creamy, local flavor – none of that mass produced taste)
- I don’t like chocolate ice cream usually but this was incredible
- Beautiful dining space behind the truck with views of a stream, open pastures and the mountains
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