HeyTaos · Visitor Guide
Ancient pueblos, a canyon 565 feet deep, primitive hot springs, world-class skiing and rafting, significant museums, and a toy store with a koi pond. All of it is real and most of it is close.
Everything below is on this page. These are just the orders that work best if you are trying not to waste a day driving in circles.
Taos Pueblo in the morning, the Gorge Bridge at midday, then galleries and the Plaza in the afternoon. Finish at the Adobe Bar.
Add one museum, rafting or a balloon flight, and Black Rock or Manby hot springs.
Give a full day to the Enchanted Circle or the High Road. Both are all-day drives. Do not try to do both in one.
Twirl is free and downtown. Taos Ski Valley in summer and Eagle Nest Lake both fill an easy day.
For Everyone
If you only get to a handful of things, get to these. This is the stuff people fly in for.
The real anchor of everything here. A UNESCO World Heritage Site where Tiwa people have lived continuously for over a thousand years. Multi-story adobe buildings, artisans selling directly from their homes, bread baked in horno ovens.
Closes each spring for several weeks of ceremonial observance. Check before you plan a trip around it.
Locally called the High Bridge. Spans 1,280 feet, 565 feet above the river. You walk out onto it. You look down. That is the experience. Free, open 24 hours, and reliably stunning regardless of how many times you have done it.
The West Rim Trail starts at the bridge and follows the canyon edge for 9 miles round trip. Native artisan vendors regularly set up near the parking area.
242,555 acres of high desert and canyon. The Gorge Bridge is the northern anchor. The monument covers both the mesa above and the canyon below, with very different experiences at each level.
Orilla Verde Recreation Area follows the river south of Taos Junction Bridge: seven campgrounds, boat launches, picnic areas, trails with petroglyphs. Strong rainbow and brown trout fishing, northern pike. Several trails descend steeply to the river from the mesa.
Taos Valley Overlook sits on the rim above Taos Junction Bridge. The Rift Valley Trail is a 9-mile loop through sage and rabbitbrush, suitable for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding.
Wild Rivers Recreation Area is near Questa, where the Red River meets the Rio Grande. Scenic rim hiking with trails into the gorge. Bighorn sheep are common.
84-mile National Forest Scenic Byway looping from Taos through Red River, Eagle Nest, and Angel Fire. It circles Wheeler Peak (13,167 ft, New Mexico's highest). Clockwise route: north on Hwy 522 through Questa, east on Hwy 38 through Red River, south to Eagle Nest, west on Hwy 64 through Angel Fire back to Taos. Drive time is 2.5 to 3 hours direct. Plan a full day with stops.
Red River is a former gold mining town with hiking, trout fishing, and a chairlift with mountain views.
Eagle Nest Lake State Park is a 2,400-acre high-altitude lake with excellent rainbow trout and landlocked salmon fishing, kayaking, and wildlife viewing. Elk and bald eagles are common between Eagle Nest and Bobcat Pass. Full details and contact info below.
Elizabethtown is a ghost town 6 miles south of Red River. First incorporated town in New Mexico, founded 1870 after a gold strike. Ruins remain.
DAV National Vietnam Veterans Memorial State Park, Angel Fire is a white chapel on a hillside in the Moreno Valley, originally built by Victor and Jeanne Westphall in memory of their son David and 16 other Marines lost near Con Thien, Vietnam. It is now operated as a New Mexico State Park, with the Westphall family's nonprofit foundation still supporting its mission. Quietly moving and architecturally striking. Free to visit.
105-mile scenic byway connecting Taos and Santa Fe through Spanish Colonial mountain villages. The route climbs into the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, reaching 8,500 feet at Truchas. Allow 4 to 7 hours with stops. Gas stations are sparse so fuel up in Taos first.
Ranchos de Taos is the Taos end of the route. San Francisco de Asís Church is here, the massive adobe mission Georgia O'Keeffe painted and Ansel Adams photographed.
Las Trampas has San José de Garcia Church, built between 1770 and 1776, in remarkable original condition.
Truchas is an 18th-century Spanish colonial village with working art studios and galleries. Setting of the Robert Redford film The Milagro Beanfield War.
Chimayó is the southern anchor, home to El Santuario de Chimayó and Rancho de Chimayó restaurant. Full details below.
Walking tours of the Plaza and the historic district, backcountry and wilderness guides, cultural and history tours, and multi-sport outfitters. Worth it if you have one day and would rather not spend it working out where to park.
Rafting outfitters are not in that guide. Los Rios River Runners and Far Flung Adventures are listed with the river trips instead, so each business keeps one category home. Start at the Taos Box card for those.
Art and Culture
Taos has an unusually concentrated art history for a town its size. These museums provide the clearest introduction, alongside gallery districts that are free to explore.
Seven thousand artifacts across 15 galleries. Native American silver and turquoise jewelry, Navajo and Rio Grande weavings, Hispanic textiles, Spanish Colonial art. One of the better small museums in the Southwest and genuinely underrated nationally.
Second-oldest art museum in New Mexico, founded 1923. Works by Taos and Northern New Mexico artists past and present, plus the Agnes Martin Gallery. On Ledoux Street, one block southwest of the Plaza.
The Harwood closes periodically between exhibitions. Check current hours on the profile page before you walk over.
Former home and studio of Russian artist Nicolai Fechin, built between 1927 and 1933. Fechin carved essentially everything inside by hand: doors, furniture, stair railings, architectural details. The building itself is the main attraction.
Preserved home of Taos Society of Artists co-founder Ernest Blumenschein. The Blumenschein family lived here for more than 40 years. The house is full of their art, furniture, and personal objects. National Historic Landmark.
Spanish Colonial fortress-style house built in 1804. One of the last remaining Great Houses of this type in New Mexico. It functioned as a trading center for the northernmost reach of the Spanish Empire. National Register of Historic Places.
Home and studio complex of E.I. Couse and J.H. Sharp, two founding members of the Taos Society of Artists. Two-acre campus with the Couse home and studio, two of Sharp's studios, a 1930s machine shop and lab, gardens, and a research center.
The massive adobe mission church in Ranchos de Taos that Georgia O'Keeffe painted repeatedly and Ansel Adams photographed. Built in the 18th century and still an active parish, so visiting hours work around Mass.
An adobe church built in 1816 around a hole in the dirt floor that pilgrims have visited for over two centuries seeking healing. The most significant pilgrimage site in the United States, and a working parish. About 60 miles south via the High Road.
Taos has one of the highest concentrations of working artists and galleries per capita in the country. No single institution. You walk. The densest areas are Ledoux Street, Bent Street, and around the Plaza. Most galleries are free to enter and worth it.
The Adobe Bar at the Historic Taos Inn has live music most nights. No cover. Strong margaritas. Interior unchanged for decades. It is the closest thing Taos has to a town living room.
Adults
Bigger commitments, later starts, colder beer, and a few places where clothing is optional.
Sunrise flights over the Rio Grande Gorge and the Taos Plateau. Pilots often descend into the gorge to fly just above the river. Bighorn sheep visible on canyon walls. Champagne toast after landing. One of the better versions of this experience anywhere in the country. Book in advance during summer.
Daily year round. FAA certified. Locally owned and operated.
Sunrise canyon-focused flights. Pickup available at local hotels.
June through September, seven days a week.
The Taos Box is Class IV to V whitewater through the Rio Grande Gorge and one of the region’s established full-day rafting trips. Season runs spring through fall with peak flow during snowmelt in May and June. Age minimum is typically 12 and up for the Box.
Far Flung Adventures has been guiding the Rio Grande since 1976. They also run multi-sport Rock and Raft, Paddle and Saddle, guided mountain biking, and guided hiking. Gentler half-day float trips are available for all ages.
Two free primitive hot springs in the Rio Grande Gorge. Both require hikes into the canyon. Both are clothing optional. Both are on BLM land.
Black Rock has two rock-bottomed pools along the river. More accessible, more popular, busier.
Manby (Stagecoach) has three rock-walled pools at roughly 97 degrees. Named for Arthur Manby, found decapitated in his Taos home in 1929. Ruins of his bathhouse surround the main pool. About one mile in from the parking area. Quieter most days.
Verify current access before you go. Reach the area via County Road B007 off NM-522 north of Taos, about 10 miles from the Plaza. Conditions and private property boundaries change. Call the BLM field office if you are unsure.
One of the oldest health resorts in North America, on the National Register of Historic Places. About 40 miles southwest of Taos on US-285. Multiple mineral pools at different temperatures, spa treatments, and lodging. Day access available. Tewa tradition holds that its pools provided access to the underworld. Book in advance during summer.
Massage, skincare, acupuncture, energy healing, and holistic bodywork across Taos, El Prado, and Ranchos de Taos. Good for recovery after skiing, hiking, rafting, or a long day on the road.
Gyms, health clubs, yoga and Pilates studios, barre, aerial fitness, martial arts, and public recreation across Taos, El Prado, Ranchos de Taos, and Arroyo Seco. Day passes and drop-in classes where available.
Near the airport in El Prado. Large indoor-outdoor space with a stage, a patio, and 20-plus house-brewed beers and ciders on tap. Wood-fired pizza. Live music acts come through regularly. It reads like a biker bar and a hippie commune sharing a building. One of the more distinctively Taos social spaces you will find.
Mountain Skills Rock Guides operates guided climbing in the Taos area for all ability levels.
The Via Ferrata at Taos Ski Valley is a fixed-protection climbing route at the base of Kachina Peak with beginner to advanced sections, a 100-foot skybridge, and a double-cable catwalk. It runs seasonally, so confirm it is open with TSV before you drive up.
Self-guided tours through a fully functioning off-grid Earthship: passive solar design, packed-tire walls, rainwater catchment, indoor food growing, renewable energy. About an hour. The Greater World Community next door is the world's largest off-grid subdivision with over 100 Earthships on 630 acres.
Do not drive through the Greater World Community. It is a private residential subdivision, not part of the tour.
160 acres at 8,600 feet on Lobo Mountain, where English novelist D.H. Lawrence lived intermittently between 1924 and 1925. His ashes are interred in a small memorial chapel on the property, owned and operated today by the University of New Mexico.
Ranch and estate properties, gardens, historic adobe buildings, and event spaces across Taos, El Prado, Arroyo Seco, and Ranchos de Taos, with setting and contact details for each.
Several Taos lodging properties also host weddings. Those are listed with the lodging guide rather than here, so each property keeps one category home. See Where to Stay for those.
Families
Free play space downtown, a lake with a marina, lift-served mountain biking, and a river trip that will not terrify anybody.
Free outdoor and indoor play space in downtown Taos. Non-profit. Outdoor stream, climbing structures, treehouse, sand play, and a giant xylophone. Toy store with educational toys, games, and crafts. A longstanding downtown destination for families.
TSV runs a full summer operation from mid-June through early October.
Scenic chairlift rides on Lift 1 and Lift 4 go up to alpine views of Wheeler Peak and the Sangre de Cristo range. Ride up, picnic at the top, hike or ride back down.
Green Chile Flow Trail is 3.5 miles of lift-served mountain biking from the top of Lift 4 to the bottom of Kachina Basin. Family-friendly.
Eis Haus Lawn has soccer, bocce, and cornhole in the mountain air. Pickleball at a high-elevation mountain court.
The Wheeler Peak hike also starts from the TSV trailhead. That one is for experienced hikers with older kids only.
A 2,400-acre high-altitude mountain lake with rainbow trout and landlocked salmon fishing, kayaking, picnicking, and wildlife. Elk and bald eagles are common, especially between Eagle Nest and Bobcat Pass. The visitor center has exhibits on the area's natural and mining history. Calmer and more open than anything close to Taos. It sits on the Enchanted Circle loop.
The same outfitters that run the Taos Box also offer gentler half-day float trips on calmer sections of the Rio Grande. Guides handle everything. Good for kids who are ready to be on the water without the Class IV commitment. Contact details are on the Taos Box card above.
Day Trips
Both of these are full days. Neither pairs well with anything else you had planned.
60 miles south via the High Road. Two reasons to go: El Santuario de Chimayó, the most significant pilgrimage site in the country, and Rancho de Chimayó restaurant, which serves traditional New Mexican food in a historic adobe and is one of the better meals in Northern New Mexico.
70 miles south. Take the Low Road (Hwy 68 through the Rio Grande canyon, about 75 minutes) for speed. Take the High Road for scenery and village stops. Plan a full day minimum. Canyon Road alone is worth the trip.
Outdoor Reference
Taos is surrounded by Carson National Forest, the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, and the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. Afternoon lightning storms are common June through August. Start early.
A partial list of frequently recommended trails. Conditions change with weather and season. Check with the ranger district before committing to anything above treeline.
Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.
| Trail | Distance | Gain | Difficulty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheeler Peak via Williams Lake | 8.3 mi out-and-back | 2,972 ft | Hard | New Mexico high point at 13,167 ft. Trailhead at Taos Ski Valley. Best June through October. Dogs on leash welcome. Start before 9 AM. |
| Williams Lake | 4 mi out-and-back | About 800 ft | Moderate | Alpine lake below Wheeler Peak. Good turnaround option for families. Accessible mid-June through October. Same trailhead as Wheeler Peak. |
| West Rim Trail | 9 mi out-and-back | Minimal | Easy | Canyon-edge walk from the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. Big views with very little effort. Also open to mountain bikers. |
| Rift Valley Trail | 9 mi loop | Gentle | Easy to moderate | Sagebrush mesa north of Pilar. Hiking, biking, and horseback riding all permitted. Good views of the gorge at the Overlook. |
| Devisadero Peak | About 3 mi out-and-back | About 800 ft | Moderate | Short but steep. Sweeping views of Taos and the surrounding mountains. Trailhead on Hwy 64 east of town. |
| South Boundary Trail | About 20 mi one-way | Significant | Hard | One of the best mountain bike trails in New Mexico. Carson National Forest. Access via Taos Canyon (Hwy 64 east) and Valle Escondido. |
The national forest that surrounds Taos. Covers over 1.5 million acres and includes the Wheeler Peak Wilderness, the Columbine-Hondo Wilderness, and hundreds of miles of trail for hiking, biking, horseback riding, fly fishing, and camping. Call the supervisor's office for current trail and fire conditions.
Several operators offer guided day hikes and multi-sport trips into the Sangre de Cristo wilderness and Carson National Forest. Far Flung Adventures runs guided hiking and mountain biking alongside their river trips, so contact details are on the Taos Box card. Llama trekking with pack animals into the wilderness is a Taos-specific option worth knowing about. More operators are listed in the tour operator guide.
Before You Go
Taos Pueblo. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site where Tiwa people have lived continuously for over a thousand years, and it is the anchor of everything else in the valley. It closes for several weeks each spring for ceremonial observance, so check before you build a trip around it.
No. The Gorge Bridge is free and open 24 hours, with parking and restrooms on site. It sits on US-64 West about 10 miles northwest of Taos Plaza.
The Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway is 84 miles and takes 2.5 to 3 hours of driving without stopping. Plan a full day if you actually want to see Red River, Eagle Nest Lake, Elizabethtown, and the memorial chapel at Angel Fire.
Yes. Black Rock and Manby are both free primitive springs on BLM land in the Rio Grande Gorge. Both require a hike down into the canyon and both are clothing optional. Access conditions change, so call the BLM Taos Field Office at 575-758-0940 if you are unsure.
Plenty. TSV runs a full summer operation from mid-June through early October with scenic chairlift rides, the 3.5-mile Green Chile Flow Trail for lift-served mountain biking, lawn games, and a high-elevation pickleball court.
The Taos Box is Class IV to V whitewater through the gorge and one of the region’s established full-day rafting trips. Peak flow is during snowmelt in May and June. Age minimum is typically 12. Younger families should book a half-day float trip instead.
About 70 miles. The Low Road on Hwy 68 through the Rio Grande canyon takes roughly 75 minutes. The High Road adds two or more hours but gives you Truchas, Las Trampas, and Chimayó on the way.
Twirl Play and Discovery Space is free, downtown, and designed for young children and families. Eagle Nest Lake and summer at Taos Ski Valley each fill an easy day.
