Time to move forward as I branch into Northern New Mexico, where I had an extended stay in Sandia Park for 2 weeks. A few minutes from a National Forest with hiking trails (that I never got around to visiting), and a small ski mountain only a few miles up the road. Albuquerque was a good 30-40 minutes away, but it was an easy highway drive. Santa Fe was about an hour away, and all the cool national monuments and historic parks were about 3 hours away, give or take.
I Came for the Activities
Let’s start out with something cool that you should definitely go out of your way for, Meow Wolf in Santa Fe. Personally, I’d prefer the Adultiverse night since there won’t be any kids running around, but it would be cool to see any day. If you are in any city with Meow Wolf, you need to check it out. Currently those cities are Santa Fe, Denver, and Las Vegas. It is the coolest art installation, and they all have mysteries behind them that you can solve. I would’ve spent the whole day there if I could. You can also grab drinks from their bar to bring with you while you’re exploring the exhibit.
Another interesting place to check out is the Aztec Ruins. Located in Aztec, New Mexico, it was really interesting learning about the history. If I’m being honest, I wouldn’t go out of my way for this spot, but it was interesting to see, and somewhat near the next place that I visited.
Chaco Culture National Historic Park was the next destination. Definitely more of a spot for camping with places to check out during the day, but I was on a strict schedule and couldn’t stay overnight (especially since I didn’t have any camping gear).
The history of Chaco Culture was incredibly interesting, and I would’ve loved to explore more of the trails there. This historic site has been around more than 1000 years, and was only recently recovered within the last 100 years. Quite the history considering the United States is less than 300 years old.
I wish I had given myself more time, because the road to drive in took longer than the amount of time I had to spend at this spot. Expect to mess up your suspension here because it’s 10 miles of washboard dirt roads to drive in so it’s better to have a good car. It’s supposed to be a really cool spot to camp, and if I wasn’t pet sitting, I definitely would’ve considered it since the night sky is supposed to be incredible there with no light pollution.
Later that night, I went to a poetry reading night at the Tractor Brewing Company, which was super fun and everyone did really well. They do it every Wednesday, so I’d highly recommend. I wasn’t bored by anything, and the crowd was so nice! Thursday was way more interesting though, since I did some more touristy things.
My favorite was taking the Sandia Peak Tram to the top of the mountain (10,000 feet!) which has an amazing view of all of Albuquerque and only cost $24 roundtrip, with trams leaving every half hour. The sunset was absolutely breathtaking. I got to hike around the mountain too, which I loved.
I checked up the restaurant at the top before and it had some insane views. I didn’t get to finish my hike, since I didn’t plan a whole day here, but I’m glad I got to go at all. I would recommend planning a whole day because the hiking views are second to none, especially since Albuquerque is so flat, you can see everything.
I have a new obsession with Hot Springs after checking out the Jemez Hot Springs. It only cost $25 for a 1 hour soak, and that was all I needed (but it’s not much more to add more time). They have a bunch of different springs, with different temperatures and depths, so you can jump around to different ones to try them out. I accidentally started in the hottest spring, so that made the other ones a much easier transition, but quite the difficult start. It was the most relaxing hour of my trip… and maybe my life.
The next interesting day I had planned was in Taos. I stopped at the Rio Grande Gorge on my way up, because that sounded cool… and it was, but definitely not a very long stop. Since I had several recommendations to visit Taos, I made the 3 hour drive from Albuquerque to go see it. Luckily, it was a very scenic drive.
Parking was fairly easy to find and quite cheap. It was $15 for a relatively brief guided tour of Taos Pueblo where you get to learn about the history and check out the town. They discussed how Taos Pueblo has been around for over 1000 years, and their houses were built to protect them from intruders as well as conserve heat. They didn’t even have doors when they were first built, they would put a ladder outside to get in, and then pull the ladder in after them. Imagine getting into your house through the roof! This community still exists, and people live there and upkeep the homes every year.
Afterwards, I went to ”Bonfires on Bent” which is an event that the town put on with bonfire pits set up around a walking-only street. They were wicked cool, and they also served some free food and hot cider which I really appreciated. After that, I headed home with a dying phone and a full stomach. There is a ski mountain at Taos too, but I didn’t have the time or equipment or money to make that trip. The drive back in the dark definitely isn’t my favorite, but it was worth it for sure a full day.
I had planned to just stop into Bandelier National Monument briefly, check it out and then be on my way, but that definitely isn’t what happened. I think Bandelier is my favorite spot so far, I was totally enamored. I ended up spending almost the whole day at Bandelier, exploring the different cave dwellings. I got to climb these treacherous steps and ladders 500 feet to get to the top. Even though it left me out of breathe, I was astonished with the views. You could even go INTO most of the cave dwellings, which was incredible.
