Santa Fe Site Seeing - The Taos High Road

The Taos High Road

Having grown up in Northern New Mexico I had a tendancy to stay around my city of Santa Fe and when I went up to Taos it was along the traditional hiway. Imagine my delight when years ago some friends invited my husband and I to take the Taos High Road with a visitor from New York.

The trip started up Hwy 285 from Santa Fe and we headed in the village of Nambe and then up through Chimayo. In Chimayo we stopped to visit the Santaurio de Chimayo and picked up some of the miraculous dirt form the inside of the church. Having no place to put my dirt I removed a small St. Christopher medal my mother had given me and placed some dirt in the pouch. I thought the combination of my St. Christopher and the holy dirt would be an add assurance of protection on car journeys. We then made our way to the Chimayo restaurant to view the tapestries done by my mother Monica Sosaya Halford.

Continuing on County Road 76 we came to the small village of Cordova. This village is known for many of the traditional wood carvers. You can see many of them at the Spanish Market in Santa Fe on the last weekend of July. I have been fortunate to have collected several bultos (carved statues) and a collection of many of the small animals.

Leaving Cordova you head to Truchas and onto Las Trampas where the San Jose de Gracia mission stands. The most amazing thing about this entire trip is being able to view all of the missions built in the 1700's.

Continue on your journey to Rancho de Taos and finish your journey in the picturesque town of Taos, NM.

Here in Taos you can meander around the Plaza, head down to visit the Kit Carson Musuem, visit the shops along Bent Street and stop in the Taos Inn for lunch and perhaps a margarita.

I would recommend coming back along the highway back into Santa Fe and enjoy the view of the Rio Grande running along side you.

Things to stop and see: Santuario de Chimayo, Ranchos de Chimayo restaurant, San Jose Gracia mission, and Kit Carson musuem