There are many places to visit in the Hospanic Highlands of New Mexico including Santa Fe, Espanola, Taos, Angel Fire and lots more.
There are a number of interesting place to visit in the Hispanic Highlands of New Mexico. I will locate and describe a few of the places in this article in the hope that you will include them in your travel plans to our beautiful state.
Santa Fe at an elevation of 6,996 is the capital of New Mexico. It was founded in 1609 and called the Royal City of the Holy faith of Saint Francis or La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco. For over 300 years Santa Fe has been the capital of New Mexico. The major industry of this capital city is the vacation and tourist trade so you can be assured you will enjoy your stay in the area. The city has charm all it's own with the adobe homes, narrow and crooked streets and the lights at night are spectacular. There are three cultures in Santa Fe that include American, Spanish and Indian. The points of interest in this capital city will be numerous. First, you will want to visit the Palace of the Governors, an adobe structure that has been in existence since 1609-10. The building is a hollow rectangle with a grassy patio in the center. There are many rooms such as the Territorial Room (1846-1912), containing many objects of the American Occupation. The Ecclesiastical Room has religious objects from the historical period of Santa Fe and there is a Library with various collections. The Museum of New Mexico Art Galley is on the corn of the Plaza, at Palace and Lincoln Avenues. This museum was once the site of the old Ft. Marcy Military headquarters. The Plaza is set in a square bounded by Palace Avenue in the center of town. Around the square are many gift shops and wonderful places to dine. The square is very peaceful with walks, benches and beautiful trees. The Church of Santo Rosario, or Rosario chapel stands about two miles from the Plaza. You will find many old Churches, the State Capitol Building, Museum of Navaho ceremonial Arts, etc. In Santa Fe. I would suggest your planning to spend a number of days in this area to enjoy all the sights and the history. On Labor Day weekend Santa Fe has their Fiesta and this over 300 year old event celebrates the reconquest of the city by Don Diego de Vargas in 1682.
Espanola is located 25 miles north of Santa Fe in-between the Jemez Mountains and the Trucha Mountains. There are eight pueblos surrounding Espanola in addition the Bandelier National Monument is easily accessible. The Anasazi lived in Puye, and there are nearby ruins, almost 500 years old. The elevation is 5,595 and is a very dry area. It is an excellent place to stay to explore the area. If you are in the area in July you will want to enjoy the Fiesta de Onate honoring the first Spanish leader to visit the Espanola Valley. The Espanola Valley Arts Festival is on the campus of the Northern New Mexico Community College and has many beautiful arts and crafts for sale.
Taos is 70 miles from Santa Fe and is known for the Taos Pueblo, the art colonies and galleries and skiing. The Taos Pueblo is one of the oldest continuously occupied locations in North America, is well preserved and very interesting to visit. There are five story apartment dwellings at the pueblo. Taos Pueblo has its Annual Powwow in July of each year. In January the Turtle Dance and the Deer or Buffalo Dance are celebrated at the pueblo. Fishing, skiing, horseback riding and other sports are all available in this area. You can even participate in whitewater rafting and mountain biking. Kit Carson's Home and Historical Museum are located at Taos Plaza where you will learn a lot about the old west. Fifteen minutes from Taos you will find the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, a 650 foot deep gorge by the Rio Grande River.
Angel Fire is located 22 miles east of Taos on U.S. 64 after you pass the 9,100 foot high Palo Flechado pass. Angel Fire not only offers excellent skiing slopes but golf is available. You can ski down Hell's Bells, a very challenging slope at Angel Fire Ski Resort. Just a few miles northeast of Angel Fire you will see the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and its chapel that forms a slender peak. It was built by a father who lost his son in the Vietnam War.
Upon leaving the Vietnam Veterans Memorial drive northeast to Eagle Nest Lake, with some of the best of all trout fishing in all of New Mexico. Rainbow trout are always plentiful. This is such a beautiful spot that you will want to pack a picnic lunch and spend time just relaxing and enjoying this lake. You can windsurf, snowmobile, ice fish, cross country ski and fish in this area.
A famous and very popular ski area in New Mexico is located at Red River. The town goes two miles along the red river and mountains are on both sides. If you love square dancing you will feel right at home as this pastime contains all year. The Top of New Mexico Trail Ride and Mountain Bike race are in September. In July they have the Fourth of July Parade and the Cowboy New Year Rodeo, two events you will not want to visit if you are in Red River in July. You can set out on an adventure backpacking and can even walk to the top of Mount Wheeler at 13,161 elevation, the highest spot in New Mexico.
The town of Questa is west of Red River and three miles north you will find the Rio Grande Wild River Recreation Area. There is a junction point here called La Junta wherein the Red River and the Rio Grande meet. There are two areas here, the lush green of the cool pines and water below or the arid mesa on top. You can camp in this area and hike and enjoy the peacefulness of this scenic area.
Chama is 8,000 feet above sea level and is a tiny town. Many summer visitors frequent this area as it is a major tourist town now. Some of the best trout fishing is available at the Azotea Tunnel where the Colorado River meets the Rio Chama. It was once a mining town, and you can take the narrow gauge railroad for a wonderful outing. You will see the Brazos Mountain that is 11,403 elevation. This narrow gauge railroad is the longest (64 miles) and the highest (Cumbres Pass is 10,015 feet above sea level) steam railroad in America. The Carson National Forest is all around Chama and you can see many animals here such as elk, black bear, mountain lions, and mule deer.
Tierra Amarills is a Spanish town with over 200 years of Spanish Colonial history. It is located just north of the junction of U.S. 64 and N.M. 4. It is the county seat of Rio Arriba County, has wide valleys and fertile lands. You can drive from Tierra Amarilla across the mountains to Tres Piedras and then go southeast across the Rio Grande Gorge to Taos.
On U.S. 84 just nineteen miles north of Espanol you will come to Abiquiu where the road crosses the Chama River. There are beautiful pastel cliffs and deep red sandstone bluffs and you will be entering Georgia O'Keeffee country. The Abiquiu Dam and Reservoir will have a 12,000 acre lake with many black bass, catfish, rainbow and cutthroat trout and crappie for your fishing pleasure. There are campsites in the area. The Living Museum of the Ghost Ranch operated by the forest service is off U.S. 84 from Abiquiu. You can then go to the towns of Coyote, Gallina, La Jara and Youngsville to see what the country looked like for as far back as 300 years.
Twenty miles southwest of Espanola you will find Los Alamos, called the Atomic City, where the atomic bomb was built that was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This is situated in tall pines and many government agencies are located in this area.
Drive ten miles along N.M. 4 and you will reach Bandelier National Monument. The monumnet is in honor of Adolf Bandelier, an explorer who mapped the Bandelier ruins from 180 to 1885. There are 54 square miles of pines, rocks and creeks. You can visit pre-Columbian ruins that lie in Frijoles Canyon and can walk to the ruins of Tyuonyi with a house and ceremonial kiva. You can camp at Bandelier and take many hikes so plan perhaps to stay a day or so and enjoy all this monument has to offer.
On N.M. 44 between Albuquerque and Bloomfield you will find the town of Cuba. It has been a farming and ranching center for over 200 years and is the gateway to the San Pedro Wilderness Area in the Santa Fe National Forest. There are many excellent places to trout fish, camp and just enjoy the area. This is a high country and there is much undeveloped area that is remarkable.
Take a left on N.M. 4 at San Ysidro after leaving N.M. 44 and you will see the Jemez Creek with a road leading to the Soda Dam, with mineral waters. There is a Catholic order of nuns here called the Handmaidens of the Precious Blood. Jemez State Monument Park is located here. You can visit ruins of a church and convent built by the Jemez Indians in 1620. Jemez Pueblo is just south of Jemez Springs.
By planning your New Mexico to travel through the Hispanic Highlands you will find beautiful scenery, great fishing, camping, skiing and just have a wonderful vacation.
