You're standing in downtown Santa Fe, caffeine in hand, looking at a map. You want to get to Taos. If you just plug it into your phone, it’s going to nudge you toward US-84/285. That’s the "Low Road." It’s fast. It’s efficient. It follows the Rio Grande and gets you there in about 90 minutes. But honestly? You’d be missing the entire point of Northern New Mexico.
The drive from Santa Fe to Taos NM isn't just a logistical gap between two art colonies. It is a transition between two different worlds. If you take the High Road (State Road 503 to 76 to 75 to 518), you aren't just driving; you're moving through centuries-old Spanish land grants, high-altitude forests, and villages that feel like they’ve been preserved in amber since the 1700s.
It’s slow. It’s curvy. It will take you four hours if you do it right. But it’s the version of New Mexico that people write poems about.
The Low Road vs. The High Road: Choosing Your Path
Most people are in a hurry. I get it. If you have a dinner reservation at Love Apple in Taos and you left Santa Fe late, take the Low Road. You’ll skim the edge of the Rio Grande Gorge, passing through Española and Velarde. In the fall, Velarde is incredible because of the apple orchards and roadside fruit stands selling ristras (those big strings of dried red chilies). It’s scenic in a "big sky and river" kind of way.
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But the High Road? That’s the soul of the region.
You start by heading north out of Santa Fe and quickly ducking off the main highway toward Chimayó. Suddenly, the landscape shifts from the red-dirt desert to rolling hills covered in piñon and juniper. The air gets thinner. The colors get deeper. You’ll pass through places like Nambé and Cundiyó—names that sound like music. These aren't tourist traps. These are living communities where people still irrigate their land using acequias, the communal water ditches introduced by Spanish settlers hundreds of years ago.
Stopping at El Santuario de Chimayó
You can’t talk about the route from Santa Fe to Taos NM without mentioning Chimayó. It’s often called the "Lourdes of America." There’s a small, unassuming adobe chapel there, El Santuario de Chimayó, built around 1816. Inside, there’s a small room with a hole in the floor filled with "holy dirt."
People walk here. Like, actually walk. During Holy Week, thousands of pilgrims trek from Santa Fe or even further, sometimes carrying heavy wooden crosses along the shoulder of the highway. The walls of the "pocito" (the room with the dirt) are covered in discarded crutches and photos of people who claim to have been healed. Even if you aren't religious, the weight of that much faith in one small adobe room is heavy. It stays with you.
While you're in Chimayó, stop by Ortega’s Weaving Shop. The Ortega family has been weaving in this valley for nine generations. Nine. They use traditional Rio Grande patterns that look nothing like the Navajo rugs you’ll see in the galleries on Canyon Road. It’s distinct, geometric, and deeply local.
Climbing Higher: Cordova and Truchas
Leaving Chimayó, the road starts to climb aggressively. You’ll find yourself in Cordova, a village famous for woodcarving. Specifically, "unpainted" cedar carvings. If you see a small sign for a home studio, pull over.
Then comes Truchas.
Truchas is perched on a ridge at about 8,000 feet, right under the shadows of the Truchas Peaks. On a clear day, you can see across the entire Rio Grande Valley all the way to the Jemez Mountains. It’s breathtaking. It’s also where Robert Redford filmed The Milagro Beanfield War. The town feels rugged. It’s cold up there, even in the summer, and the wind has a bit of a bite to it. The light in Truchas is what draws the artists—it’s sharp and unforgiving.
The Wood-Carved Heart of Las Trampas
Keep going. You’ll hit Las Trampas.
There’s a church here called San José de Gracia. It was completed around 1776. Think about that. While the founding fathers were signing papers in Philadelphia, Spanish villagers were hauling massive Ponderosa pine logs by hand to build this church in the middle of a mountain wilderness. It is one of the best-preserved examples of Spanish Colonial architecture in the United States.
The mud plaster has to be reapplied by hand by the community every few years. It’s a labor of love. The interior is dark, cool, and smells like old wood and incense. It’s rarely open on a set schedule, but if the doors are unlocked, go inside. The hand-painted retablos (altar screens) are masterpieces of folk art.
Crossing the "Badlands" into Taos
After Las Trampas, you’ll pass through Peñasco and then start the final descent toward Taos. This stretch of the drive on Highway 518 takes you through thick Carson National Forest. It feels more like the Pacific Northwest for a second—all tall pines and mountain meadows—before it drops you out into the vast, sagebrush-covered Taos plateau.
Suddenly, the horizon opens up. The Sangre de Cristo Mountains rise like a wall to your right. You’ve arrived.
Why This Drive Matters Right Now
Tourism is changing. In 2026, people aren't looking for curated "experiences" as much as they are looking for something that feels unmanufactured. The route from Santa Fe to Taos NM via the High Road is one of the few places left where the "Old West" isn't a theme park. It’s just life.
There are challenges, of course. These villages are struggling with aging populations and the same economic pressures hitting rural America everywhere. Some of the galleries have closed. Some of the cafes only open three days a week. But that’s part of the reality. It isn't polished for your Instagram feed. It’s authentic, occasionally gritty, and profoundly beautiful.
Practical Advice for the Road
Don't be that person who runs out of gas in the middle of the mountains. Fill up in Santa Fe. Cell service is spotty at best once you hit the high ridges, so download your maps ahead of time.
Also, watch the weather. A stray afternoon thunderstorm in the summer can turn a dry road into a slick mess in minutes. In the winter, the High Road is often covered in snow while the Low Road is perfectly clear. If there’s a storm brewing, stick to the river.
- Timing: Leave Santa Fe by 9:00 AM. This gives you time to wander in Chimayó and grab lunch.
- Food: Stop at Sugar Nymphs Bistro in Peñasco. It’s tucked away behind a theater and the food is shockingly good—local ingredients, great cakes, and a vibe that’s pure Northern New Mexico.
- Etiquette: These villages are people's homes, not museum exhibits. Be respectful when taking photos, especially near the churches.
Navigating the Taos Arrival
Once you finally roll into Taos, the energy shifts. Taos is grittier than Santa Fe. It’s less "boutique" and more "frontier." You have the Taos Pueblo to the north—a UNESCO World Heritage site that has been inhabited for over 1,000 years—and the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge to the west, which drops 600 feet down to the water.
If you’ve taken the High Road, you’ll arrive in Taos with a much better understanding of why this place has inspired everyone from Georgia O'Keeffe to D.H. Lawrence. You’ve seen the bones of the land. You’ve seen the effort it takes to live here.
Most people just see the destination. You saw the climb.
Actionable Steps for Your Trip
- Check the San José de Gracia schedule: If you’re a history buff, call the Picuris Pueblo or local parish offices to see if any feast days or public openings are planned during your transit.
- Pack layers: You will gain and lose thousands of feet in elevation. A sunny 70-degree day in Santa Fe can easily be a windy 50 degrees in Truchas.
- Download the "High Road to Taos" map: While Google Maps works for navigation, the official High Road Arts Council maps often list smaller home studios that aren't on the digital grid.
- Buy the local chili: If you see a roadside stand in Chimayó selling "Chimayó Heirloom" chili powder, buy it. It’s a specific strain of chili that grows only in that valley and tastes sweeter and smokier than anything you'll find in a grocery store.
- Plan your return via the Low Road: To get the full experience, do the High Road on the way up and the Low Road (Hwy 68) on the way back to Santa Fe. This allows you to stop at the wineries in Dixon and see the Rio Grande up close.