Town · 59 min west
Santa Fe
The state capital, with adobe streets around the historic Plaza, galleries, museums and Northern New Mexico food.
- Full day · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
Day Trippin' › New Mexico › From Las Vegas, New Mexico
Day trips from Las Vegas, New Mexico
From Las Vegas, New Mexico, the wildlife refuge is under 20 minutes away, Fort Union about half an hour, Pecos National Historical Park about 40, and Santa Fe's museums about an hour. The best day trips from Las Vegas, by drive time.
78 places within a 3-hour drive, by real roads.
10 day trips from Las Vegas, New Mexico
- Fort Union National Monument 33 min northeast
- Villanueva State Park 45 min south
- Santa Fe 59 min west
- Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument 1 hr 35 min west
- Old Town Albuquerque 1 hr 44 min southwest
- Bandelier National Monument 1 hr 48 min west
- Taos Pueblo 1 hr 49 min north
- Capulin Volcano National Monument 2 hr 3 min northeast
- Valles Caldera National Preserve 2 hr 13 min west
- Petroglyph National Monument 2 hr 14 min west
Within an hour from Las Vegas, New Mexico 8 spots
National monument · 33 min northeast
Fort Union National Monument
Adobe ruins of a frontier Army fort on the Santa Fe Trail, walked on a trail through the old post.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
State park · 45 min south
Villanueva State Park
A canyon park along the Pecos River between sandstone bluffs, with river tubing, fishing and cliffside trails.
- Half day · Easy to moderate
- Year-round
- New Mexico State Parks day-use fee (per vehicle)
Museum · 58 min west
Museum of International Folk Art
A Museum Hill museum filled with folk art, toys and textiles from around the world.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round (check hours)
- Admission
National park · 42 min west
Pecos National Historical Park
Ruins of a great pueblo and a Spanish mission church in the Pecos River valley, along a loop trail with mountain views.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
Museum · 1 hr west
Georgia O'Keeffe Museum
Galleries in downtown Santa Fe devoted to the paintings and life of Georgia O'Keeffe.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Year-round, closed Wednesdays
- Admission
Museum · 1 hr west
New Mexico History Museum and Palace of the Governors
The 1610 Palace of the Governors on the Santa Fe Plaza and the state history museum behind it.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round (check hours)
- Admission
Train · 56 min west
Sky Railway
Themed train rides from Santa Fe along the old line toward Lamy, from scenic and sunset trips to music and holiday trains.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round (check calendar)
- Tickets
1 to 2 hours from Las Vegas, New Mexico 45 spots
National monument · 1 hr 35 min west
Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument
Cone-shaped tent rocks of volcanic ash on Cochiti Pueblo land, with a slot canyon trail that climbs to a mesa-top view.
- Half day · Easy to moderate
- Feb 1 to Dec 14, Thursday to Monday
- BLM ticket (per person) plus Cochiti Pueblo Tribal Access Pass
Town · 1 hr 44 min southwest
Old Town Albuquerque
The city's 1706 birthplace, a walkable plaza ringed by adobe shops, restaurants and the San Felipe de Neri church dating to 1793.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
National monument · 1 hr 48 min west
Bandelier National Monument
A canyon of cliff dwellings and village ruins carved into soft volcanic tuff, with ladders up to alcove rooms along the Pueblo Loop Trail in Frijoles Canyon.
- Half day · Easy to moderate
- Year-round
- National park entrance fee (per vehicle) or America the Beautiful pass
Pueblo · 1 hr 49 min north
Taos Pueblo
A living Pueblo village of multi-story adobe homes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site lived in for centuries.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round (closes without notice for ceremonies)
- Admission
Family fun · 1 hr 2 min west
Meow Wolf House of Eternal Return
A walk-through, hands-on art installation where a Victorian house opens into strange glowing worlds, near the Santa Fe Railyard.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round (days and times vary)
- Admission
Scenic drive · 1 hr 16 min northwest
High Road to Taos
A 105-mile mountain route between Santa Fe and Taos through Spanish land-grant villages like Chimayo, Truchas and Las Trampas.
- Full day · Easy
- Year-round (check winter conditions)
- Free
Viewpoint · 1 hr 44 min west
Sandia Peak Tramway
A 2.7-mile aerial tram that lifts you from Albuquerque's foothills to the 10,378-foot summit of the Sandias, with a restaurant at the top.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round (closed Tuesdays)
- Admission
Viewpoint · 1 hr 55 min northwest
Rio Grande Gorge Bridge
A tall steel bridge on US 64 northwest of Taos with dizzying views straight down into the Rio Grande Gorge.
- 1 hr · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
2 to 3 hours from Las Vegas, New Mexico 22 spots
National monument · 2 hr 3 min northeast
Capulin Volcano National Monument
A near-perfect cinder cone you can drive up, then walk a paved mile around the crater rim, or down a short path to the crater floor.
- 2-3 hrs · Moderate
- Year-round
- National park entrance fee (per vehicle) or America the Beautiful pass
National park · 2 hr 13 min west
Valles Caldera National Preserve
A huge volcanic caldera of open grass valleys ringed by forested domes, where elk herds graze and trails head out from the Cabin District.
- Half day · Easy to moderate
- Year-round
- National park entrance fee (per vehicle) or America the Beautiful pass
National monument · 2 hr 14 min west
Petroglyph National Monument
Thousands of images pecked into dark volcanic boulders on Albuquerque's West Mesa, reached by several short canyon trails plus a volcano day-use area.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy to moderate
- Year-round
- Free
Pueblo · 2 hr 42 min west
Acoma Sky City
A centuries-old pueblo village built on top of a sheer mesa, visited on guided tours from the Sky City Cultural Center and Haak'u Museum.
- Half day · Easy to moderate
- Year-round (Fri-Mon)
- Admission (guided tour)
Swimming · 2 hr 53 min east
Blue Hole
A famous blue swimming and diving hole in Santa Rosa, a classic Route 66 stop.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round (check swim season)
- Parking fee (per vehicle) (check)
Trail · 2 hr 14 min northwest
Ghost Ranch
A red-rock ranch near Abiquiu that inspired O'Keeffe, with hiking trails such as Kitchen Mesa, two museums and a labyrinth.
- Half day · Moderate
- Year-round (check hours)
- Admission (day pass)
Waterfall · 2 hr 16 min west
Jemez Falls
The tallest waterfall in the Jemez Mountains, reached by a quarter-mile walk from the trailhead to an overlook above the East Fork Jemez River.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Spring to fall (check winter access)
- Day-use fee (per vehicle)
Scenic drive · 2 hr 17 min west
Jemez Mountain Trail National Scenic Byway
A drive on NM 4 past red cliffs at Jemez Pueblo, Soda Dam, hot springs and Jemez Falls, then across the rim of the Valles Caldera.
- Full day · Easy
- Year-round (winter storms can close roads)
- Free
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Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP 87701 (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Facts checked against official sites; passes and hours change, so check before you go.