Town · 39 min southeast
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 Los Alamos
Day trips from Los Alamos
From Los Alamos, Bandelier and the High Road to Taos are about 20 minutes away, the Puye Cliff Dwellings about half an hour, Valles Caldera and Santa Fe under 40, and Jemez Falls about 40. The best day trips from Los Alamos, by drive time.
77 places within a 3-hour drive, by real roads.
10 day trips from Los Alamos
- Santa Fe 39 min southeast
- Valles Caldera National Preserve 39 min west
- Meow Wolf House of Eternal Return 42 min southeast
- Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument 1 hr 22 min southwest
- Taos Pueblo 1 hr 23 min northeast
- Old Town Albuquerque 1 hr 32 min southwest
- Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad 1 hr 58 min north
- Petroglyph National Monument 2 hr 1 min southwest
- Red River 2 hr 5 min northeast
- Acoma Sky City 2 hr 30 min southwest
Within an hour from Los Alamos 21 spots
National park · 39 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
Family fun · 42 min southeast
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
Hot spring · 52 min north
Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs
A historic hot springs resort with a dozen mineral pools of different minerals, between Santa Fe and Taos.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- Admission
Museum · 35 min southeast
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
State park · 50 min east
Hyde Memorial State Park
A forested canyon park on Little Tesuque Creek above Santa Fe, with picnic spots, about four miles of trails and sledding in winter.
- Half day · Easy to moderate
- Year-round
- New Mexico State Parks day-use fee (per vehicle)
Waterfall · 39 min east
Nambe Falls
A double waterfall and lake run by Nambe Pueblo, with short trails to the falls, fishing and kayak rentals.
- Half day · Easy to moderate
- Late March to mid-November
- Day-use fee (per vehicle)
Scenic drive · 58 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
1 to 2 hours from Los Alamos 38 spots
National monument · 1 hr 22 min southwest
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
Pueblo · 1 hr 23 min northeast
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
Town · 1 hr 32 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
Train · 1 hr 58 min north
Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad
A historic steam train ride of 64 miles between Chama and Antonito, Colorado, through aspen forest, over a high trestle and through two tunnels.
- Full day · Easy
- Late May to mid-October
- Tickets
Viewpoint · 1 hr 26 min northeast
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
Viewpoint · 1 hr 31 min south
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
State park · 1 hr 5 min south
Cerrillos Hills State Park
Rolling hills of old turquoise and silver mines beside the village of Cerrillos, with about five miles of trails for hiking, biking and riding.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy to moderate
- Year-round
- New Mexico State Parks day-use fee (per vehicle)
Theme park · 1 hr 25 min south
Cliff's Amusement Park
Albuquerque's hometown amusement park with thrill and kiddie rides, the New Mexico Rattler roller coaster and the WaterMania splash area.
- Half day · Easy
- Late spring to early fall (check)
- Admission
2 to 3 hours from Los Alamos 15 spots
National monument · 2 hr 1 min southwest
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 30 min southwest
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)
Town · 2 hr 5 min northeast
Red River
An old mining town at 8,750 ft turned mountain resort, with a walkable Main Street, fishing, hiking and off-road trails.
- Full day · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
State park · 2 hr 6 min northeast
Cimarron Canyon State Park
A narrow canyon on US 64 with tall granite palisades, trout fishing in the Cimarron River and forest trails.
- Half day · Easy to moderate
- Year-round
- New Mexico State Parks day-use fee (per vehicle)
Bike trail · 2 hr 22 min northeast
Angel Fire Resort summer
In summer the ski hill becomes a lift-served bike park, with scenic chairlift rides to over 10,000 ft, disc golf and fishing.
- Full day · Easy to hard
- Mid-May to early November
- Lift tickets / bike park tickets
Wildlife refuge · 2 hr 48 min south
Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge
A Rio Grande refuge where thousands of sandhill cranes, geese and ducks spend the winter, seen from a 12-mile gravel scenic drive.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round (best early Nov to late Jan)
- Day-use fee (per vehicle) or America the Beautiful pass
Lake · 2 hr 56 min southeast
Sumner Lake State Park
A lake on the grassy plains north of Fort Sumner for boating, swimming, fishing and birding.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- New Mexico State Parks day-use fee (per vehicle)
National monument · 2 hr 2 min east
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
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Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP 87544 (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Facts checked against official sites; passes and hours change, so check before you go.