Hot spring · 59 min west
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
Day Trippin' › New Mexico › From Taos
Day trips from Taos
From Taos, Taos Pueblo is about 10 minutes away, the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge and the South Boundary Trail about 15, Orilla Verde under half an hour, Williams Lake Trail about 40, and Ojo Caliente about an hour. The best day trips from Taos, by drive time.
68 places within a 3-hour drive, by real roads.
10 day trips from Taos
- Red River 52 min northeast
- Cimarron Canyon State Park 56 min northeast
- Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs 59 min west
- Santa Fe 1 hr 24 min southwest
- Meow Wolf House of Eternal Return 1 hr 27 min southwest
- Bandelier National Monument 1 hr 29 min southwest
- Valles Caldera National Preserve 1 hr 53 min southwest
- Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument 2 hr 7 min southwest
- Old Town Albuquerque 2 hr 17 min southwest
- Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad 2 hr 21 min northwest
Within an hour from Taos 10 spots
Town · 52 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 · 56 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)
Historic site · 45 min southwest
Los Luceros Historic Site
A riverside hacienda, chapel and farmyard on the Rio Grande north of Alcalde, a peaceful spot under old cottonwoods.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Year-round (check days)
- Admission
Scenic drive · 46 min northeast
Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway
A mountain loop of about 84 miles around Wheeler Peak through Taos, Questa, Red River, Eagle Nest and Angel Fire.
- Full day · Easy
- Year-round (check winter conditions)
- Free
Family fun · 49 min northwest
Earthship Visitor Center
Self-guided tours of off-grid Earthship homes built from tires, bottles and cans, just past the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Admission
Viewpoint · 58 min north
Wild Rivers Recreation Area
Rim overlooks where the Red River joins the Rio Grande deep in the gorge, plus steep trails down to the river.
- Half day · Easy to hard
- Year-round
- BLM day-use fee (per vehicle)
Trail · 28 min southwest
Orilla Verde Recreation Area
A riverside area in the Rio Grande Gorge near Pilar with picnic sites, short trails, fishing and rafting put-ins.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- BLM day-use fee (per vehicle)
1 to 2 hours from Taos 29 spots
Town · 1 hr 24 min southwest
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
National monument · 1 hr 29 min southwest
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
National park · 1 hr 53 min southwest
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 · 1 hr 27 min southwest
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
Bike trail · 1 hr 11 min east
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
Museum · 1 hr 17 min southwest
Bradbury Science Museum
A free museum in Los Alamos about the Manhattan Project and the science done at the national lab.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Year-round, closed Mondays
- Free
Trail · 1 hr 31 min west
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)
Lake · 1 hr 37 min south
Storrie Lake State Park
A breezy lake north of Las Vegas popular for windsurfing, boating, swimming and fishing.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- New Mexico State Parks day-use fee (per vehicle)
2 to 3 hours from Taos 26 spots
National monument · 2 hr 7 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
Town · 2 hr 17 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 · 2 hr 21 min northwest
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
National monument · 2 hr 36 min east
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 monument · 2 hr 46 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
Viewpoint · 2 hr 16 min southwest
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
Theme park · 2 hr 11 min southwest
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
State park · 2 hr 13 min southwest
Fenton Lake State Park
A pine-ringed mountain lake in the Jemez with trout fishing, paddling with electric motors only, and trails for hiking and biking.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- New Mexico State Parks day-use fee (per vehicle)
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Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP 87571 (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Facts checked against official sites; passes and hours change, so check before you go.