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Take the scenic High Road to Taos
12:00 AM CDT on Sunday, July 26, 2009
You have a choice of routes from Santa Fe to Taos.
The Low Road (U.S. 84/285 to Española, then State Highway 68) is a pleasant route that parallels the Rio Grande for many miles.
The High Road, on the other hand, twists around the ridges of mountains, giving you dramatic views of snowy peaks and wide valleys, passing through small towns that have existed for hundreds of years, some of them home to venerable Spanish-colonial chapels. It's a bit slower than the Low Road, but it gives you a look at the real, rural New Mexico. In recent years, artists have added a creative vibe to the High Road, having discovered that the High Road is a more affordable place to live and work than Santa Fe and Taos.
Some guidebooks say you can drive the High Road in about an hour and a half nonstop. But with artists' studios, weaving and craft shops, and those historic chapels, there's no way you can drive this route without stopping.
Drive north from Santa Fe on U.S. 84/285 to Española. Turn east on State Highway 76, then right again on County Road 98 to Chimayó. Return to 76 to reach Taos.
• Chimayó is a village famed for weavers, a storybook Spanish colonial chapel and hot chiles (better than Hatch, they claim).
• Santuario de Chimayó – This graceful, early-19th-century chapel is known for its carved and painted altar and for "magic dirt." Believers attribute curative powers to dirt dug from a small hole in the floor of a side chapel.
• El Potrero Trading Post, next door to the Santuario, specializes in religious items, among them carvings, milagros and rosaries. It also sells Chimayó chile powder in several heat ratings. The sun-dried red will make you glow in the dark.
505-351-4112
• Ortega's Weaving Shop – The Ortega family has been weaving for almost 300 years. The current generation carries on the family's reputation for beautiful work, selling hand-woven traditional rugs, wall hangings and jackets. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday; closed Sunday.
County Road 98 at State Highway 76; 1-877-351-4215; www.ortegasweaving.com
• Galería Ortega – Find an eclectic array of gifts here. A sampling: hand-painted silk scarves, hand-painted Christmas ornaments, Indian-themed mouse pads, greeting cards. Next door to Ortega's Weaving Shop. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
1-800-743-5921; www.galeriaortega.com
• Centinela Traditional Arts is filled with beautiful hand-woven jackets, vests, scarves, shawls and handbags in traditional patterns. Owners Irvin and Lisa Trujillo raise weaving to a fine art with their wall hanging, blanket and rug designs incorporating modern riffs on traditional motifs. 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
On State Highway 76 one mile east of County Road 98; 505-351-2180; www.chimayoweavers.com
• Léona's Restaurante – This terrific quick-lunch spot, next to the Santuario and enveloped by a huge catalpa tree, serves takeout tamales, tortillas, burritos, posole and ethereal biscochitos (New Mexico's official state cookie). Grab a table or bench inside, or a picnic table outside. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Monday.
505-351-4569; www.leonasrestaurante.com
• Rancho de Chimayó Restaurante – This popular eatery is scheduled to reopen in late August after a long renovation. Dine on the shady terrace in fair weather. Lunch and dinner daily May through October; Tuesday through Sunday, November through April. Breakfast on Saturday and Sunday.
505-351-4444; www.ranchodechimayo.com
Directions: Continue north on State Highway 76 to Truchas, with glimpses of 13,100-foot Truchas Peak, and Las Trampas. A few miles past Las Trampas, turn right on State Highway 75.
• Peñasco – Sitting beside the High Road, in a funky former movie theater whose façade is covered with bright murals, you'll find Sugar Nymphs Bistro. The menu is seasonal, using whatever is the freshest and most flavorful, maybe meatloaf, chipotle pork loin or lasagna, and always pizza. Dinner, Thursday through Sunday; lunch, Thursday and Friday; brunch, Saturday and Sunday.
575-587-0311
Directions: Continue through Peñasco on State Highway 75. At State Highway 518, turn left and continue to State Highway 68. To reach Taos, turn right. To visit Ranchos de Taos, turn left. The mission church (see below) is a few blocks down on the left.
• Ranchos de Taos – San Francisco de Asís, the town's early 19th-century mission church, has been immortalized in paintings by Georgia O'Keeffe and in photographs by Ansel Adams. Or, rather, the massive back view of the church has been, and the back is what you see as you approach it on State Highway 68. Park behind the church. Don't miss the front, with its graceful gate and lovely garden. Then explore the small shops next to the parking area.
High Road Art Tour – More than 100 artists and craftsmen open their studios to the public the last two weekends in September. Twenty of the studios are open all year; others open only for the tour. The tour map on the Web site below is a good one to carry for your High Road trip anytime, showing locations of studios, restaurants, snack sources, restrooms and several small 19th-century chapels. This year, Sept. 19-20 and 26-27.
http://highroadnewmexico.com
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