Introduction
Two of the most well known cities in New Mexico, Albuquerque and Santa Fe are in close proximity to one another; Santa Fe is only a 45-60 minute drive Northeast of Albuquerque. There are several natural parks and hiking trails located between and around the two cities, such that you can enjoy days split between the cities and nature. The vibe in New Mexico seemed very laid back – people never seemed to be in a rush and were always friendly. There was essentially no traffic, and even in the heart of Albuquerque there weren’t very many people walking about. Per Google, as far as population density goes, it is ranked 46th in the U.S. with only 17.1 people/square mile, in comparison to New Jersey, the 1st, with over 1,250 people/square mile.
New Mexico is known for its Native American culture – there are 19 Pueblo nations, the Navajo nation, and three Apache tribes. It has the third highest proportion of Native Americans living in a US state at around 11%, just after Alaska and Oklahoma. It is in very close proximity to Central America, and touches borders to Mexico, so naturally there is a prominent hispanic population–they make up nearly 50% of the residents! When we visited, I noticed many menus, signs, and the like were in both English and Spanish, and there was more Mexican food available than any other cuisine while we were there.
When to Travel
The best time to visit the New Mexico climate-wise is in the spring (April-May) and fall (September-November). We visited in early April, and it was generally 50s to 70s°F, perfect for hiking. During the summer, it can get over 100°F, and during the winter the lows typically drop into the 20s°F in Albuquerque (lower in the mountains). A very popular time to visit is during the hot air balloon festival in October. Of note if visiting during December, there is a smaller hot air a balloon festival in Gallup, just 2 hours to the West of Albuquerque. In September, Santa Fe hosts the Fiesta de Santa Fe, the oldest community festival in the US.
Table of Contents
Albuquerque
Santa Fe
Turquoise Trail
Surrounding Natural Areas: Petroglyph National Monument, Bandelier National Monument, Picacho Peak Trail, & San Lorenzo Canyon
Other Hikes & Natural Areas: those I did not have time for
Food & Drink
Albuquerque
Albuquerque is by far the largest city in New Mexico, with the principal airport located here. Dubbed the “Hot Air Balloon Capital,” it hosts the massive annual International Balloon Fiesta, the largest hot air balloon festival in the world. The festival occurs over a span of nine days in October. It includes both morning ascensions where over 500 hot air balloons lift off into the sky around sunrise, and “Balloon Glows” where balloons remain tethered but light up their burners in unison against the nightscape. The festival also includes daily live music, local performances, and a plethora of traditional New Mexican food. You can purchase tickets online, which cost about $20 for either a morning or evening session.
Even if you are unable to visit during the balloon fiesta itself, you can still spot hot air balloons in the sky around Albuquerque around sunrise and sunset. You can take a hot air ballon ride for around $200 for a one hour ride. To prepare the hot air balloons, pilots et al. first fill them with air, then shoot a flamer into the center of the balloon to heat up the air inside. Our pilot explained that when the air is around 100 degrees Celsius (in the current climate), the balloon stays roughly around the same altitude. When he wants to ascend, he burns the flamer into the ballon’s center to increase the air’s temperature, and when he wants to descend he lets the temperature drop. While the pilots can control the balloon vertically, hitting wind currents at different altitudes, it is more difficult to control their horizontal movements, and thus there are a plethora of dedicated landing spots around the area that the balloons can touch down on. A crew follows the hot air balloon via truck, and drives out to the landing spot, helping to pack up hundreds to thousands of pounds of balloon. At the end of our ride, the crew supplied us with snacks and mimosas. Traditionally, pilots had flown with champagne as a conciliatory gift in case they landed on someone’s property. Today that rarely happens, but they still drink champagne as a celebration for a safe flight.
The Pilot’s Prayer following a flight:
“The Winds Have Welcomed You With Softness.
The Sun Has Blessed You With Its Warm Hands.
We Have Flown So High And So Well That God
Has Joined You In Laughter And Set You Gently
Back Into The Loving Arms Of Mother Earth.”
Southwest Chocolate & Coffee Festival
Albuquerque also hosts the Southwest Chocolate and Coffee Fest on a weekend every April, which is the world’s largest festival dedicated to chocolate, coffee, and gourmet foods. We flew out the Saturday of this festival, but luckily were able to attend it for a couple of hours.
If purchased in advance, tickets are $15 or 2 for $25, with parking $10 at the door. Over 20,000 people attend the festival over just two days, so as you can imagine it gets pretty packed. We arrived only 10 minutes after opening time, and had to wait 15-20 minutes in line to park, and then again in line for about 10 minutes to enter the festival itself. However once inside it is well worth it – there are over 220 vendors selling chocolate, coffee, and other gourmet foods from around the world, most of whom give out free chocolate or coffee samples. I definitely would not have your morning cup of Joe before the event or you may have heart palpitations upon leaving. There are food trucks outside if you need a savory snack to cut the sweet. The festival also has a schedule of events, from chocolate tasting to learning how to make a great cup of coffee, as well as live music on two different stages.
Old Town
In Albuquerque’s old town you can visit the historic plaza right by the 1706 San Felipe de Neri Church, shop for art and jewelry at the the Portal Market (open 9:30am-9pm), or eat at the various restaurants. The Albuquerque Museum is also in this area, offering exhibits on the art, history, and culture of New Mexico. It is open 9am-5pm every day except Monday and costs $6/person.
Santa Fe
Santa Fe, New Mexico’s capital, is nicknamed “The City Different” because of its unique historic blend of Native American, Spanish, and Anglo cultures. It is the highest capital in the US, at 6,996ft above sea level. It also has an airport, which my friend flew into (flights here were actually cheaper from Tampa) but it is much smaller than Albuquerque’s with only 2-4 gates. Founded in 1610, it is the oldest state capital in the US, and contains the oldest public building in the country, the Palace of the Governors, located in Santa Fe Plaza downtown. It also hosts the oldest community festival – the Fiesta de Santa Fe – which will be celebrating its 314th event in early September 2026.
It features parades, live music, artisan markets, regional food, and historic ceremonies throughout downtown Santa Fe. Popular attractions within Santa Fe include Ten Thousand Waves, a traditional Japanese spa and hotel, as well as the original Meow Wolf Santa Fe’s House of Eternal Return, an immersive art museum.
The Turquoise Trail
The Turquoise Trail is a 50-60 mile long byway (Highway 14) from Albuquerque to Santa Fe, passing by various art communities, ghost towns, and ancient mines along the way. It is named for the rich turquoise deposits that were found throughout the area. The Pueblo people considered turquoise to be a sacred talisman for health, happiness, and protection, dubbing it “sky stone,” and incorporating it into their jewelry, rituals, and ceremonies. You can find a map with a list of the various museums, gift shops, jewelry stores, restaurants, and other attractions along the trail here: Turquoise Trail Map. Note that a lot of the shops close around 4 or 5pm.
We stopped by Sandia Crest for a short 1 mile trail called Sandia Cave Trail, which ended at a spherical ladder up to a small cave you can crawl inside. Of note, 4 miles of the drive to this trail are unpaved and full of potholes, requiring you to drive 10-20 miles per hour for most of the time, with all or four wheal drive being necessary. There are also other trails in the Sandi Crest area, with the longest, Sandia Crest Trail, spanning over 26.6 miles with 5.5K of elevation gain.
We also stopped in the old mining town of Madrid, exploring some of the art and jewelry stores and having dinner at the historic Mind Shaft Tavern.
Surrounding Natural Areas
Petroglyph National Monument
Petroglyph National Monument is one of the easiest sites to visit from Albuquerque, as it is basically located in the city itself. It is free to access, with its visitor center being open from 8:30am to 4:30pm. There are three petroglyph-viewing trail areas that you can drive to from the visitor center: Boca Negra Canyon, Rinconada Canyon, and Piedras Marcadas Canyon. They are all fairly easy, with very little elevation and ranging from less than a mile to 2.6 miles. We did the Piedras Marcadas Mesa Loop trail, a 2.6 mile loop which showcases the most petroglyphs of the three. While some of the petroglyphs were marked with numbers along the path, many were not so it turned into a bit of our own Easter egg hunt to spot them from the trail.
*Pictographs: images painted onto rock surfaces
*Petroglyphs: images carved or scratched into the rock
The 400-700 year-old petroglyphs are carved into dark volcanic basalt rocks, and the majority are thought to be created by the ancestral Pueblo. Archaeologists refer to the carvings as being made in the Rio Grande style, a style that developed around 1300, coinciding with a dramatic increase in the local population and construction of many pueblo villages along the Rio Grande. The images commonly depict humans, animals, hands, and geometric designs. There are also several trails at the Volcanoes Day Use Area that do not offer Petroglyph viewing but rather are focused around the inactive volcanoes in the area.
Bandelier National Monument
Only 50 minutes from Santa Fe, and 1 hour 45 minutes from Albuquerque, Bandelier National Monument encompasses a natural area with scenic canyons and mesas. The park is open from sunrise to sunset, but the visitor center is only open 9am to 5pm. It is known for its ancestral Pueblo cliff dwellings and petroglyphs, which can be accessed via its trails. The most popular trail is the Pueblo Loop Trail, a 1.5 mile loop goes up to the cliff dwellings and around various ruins. It is partially paved, and very popular among tourists, to the point that there would be lines of people waiting to go into each cliff dwelling. There is an extra 1 mile (there and back) that you can take attached to the Pueblo Loop trail which takes you to the Alcove House. This larger cliff dwelling is only reachable by four long ladders, which can be a bit tedious on the way back down, so would not recommend it for those with a fear of heights. There are several more extensive trails in the park, that probably are less crowded, that we did not have time for. You can also camp in the park.
Picacho Peak Trail
Only a 20-30 minute drive from the Santa Fe airport, I did this trail while waiting for my friend to fly in. It has some great elevation gain with really beautiful natural views while still being right on the outskirts of Santa Fe itself.
*3.9 miles there and back
*1,233ft of elevation gain.
San Lorenzo Canyon
About a 1 hour 15 minute drive south of Albuquerque is San Lorenzo Canyon, a picturesque area lined by rugged sandstone cliffs, arches, and hoodoos. that offers hiking and camping opportunities. To get through to the heart of the canyon, you do have to take sandy roads that require 4WD. There are no fees to enter, but also no restrooms or drinking water available. There are two main hikes; we did the San Lorenzo Ridge Trail, which is 2.9 miles long there and back with 531ft of elevation
gain. There are areas of this trail where you have to scramble between rocks, walkthrough sand, and walk on a more traditional trail. There are a couple of overlook sites as well. The other available trail that we did not do is Main Canyon Loop, which is 1.9 miles long with minimal elevation gain.
*Hoodoo: a tall, thin spire of rock
~ Other Hikes & Natural Areas – those I did not have time for ~
Less Intense Hikes:
Puye Cliff Dwellings
Only a 45 minute drive from Santa Fe, about 45 minutes north of Bandelier, Puye Cliff Dwellings contains various easy trails around ruins and cliff dwellings of ancestral Pueblo people. It is only available via a variety of tours, which run Thursday through Monday from 8:30am to 4pm, and range in price.
Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument
Wow, the cone shaped rock formations, formed 6-7 million years ago from volcanic eruptions look pretty crazy. I’m a little bummed we didn’t get to check this place out. It has more limited hours, open Thursdays through Mondays for entry from 8am to 1pm, with visitors required to leave by 4pm, and is only available via reservation. There are three main trails, only 1-2 miles long each, that you can view the cones from. The park accepts the national parks pass, otherwise only costs $5/person. It is a 1.5 hour drive from Bandelier, and about an hour drive from both Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
Carlito Springs Open Space
One local recommendation that we had to forfeit was Carlito Springs Open Space in the Sandia Mountains. It is open Wednesday through Sunday, 7am-7pm/5pm depending on the season, and only a 22 minute drive from Albuquerque. It features a ~2 mile loop in the woods and around scenic springs. Of note swimming is prohibited, and the pools are filled with algae and not very deep.
Paseo del Bosque Trail
On the Northwest outskirts of Albuquerque, this is an easily accessible 16 mile long trail that you can enter at various points, used by runners, bikers, and cyclists. It runs along the Rio Grande on one side and Albuquerque on the other, passing by Tingley Beach, Rio Grande Valley State Park, Rio Grande Nature Center and other attractions. This would be a great trail to bike to mix it up after all the hiking opportunities.
More Intense Hikes:
Lake Katherine
One of the local women I talked to highly recommended visiting Lake Katherine, though we weren’t able to make the time and were rather unprepaired for that level of hiking. Located in the Pecos Wilderness of New Mexico, the scenic high-alpine lake is only accessible via hiking 14-16 miles roundtrip (depending on source) from Aspen Basin at the edge of Northeast Santa Fe via the Winsor Trail. AllTrails claims 2,982ft of elevation gain for this hike, rating it as hard. Most people backpack there, camp for the night, then head back the next day.
Wheeler Peak
Several locals named Wheeler Peak as one of the coolest hiking spots in the state. It is the highest point in New Mexico, and the hike itself is 8-9 miles roundtrip with about 3K ft of elevation gain. It is a little out of the way, however, about 3 hours 20 minutes driving-time north of Santa Fe.
Sandia Crest Area
I briefly mentioned this area in the section above on the Turquoise trail, mentioning the Sandia Crest Trail and Sandia Cave Trail, but there are many other trails in this area worth mentioning. Sandia Crest is to the Northeast of Albuquerque, right on its outskirts, about 30 minutes from the city’s center vs. about an hours drive from Santa Fe. Unfortunately the Sandia Crest Recreation area is closed for renovations from April 2026 through fall 2027. However both La Luz Trail and Pino Trail have recent AllTrails reviews that do not mention trail closures at these spots. I would check them for recent reviews prior to going if you plan on visiting during the closure.
La Luz Trail
- Almost 16 miles there and back, with about 3.5ft of elevation gain
- Climbs up to the Sandia Crest, a long ridge of 10,678ft in elevation
Pino Trail
- About 9 miles there and back, total elevation gain of 2,765ft
Food & Drink
The Food
New Mexico is known for both its traditional Mexican and New Mexican food. Outside of both of these options, you can get American but unless you are in the city it is difficult to find other ethnic cuisines. New Mexican food consists of Mexican food with a twist, with green chiles featured in many of the dishes – green chile enchiladas, cheeseburgers, & stew are found on most menus among others. Many restaurants offer different variations of dishes that have either red chiles, green chiles, or a combination of the two – “Christmas style.” Both chiles have a bit of a kick but aren’t as spicy as jalapeño, serrano, or habanero peppers. Both red and green chiles come from the same plant, but the red chiles are picked later, after ripening further. The red chiles are slightly sweeter and deeper, while the green are a bit tangier and fresh-tasting.
Other traditional dishes include Native American fry bread, Tamales, blue corn enchiladas, carne adovada (slow-cooked pork braised in a sauce of red chiles), posole (a stew with pork, hominy, & red chiles), and calabacitas (dish made with summer squash, corn, tomatoes, chiles, onions, and topped with cheese). Sopapillas are a traditional sweet consisting of fried pastries served with honey.
The Drink
New Mexico is also known for its piñon coffee, which was traditionally coffee brewed with roasted pine nuts. Today, because of issues with nut allergies, many of the companies simply add flavoring to the coffee rather than brewing it with the nuts themselves to acquire the nutty taste.
Many of the cocktails and other drinks have agave or prickly pear (cactus fruit) added to them in some form, reflecting the native plants. You can also find aqua fresca – a light nonalcoholic beverages made with water, fruit, and a sweetener – in many restaurants.
Hidden Gem – Sunday Bagels
Only open Friday through Sunday, these were some of the best bagels and bagel sandwiches I have had. There is usually a line but well worth it. We went back on our last day there.
Hidden Gem – El Paisa Taqueria
A traditional taco shop full of locals. You can beat the price for the quality and quantity of traditional Mexican food. The tacos were really good. We also got a Gordita, which was much more difficult to eat.
The burritos looked great, I would have gotten one of those over the Gordita.
~ Nizhónígo ch’aanidíínaał ~