Travel North from Santa Fe via the scenic High Road, a byway that traverses a historic mountainous route and ventures into remote artistic enclaves delighting in ancestral roots. Be ready for a full day of New Mexico history, architecture and culture.
First, we’ll arrive in Chimayó on the doorstep of the Santuario de Chimayó, where a sacred shrine built in the early 1800s has become the most important Catholic pilgrimage site in the United States. Continuing on from Chimayó, we’ll visit charmingly bucolic villages, meet local artists, and take in sweeping vistas. Before long you will begin to appreciate the blend of culture, tradition and natural beauty that makes this region so special.
Along our route we visit the tiny village of Las Trampas to visit the San Jose de Gracia Church, that has regularly been in use for 225 years and has been declared a National Historic Landmark. This church is one of the most beautiful colonial-era churches in the country. Continuing on, we wind upward along the High Road, we’ll catch a view of the elusive Wheeler Peak, New Mexico’s tallest mountain, before descending the verdant canyon road into Taos.
From there we’ll head to the Taos Pueblo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, continuously inhabited for over 1,000 years, the multi-storied adobe buildings of the Pueblo will provide a rare glimpse into the ancient past. After our tour enjoy a traditional Puebloan lunch prepared by Bertha’s at Al’Thloo’s Café. Al’Thloo means grandmother in Tiwa and reflects the locally inspired home-made specialties like chicken stuffed fry bread and pinon coffee. Take in the local hospitality of extended family and partners.
Next we’ll explore the Rio Grande Gorge and venture onto the famous bridge to peer over the 565-foot-deep chasm. The thrilling setting helps to illuminate the complicated geology that has produced the famed Rio Grande Rift. We will begin our trip back to Santa Fe by traversing the rim road that follows the rift, winding slowly down into the belly of the gorge. This lightly-traveled path will have you marveling at the expanse of multi-colored basalt walls towering around you!
Finally, a stop at Vivác winery for. Vivác means “high-altitude refuge” in Spanish and that is exactly what this winery emulates. Choosing only the highest quality New Mexico-grown grapes, they’ve perfected hand-harvested and hand-sorted processes that rival the finest international vineyards.
Our High Road to Taos tour will introduce you to the history, the heritage and the people that makes this mountain region so spellbindingly unique. Allow us to introduce you to this authentically New Mexican place – one you are sure to be enchanted by for years to come.
