Day Trip to Taos Offers Outdoor Adventure and Downtown Delights
Do you prefer exhilarating rafting and snow skiing, or relaxing with wine and retail therapy? You’ll find these activities and so much more in Taos New Mexico just 125 miles from the Mariposa master planned community in Rio Rancho. Enjoy a rich variety of culinary delights, tour movie sets or explore the ghosts of Taos past at several haunted houses. The Visit Taos website recommends giving your trip a theme. Will it be beverage oriented or culturally centered? Located in northern New Mexico’s high desert, north of Santa Fe, Taos is bounded by the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and makes for a great day trip from Rio Rancho.
Taos in the Movies
Explore where the movies are made in New Mexico. Popular films such as “Easy Rider”, “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”, “No Country for Old Men” and “The Milagro Beanfield War” are just a few of the movies that use the Taos area as their set location. Additionally, Taos’ most famous resident celebrity is Julia Roberts, who was filmed at her home in a documentary segment in 2005’s “Tell Them Who You Are,” and several episodes of Oprah.
Find specific movie locations here.
Wine Tours
Enjoy the ample opportunities to sample awarding-winning wines of Northern New Mexico. The Winter Wine Fest is held in late January in Taos to officially kick off the season. Another great event, the Toast of Taos Wine Festival and Golf Tournament, takes place in late June. Open year-round, we enjoy the Vivac Winery and Tasting Room filled with old-world style wines. While you’re there, don’t forget to sample the truffles of the in-house chocolatier and handcrafted cheeses from the in-house fromagerie. If you’d prefer a hands-on vineyard experience, stop by three of the area’s most famous vintners; Black Mesa Vinery in Veladre, La Chiripada in Dixon and Vivac as you drive in from Rio Rancho and Albuquerque.
Winery and Tasting Room suggestions.
Driving Tours
Taos is surrounded by a seemingly endless array of breathtaking scenery. We love Taos Fall Road Trips, complete with fall colors and activities. Another option, The Enchanted Circle Driving Tour, is the most popular trek, featuring some of the oldest rocks in the southwest, the Red River Fish Hatchery and Artesanos de Questa with local woodworkers and sculptors showing off their work. Your family or friends will also be delighted to find elk and other wildlife along the drive between Bob Cat Pass and Eagle Nest Lake.
The High Road to Taos
This trip can take from four to seven hours, with tiny villages to visit along the way. Complete with awe-inspiring scenery and some of the most photographed areas in the country, Ansel Adams and Georgia O’Keeffe are two of many artists who have depicted the area in their work, including the historic San Francisco de Asis Church. Many shops with high quality crafts to enjoy are also found along this route.
Map and Directions to High Road
Valle Vidal Tour
We also love the Valle Vidal Tour with abundant wildlife, including mule deer, mountain lion, bald eagles and so much more. Note that the road through the Valle Vidal is closed during elk-calving season. Spring Closure on the west side of the Valle Vidal is from May 1 – June 30; Winter Closure on the east side of the Valle Vidal is from Jan. 1 – Mar. 31.
This is only the tip of the trips you can plan. There’s so much to do, you’ll find yourself returning to Taos again and again to rediscover this magical and diverse area of New Mexico.
Find out more about Mariposa and what makes it the premier master-planned community in Northern New Mexico by visiting https://www.liveinmariposa.com/
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