The High Road to Taos
Santa Fe → Taos, NM · ~56 miles · half to full day
Stylized illustration, not a photo — the real place looks different (and that’s half the fun).
The High Road winds through the Sangre de Cristo Mountains between Santa Fe and Taos, trading the fast river route for a slow climb through centuries-old Hispano and Pueblo villages — Chimayó, Truchas, Las Trampas — where adobe churches, weaving, and santero art are still living traditions.
Good to know: A narrow mountain road — in winter snow, the low road (NM-68) is safer. Village shops and churches keep limited hours, and Taos Pueblo sets its own (it closes for ceremonies).
Updated July 2026.
Mountain villages, adobe churches, and aspen gold.
One of the most culturally rich drives in the Southwest: 250-year-old mission churches, hand-woven Chimayó textiles, and artists’ studios, blazing gold with aspens in October.
States on this route
The signature stops
What to pull over for.
The best stops on the The High Road to Taos are the places that define the drive, not just the nearest towns. Roamward orders them for the road: start with Chimayó, El Santuario de Chimayó, Truchas, Las Trampas, then open each stop guide for the pull-over context.
01Chimayócenturies of weaving tradition and its namesake red chile — open the stop guideNM
02El Santuario de Chimayóan 1810s pilgrimage church, the “Lourdes of America,” and its holy dirt — open the stop guideNM
03Truchasa mesa-top artists’ village below 13,000-ft Truchas Peak — open the stop guideNM
04Las TrampasSan José de Gracia, one of the best-preserved Spanish colonial churches — open the stop guideNM
05Taos Puebloa 1,000-year-old adobe village and UNESCO World Heritage Site — open the stop guideNM
Where to eat
Restaurants along this route.
Restaurants on the The High Road to Taos are chosen for trip usefulness: gateway-town location, a clear reason to stop, and enough quality to make a traveler save the pick. Start with ACEQ Restaurant, Taos Cow, Rancho de Chimayó, Angelina's Restaurant.
A curated set of trip-useful meals near the route — enough to anchor driving days without turning the guide into a phone book.
- ACEQ Restaurant
An Arroyo Seco dinner stop for the Taos end of the High Road, useful when the day calls for a polished village meal before the Enchanted Circle pull.
- Taos Cow
Arroyo Seco cafe, sandwiches, and ice cream for the High Road to Taos finish, with enough local character for a stay-over pause.
- Rancho de Chimayó
A classic chile-and-adobe stop that feels inseparable from the High Road to Taos.
- Angelina's Restaurant
A long-running Espanola New Mexican meal for travelers using the High Road as a full lunch-and-village day.
- El Paragua
A northern New Mexico classic for the High Road to Taos approach, adding a serious red-and-green-chile stop before the villages climb.
- El Parasol
A northern New Mexico green-chile stop that fits the High Road to Taos approach before the villages climb into the Sangre de Cristos.
- Sugar Nymphs Bistro
A small Penasco bistro that makes the High Road feel lived-in between Chimayo and Taos, with the right kind of unexpected-route charm.
- Antonio's The Taste of Mexico
Chef-driven spot serving refined interior-Mexican cuisine and moles with fresh local ingredients, a standout beyond typical Taos fare.
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