Santa Fe, New Mexico
The Capital of the Land of Enchantment is a place were you can see the old Spanish way of life, ancient Native American cities and beautiful nature. Its a small city with a big culture. There are many national parks in the area, museums, shops, restaurants and of course skiing during the winter time. Donna and I visited Santa Fe in August of 2017. Travel is always an adventure and this trip was no different. Hurricane Harvey hit while we were gone so we of course worried about home but like any adventure we continued pushing on.We spent two days in the Santa Fe area and was able to see quite a bit there. New Mexico really is a Land of Enchantment and we will go over some of great spots in the great State of New Mexico!
Getting there and Transportation
The city of Santa Fe does have a small airport that has regional flights by United and American to Denver (United), Dallas (American) and Phoenix (American). The closest airport that is going to have more flight options sn the Albuquerque International Sunport. Albuquerque is only around an hour away from Santa Fe by car so its easily doable. Donna and I flew Southwest Airlines into Albuquerque and rented a car. You can also take the Rail Runner train from Albuquerque to Santa Fe if you prefer. Santa Fe has public transportation but to me renting a car is the best route since there are many nice attractions just outside of Santa Fe itself.
Downtown Santa Fe, The State Capital and the State Museum
Downtown Santa Fe is a place were you can immerse your self in old Spanish and Native American History. We parked at a pay lot near the Georgia O’Keeffe museum which is an easy walk to the main square. There you will find the Palace of the Governors which was built in 1610 and is one of the oldest public use buildings (the former state capital of New Mexico). The Palace of the Governors is now part of the New Mexico State History Museum. At the Palace of the Governors we found a Native American Market selling many hand made crafts and other items. There are many Pueblo Indian tribes in New Mexico and some come to see items in the plaza. We purchased a hand made clay canoe and a few other items. As we walked through the downtown area we stopped by the visitors center to pick up a map and other information. There are many shops in the area so you can purchase clothes, pottery, and other Southwestern Gifts. In downtown Santa Fe you can see some of the oldest buildings in the US such as the San Miguel Mission.
After walking through downtown we went to the New Mexico State Capital to take a self guided tour. The State Capital is a unique one considering its the only state capital that is round. We visited both chambers of the New Mexico Legislature and then walked the halls to see the art that is all over the State Capital building. It represented most of the peoples of New Mexico. The capital is a nice visit that takes an hour at the most to walk through it.
After visiting the Capital we walked back to the Plaza area but not before stopping a a few more shops and the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assis to go inside the church. It is a beautiful Spanish style church that is very close to the Plaza. It reminded me of some of the churches we have seen in Europe. We visited some artists in the Plaza and also took a look at the Memorial to some of the Battles such as the Battle of Glorieta Pass that occurred during the American Civil War. Our next stop was to visit the New Mexico State History Museum. Its a very nice museum that starts with the Native American Pueblo History and the struggles with the Spanish to control the state. The museum continues through US control of New Mexico, railroads and up to the current days in New Mexico. There were special exhibits while we were there. The Palace of the Governors is connected to the museum so we walked over to it and saw the many rooms and exhibits about the Palace and all those who have used it over time. The museum will take a couple hours to tour and is worth visiting to learn a little more about the State of New Mexico.
The State History Museum was our final stop before getting some New Mexican food but we had to visit the car show and concert that was going on in the Plaza now that it had become the evening time. It was a nice little car show and an interesting way to end our day in Downtown Santa Fe. There are other museums and places to visit in downtown Santa Fe like the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum and the New Mexico Museum of Art but we saw all we could during the day we spent there.
Pecos National Historic Park
The Next day we went to the Pecos National Historic Park. Its about a 30 minute drive from Santa Fe through a very scenic valley in the Sangre De Cristo mountains. The historic park features a nice hiking trail that allows you to visit the ruins of ancient Pueblos and you can even climb into Kiva’s (underground chambers used for ceremonies and other purposes). This area was a crossroads through the mountains used for many years by many different peoples. There are the ruins of a Spanish Mission at the park as well. We came when the park was celebrating an anniversary so we were able to do some extra activities such as make bricks in the same manner as the Spanish did. There is a small museum and gift shop at the visitors center for the park. The park also contains the furthest West Battlefield in the American Civil War. In 1862 Texans under the command of Confederate General Henry Sibley invaded New Mexico in hopes of reaching Western Gold mines and hoping to capture California. At Glorieta Pass the Confederate and Union forces met in battle. The Confederate forces where able to push the Union troops out of the pass but not after a daring maneuver by the Union troops that caused the Confederate supply wagons to be destroyed. This forced the Confederates to abandon the invasion and make a grueling march back to San Antonio through the desert with no supplies. Many did not make it back home. To visit the site of the Battle of Glorieta Pass you have to get a padlock code from the park rangers at the Pecos Visitors center since the Battlefield is not manned. We hiked the Battlefield and used the field guide we purchased from the gift shop to give us information about each stop along the hiking trail. It was a nice a scenic hike and we were able to see the battlefield as it was in 1862. While you are driving to and from the park look for a building right along the road protected by a guardrail. It is the remains of the Pigeon Ranch were much of the battle occurred. This park is free to visit and will take you a few hours to visit.
Bandelier National Monument
We visited Bandelier National Monument in the afternoon following our visit to Pecos National Historic Park. Its around and hour from Santa Fe to the West and an hour and a half from Pecos National Historic Park. Donna and I like to pack as much as we can in our trips so we can see as much as possible so this itinerary made for quite the busy day. Much of the year you must park in the city of White Rock and a bus takes you to the park. Since we arrived later in the day we drove out into the wild New Mexican wilderness to the park directly. The desert landscape is beautiful full of valleys, buttes and mountains. Bandelier National Monument is an amazing site to visit. There is a nice museum and gift shop at the visitors center as well as a small cafe. The trail from the visitors center takes you into the Frijoles Canyon and back in time to the ruins of ancient Native American cities. There are cliff dwellings you can climb a ladder to go inside where you can still see the charred walls from a fires in the dwelling. There are petroglyphs and carvings along the cliff. There are hiking trails into the woods of the canyon that follow Frijoles Creek. The trails take you to the imposing Alcove House ruins high in the cliff. You climb 140 Native American ladders up to the top. It is not as easy climb to the top so use your judgement if it is something you should do. We spent some time enjoying the view and catching our breath before we headed back down. This site was one I did not expect to be as interesting as it was. Its a hidden gem in the Santa Fe Area.
Santa Fe Tips
Santa Fe is a beautiful city that is very old. Its been inhabited for thousands of years. You can see the old Spanish influence throughout the city and throughout New Mexico. If you are in the area to ski take some time to learn a little about the Native American Pueblos and the areas colorful history. Santa Fe is a relatively small state capital with a population over 60,000 people so you will get a small town feel. They do have a small regional airport with service by United and American Regional aircraft (small planes) so unless you fly there you options are to go to Albuquerque and drive the hour to Santa Fe or take the train from Albuquerque. Santa Fe is the highest state capital in the United States at an elevation of over 7,000 feet so while you are there you will need time to acclimate to the elevation or do like us and take climbs and walks a little more slowly. While you are there try New Mexican food and their green and red chili sauce. Its a little different than Tex-Mex and is very tasty. It depends on the restaurant if the green or red chili is more spicy so don’t automatically think the green chili sauce is less spicy. We spent two days in the Santa Fe area and it gave us a chance to have a very good overview of the city and things in the area. There are other sites within a few hours drive we would like to see such as the Capulin Volcano National Monument you can drive to the top of and the historic Fort Union National Monument. In general costs in New Mexico are less than other areas so its a relatively affordable destination.