On the basis of worthwhile stops per mile, the High Road – 70 miles winding between Santa Fe and Taos, New Mexico – might be the best short road trip in the United States.
It has dramatic and varied geography, from low deserts and sun-baked pastures to piney mountain passes, wide sandstone cliffs, and river valleys dotted with tin-roofed shacks. Moreover, it features traditional crafts shops, modern galleries, old churches, and hole-in-the-wall cafés. Above all, the High Road has a palpable sense of history and tradition, with Native American pueblos and Spanish villages coexisting.
Chimayó
Chimayó, the first of many tiny Spanish villages in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, is a grade-A High Road highlight. The 200-year-old Santuario de Chimayó is the most famous stop on the High Road, known as the most important pilgrimage site in the United States. In the pocito, a room off the altar, there’s a small, round pit filled with tierra bendita, or holy dirt, purported to possess healing properties. The faithful come to rub the dirt on themselves; travelers often visit the gift shop to purchase a vial of it. Inside the prayer room, discarded canes, braces, and wheelchairs seem to validate the miracles attributed to the Santuario. Be mindful that photography is prohibited inside.
There aren’t many restaurants along the High Road, and certainly none as acclaimed as Rancho de Chimayó. This family-owned restaurant has been serving traditional New Mexican fare in an adobe home near the Santuario for over 50 years. Signature dishes include carne adovada, a tender pork stew, and sopaipilla relleno, a puffed pastry stuffed with meat, rice, and beans. You can’t leave without trying Chimayó’s famous red chile sauce.
After dining, explore two prime examples of Chimayó’s centuries-old crafting tradition. Ortega’s Weaving, a ninth-generation weaving shop and gallery, is located just before the SR-76 junction. On the way out of Chimayó, visit the hacienda-style Oviedo Gallery, run by an eighth-generation descendant of a Spanish woodcarving family. Most of Oviedo’s traditional woodcarvings and contemporary bronze sculptures are priced below $100.
Córdova
Córdova’s claim to fame lies in a rare style of woodcarving pioneered by José Dolores López in the early 20th century: unpainted, intricately carved, and following the wood’s natural grain and knots to form unusual shapes. You can purchase santos (saints) at the studio of José’s granddaughter, Sabinita – just look for the simple white sign for ‘Sabinita López Ortiz Woodcarving Shop’ off CR-80.
After about four miles on NM-76, you’ll come across Los Llanitos Cemetery, whose colorful flowers and ornate decorations give it an almost celebratory vibe. Two royal-blue wrought-iron motorcycles guard a special marked-off grave.
Truchas
Robert Redford chose to film The Milagro Beanfield War here, and you can understand why. The drive into Truchas offers spectacular views of the Rio Grande basin and the snow-capped Truchas Peaks to the east. The village itself feels like a place where time has passed, with run-down buildings pressed against narrow streets.
In recent years, Truchas has attracted artists drawn to its remote, quintessentially New Mexican beauty. Numerous galleries are clustered along CR-75, including Hand Artes Gallery (folk art), Judith Hert (abstract paintings), and Sally Delap-John (watercolors). A good one-stop shop is High Road Art Gallery, featuring an eclectic mix of handmade, locally produced artworks priced lower than comparable items in Santa Fe or Taos.
Trampas
The village of Trampas, established in 1751, now holds the status of a National Historic District. Its small plaza is anchored by the Church of San José de Gracia, a well-preserved Spanish colonial-style church completed in 1776. A small stand on the plaza offers souvenirs and fresh fruit. The church welcomes visitors on weekends.
Peñasco
As you drive into Peñasco, the green building adorned with vivid murals is hard to miss. This charming establishment houses the cozy Sugar Nymphs Bistro, serving ‘city cuisine’ – think goat cheese salad, vegetarian egg scramble, and triple-layer chocolate cake – all made with locally sourced ingredients, set in a ‘country atmosphere.’
The final third of the High Road winds through the high elevations of Carson National Forest. Nine miles from Peñasco, on the east side of SR-518, there’s a scenic overlook. Take a moment to sit on the single weathered bench, admire the view, and digest your meal before navigating the upcoming switchbacks.
Pot Creek Cultural Site
Seven hundred years ago, Pot Creek Pueblo was home to nearly a thousand Anasazi people living in a large adobe compound, reminiscent of Taos Pueblo. Although most of the abandoned pueblo lies on private land, the adjacent Pot Creek Cultural Site is open to visitors from June to September. Walk the one-mile loop trail to witness ancient pottery, stone artifacts, and the ruins of three adobe dwellings, including one that has been restored, showcasing an eight-room home and an Anasazi kiva.
Talpa
Talpa is the last village on the High Road before reaching Taos. There’s not much to see beyond a charmingly tiny church, perhaps 15 feet tall, featuring an impressive name: Nuestra Señora de San Juan de los Lagos del Rio Chiquito. The church isn’t open to visitors, yet its rounded bell tower and blue-tiled entrance are worth a glance.
Taos
Only four miles south of Taos lies the High Road’s most iconic church, the San Francisco de Asís, completed in 1815. The church’s adobe exterior exhibits an almost alien rounded smoothness; yet, when you look closer, bits of straw poke through the dry, cracked mud, glistening in the sun like flecks of gold. Each June, in a project named enjarre, or ‘mudding,’ volunteers and parishioners re-plaster the six-foot-thick walls in adobe. Be sure to stroll around to the rear of the church – a favorite perspective for artists Georgia O’Keeffe and Ansel Adams – to view its unique beehive-like buttresses.
