If you’re heading to the enchanted circle of New Mexico and it’s not ski time, you can definitely do it in 2-3 days. I originally wrote a post covering skiing as well but if you’re not there to ski, then you don’t have to spend as much time. Here’s how to do 3 perfect days in the area, when you’re not there to ski.
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Top Travel Resources
After decades of traveling, there’s 3 companies I tend to use over and over and recommend to everyone:
How to Spend 3 Days in the Enchanted Circle New Mexico Travel
Top Tip:
Download the audio guide for Santa Fe to your phone
so you know what you’re seeing when you see it!
The Enchanted Circle: 3 Day Itinerary
To start you off and for those of you who don’t know, here’s a map of the Enchanted Circle New Mexico. You’ll start at Eagle Nest, then go to Angel Fire, Taos, Arroyo Seco, and Red River. We did a lot of driving back and forth as it’s not that far, which you’ll see in our itinerary below as well.
Red River ended up being where we spent the bulk of our time, but spent the night in Arroyo Seco, which is completely doable. You don’t have to pack up each day.
Day 1: Taos Town, Angel Fire, Arroyo Seco
On our drive into New Mexico, we spent a few hours in the town of Taos and loved it, it has lovely shops and friendly people. I definitely recommend spending at least a few hours here. What we didn’t do, but what I’m recommending, is that you stop by Angel Fire as well.
I didn’t decide until later in the trip that I wanted to hit all the areas, so we missed this one, but it would be easy to add-on your first day if you’re going the same way as the map above.
Day 2: Off-Roading in Red River
This was my absolute favorite day. We were a little bummed that the area didn’t have a lot of snow, but this meant that there were more accessible roads. There are two main drives we did: Greenie Peak and Cabresto Lake. They connect as well if you don’t want to go back the same way you came. We went from Red River to Greenie Peak, to Bonito Canyon, Cabresto Lake and then back to Red River.
Greenie Peak is the highest point in New Mexico that you can drive to so it is well worth it. It also had the roughest road so was the most fun. The other two are great little side trips that don’t take long. Before you go off-roading, pop into the visitor center in Red River for a detailed map of the area.
Day 3: Gorge Bridge, Drive Halfway Home
I wanted to see the Taos Ski area at very minimum, so we drove over there first thing in the morning. To be honest, there’s not much going on there, especially early in he morning. There are a couple of cute shops and the skiing is supposed to be some of the steepest in the world. Thus, if you’re a hard-core skier, this is probably where you want to go.
Personally, I preferred Red River as a town. Then we went over to the Rio Grand Gorge Bridge before heading out for our drive home. The Gorge is definitely worth going to and easy to see, don’t miss it if you’re in the area.
Places to Stay in the Enchanted Circle New Mexico
We spent every night in Arroyo Seco and loved it. It’s a good location to be able to get around the entire circle without having to move hotels. This is one of the cutest little towns I’ve ever seen. It’s got a couple of restaurants and an ice cream and coffee shop that we hit daily. We stayed in the Adobe Stars Bed & Breakfast and it was fantastic. The breakfast was great, the room was lovely, and the people were friendly. I’d definitely recommend.
Where to Eat
Everywhere we ate in New Mexico was great. Here’s where we ate:
Wood-fired Pizza (we wanted some good but quick): Pizanos
Authentic New Mexican: Orlando’s. Get there as soon as they open as they don’t take reservations and get busy early. We were there 15 min after they opened for dinner and it was already crowded.
Also get great Coffee and Ice Cream (they also sell soup and sandwiches) at Taos Cow
