The Low Road From Taos and Santa Fe
The Low Road From Taos and Santa Fe
4.5
What is Travelers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Top ways to experience nearby attractions
The area
Best nearby
Restaurants
87 within 3 miles
Attractions
94 within 6 miles
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
407 reviews
Excellent
225
Very good
146
Average
30
Poor
4
Terrible
2
Gouvernail
New orleans238 contributions
Feb 2020
Driving through the gorge is spendid with the views of the Rio Grande. Near Taos at one of the passes, one can look down on the gorge as it winds northely toward the bridge on US64 and beyond.. There is a good visitor station in the gorge, just off the highway as well as a couple of wineries and stables.
Written March 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Allan S
New York City, NY7,083 contributions
Nov 2021 • Couples
The twisting road north of Edison lake is really
Wonderful to see in the fall. The changing colors, the gas tank museum. The artist town of Dixon are all very relative. Love the road snd the small farm stands and trinket shops make it memorable. We careful of the road especially or night as turns are sharp snd there are rock falls. It is a great ride however with numerous places to stop
Wonderful to see in the fall. The changing colors, the gas tank museum. The artist town of Dixon are all very relative. Love the road snd the small farm stands and trinket shops make it memorable. We careful of the road especially or night as turns are sharp snd there are rock falls. It is a great ride however with numerous places to stop
Written November 7, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
a w
17 contributions
Oct 2021
Passengers can enjoy the scenery but drivers better watch the winding road. Aspen, in fall yellow, are scenic contrast to background of rocks and less colorful brush. There are pull-offs for viewing and photography. Locals tend to drive fast.
Written October 18, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ErikaT75
Laurel, MD50 contributions
Jan 2022
Listen I don't do heights well. But, I drove the low road from Santa Fe to Taos. It's a beautiful drive but I think "low road" is misleading....ha! It's very curvy after Espanola (they were working on the road there). We stopped at the visitors center and signed the guestbook. Also, stopped at a pulloff to enjoy the Rio Grande. I couldn't really appreciate the gorge because I was driving and coming back I was just nervous because of the curve (again...lol) We didn't do the high road coming back because we were pressed for time to get back to Santa Fe. I do want to experience that road at some point...I won't be driving though.
FYI--The locals know the road, so they drive fast. I was barely doing the speed limit (55), so I pulled over a few times to let folks pass.
FYI--The locals know the road, so they drive fast. I was barely doing the speed limit (55), so I pulled over a few times to let folks pass.
Written May 10, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mjcor
Malabar, FL203 contributions
Mar 2021
Wedged between a steep mountain slope and the Rio Grande River, the low road between Santa Fe and New Mexico is a pleasure to experience. Access to the river are numerous, so are outlook points and photo opportunities. Little towns like Dixon offer surprises like fresh pizza at the co-op in Dixon, vineyards nearby and even a microbrewery. Then there is the eclectic gas pump museum and wonderful sculpture shop with Mexican art.
But it is imposing mountains and twists that make this a driver's delight!
But it is imposing mountains and twists that make this a driver's delight!
Written March 21, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lois V
1 contribution
Aug 2023 • Family
The Low Road is a Nice drive to take from Taos to Santa Fe after taking the High Road to get there. Wide open road with distant mountain vistas and lots of blue sky. A must stop along the way back to Santa Fe is the quirky old mining town of Madrid. Colorful, fun and also quite hot in August!
Written September 1, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TravelerTrecker
Houston830 contributions
Oct 2021
This another very nice road in new Mexico! The scenery is beautiful and there are many places where you can stop to take pictures. Very safe! I took the high road from Santa Fe to Taos and I went back through the low road. I like both. They are different. The high road is more spectacular; the load road has more places were to stop and take pictures. Both are ideal for convertible cars!
Written July 10, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
msa23_2000
Chino Hills, CA1,477 contributions
Jul 2020
Took the high road from Santa Fe to Taos and returned on the low road. I think this gets a bad rap. The views are spectacular and the teenagers in the family enjoyed this route better than the high road. Definitely take this route either up or back.
Written July 13, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MikeB1952
Santa Fe, NM1,182 contributions
Feb 2020
I never tire of the drive from Santa Fe to Taos. We recently drove this way on our way to Colorado. As usual, the drive to Taos was wonderful. Beginning in Santa Fe with the pinon/juniper covered hills. Then transitioning to the orange bluffs of Pojaque and high desert at Espanola. From Espanola onward, the road hugs the Rio Grande and goes into the canyon. The canyon walls with their dark volcanic rock rise on either side with the Rio Grande in the middle. Often there are houses and small communities along the way. It goes that way until the road slowly winds away from the river and up onto the mesa above. It’s only there that the Rio Grande Gorge is visible. A crack in the earth. Both sides level plains. Then there in the midst of the mesa is the rift. As if a piece of bread has been torn apart. Almost hard to believe. And the full extent of the Rio Grande Gorge isn’t apparent until walking over the bridge which we did later. Always a treat to drive to Taos
Written February 24, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bob J
Southport, NC925 contributions
Jul 2021
We took the low road from Santa Fe up to Taos. It's the fastest route and runs in the gorge along the winding river. It's a pretty drive and the finale is when you climb up to the top of the mesa. We'll be taking the high road back to Santa Fe.
Written July 15, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We will not have a car in Santa Fe . What is the best way to get to Taos from Santa Fe if you can’t drive?
Written March 26, 2022
There is a bus called THE BLUE BUS.
Written March 27, 2022
What is the actual Hwy # of the Low Road route? Mapping out a trip for September 2020.
Written February 8, 2020
Good afternoon. We are planning a trip to New Mexico in September/October and want to take the "low road" from Santa Fe to Taos. Most seem to do the low road from Taos back to Santa Fe. I cannot find a map with the route and was hoping you could help.
Written January 31, 2020
We used Googe Maps to start and then signs on the raod... Google Maps was not always clear and we could not connect a couple times, so once we started we just used road signs.
Written February 6, 2020
We will be driving from Taos to Santa Fe at the end of this month (September). One place we really want to visit is Chimayó. I was originally thinking we would follow the low road then take a side trip to Chimayó and back and then down 84 to Santa Fe. Can you please tell me if this is the route you would recommend for scenery and taking photos or should we drive from Taos to Dixon (Low Road) then cross over towards Peñasco and down through Trampas and Chimayó, rejoining the low road at Española? I'm hoping this would give us a taste of the best of both routes. We are visiting from Europe and we are unlikely to return to the area to fit in the parts we can't get to this time. We are looking forward to visiting New Mexico for the first time.
Written September 23, 2019
Both roads are beautiful and worth driving, you cant go wrong really
Written September 29, 2019
Which road is better the High road or low road if one is limited in time traveling from Santa Fe to Taos?
Written August 17, 2019
I vote for the high road. But it would be a personal preference. I like the mountain scenery.
Written August 26, 2019
Is this road suitable for an RV? I saw a mention of dirt roads..
Thank you
Written August 13, 2017
Are there towns we should go into on both high low roads? Is there an area where local goods are sold at a reasonable cost?
Written January 25, 2017
There are two traditional long-standing weaving shops in Chimayo--Ortega's (bigger one) and Trujillo's which I prefer because it's smaller, family-owned and staffed, and more personal.
Written January 29, 2017
Is there a route number for the high-low roads to and from Taos
Written January 13, 2017
Head north on US 84/285 and turn right on NM 503 where the "High Road" to Taos begins. Take NM 503 to NM 76. Follow NM 76 to Chimayó, a traditional weaving village with galleries featuring work by award-winning weavers. Here you'll find the 19th-century Santuario de Chimayó, known as the "Lourdes of the Southwest". it attracts thousands of pilgrims each year, especially on Good Friday of Easter week, seeking the "miraculous dirt" on church property rumored to have healing powers.
Continue on NM 76 through the towns of Cordova, Truchas and Ojo Sarco which all have great galleries selling woodcarvings, pottery, rugs and other local arts and crafts. In Las Trampas, San Jose de Gracia de las Trampas, an 18th-century mission church, is one of New Mexico's best-preserved examples of Spanish Colonial architecture. Pick up NM 518 at Peñasco and wind your way through the Carson National Forest to US 68 at Ranchos de Taos. Here you'll see the famous San Francisco de Asis Church which has been photographed and painted by many artists. Drive into Taos and explore museums, galleries, shops, restaurants and the historic Taos Pueblo.
When you're all shopped out and ready to head back to Santa Fe, take the "Low Road". Drive on NM 68 following the Rio Grande as it drops dramatically from a broad mesa into a narrow canyon. Out the window, you may be lucky enough to see river rafters and kayakers who are often on this part of the river where several miles of churning waters offer thrilling rides. Make a quick visit to Embudo, a historic railroad stop before continuing your journey through farmland dotted with roadside stands offering seasonal chile, fruit and other locally-grown foods. Turn south on US 84/285 at Española and return to Santa Fe.
Written January 23, 2017
Hi
I'm in Santa fe and going to Taos. We decided to take the low road. Can you please make some suggestions of what to do or go on the way there.
Written June 18, 2016
Showing results 1-10 of 14
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing