2 day weekend in Santa Fe

Summary

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Santa Fe and the surrounding area are a wonderful place that's perfect for a weekend visit, especially if you have access to a direct flight to Albuquerque or Santa Fe.

Day 1: Santa Fe

There's plenty to see (and eat!) in Santa Fe for one day, and many guides. To avoid rehashing a things-to-do tourist guide and I'll focus mostly on food.

Quick morning hike - a sunrise hike overlooking Santa Fe.  The air is wonderfully crisp in summer.  The hike is also a nice workout to help sample more foods. 

Morning farmers' market - On weekends there is a farmers market worth stopping by. Look for biscochitos, a local butter-type cookie (it's classically made with lard, not butter) with cinnamon, anise, and sugar. It's also declared the New Mexico state cookie. Celina's Biscochitos is a well-known seller, usually at the markets, and makes them in several flavors.  You can stop by their bakery in Alburqurue to/from the airport.

Breakfast - I highly recommend having blue corn piñon pancakes.  They're a far superior variant of the classic American buttermilk pancake that highlights local ingredients. The combination of blue corn and piñon seeds (pine nuts from the piñon pine) gives a much earthier and nuttier taste. I had a great version at La Plazuela in La Fonda hotel. 

Lunch - look for carne adovada, which is pork that has been simmered in red chile for several hours. I had a decent version at Atrisco Cafe.  There are two important New Mexico meal accompaniments to know:

• Chile - Every meal will basically offer choice of a red and green chile; this is classic to New Mexico. Try them both and pick your favorite. I preferred the green chile, which is usually made with regional hatch chiles, often fire-roasted. I stopped at a supermarket on my way to the airport to buy jars of green chile to take home - the Cervantes brand of hot green chile salsa was very good! 
• Sopaipillas - This is the carb / eating vessel of the region. And it is versatile. Eat it with food, like a tortilla. Sprinkle cinnamon and/or honey and have it for dessert.  These were delicious, so make sure to try them wherever you go, as everyone made them differently. Some places made them too greasy for my taste.

Dinner - I suggest tamales or enchiladas with a small side of posole. Again, teh I found the posole to be a bit heavy and And for drinks, try a spicy margarita (with local chili powder, of course.)

More food choices - There is still more local food you can eat - burritos, stuffed sopaipillas, green chili burgers - so definitely check out a food guide and plan out how you can sample it over your trip.

I also recommend looking for Pueblo baked goods, which are baked in an outdoor adobe oven (horno). Look for Pueblo bread and Pueblo cookies; they are actually hard to find. I found both at the Black Mesa Travel Center restaurant (a rest stop between Albuquerque and Santa Fe); their cookies were good but their bread was not.  It seems like the bread can be found in Albuquerque. 

Activities - I think two must-dos in Santa Fe are the Georgia O'Keeffe museum and walking through the Stations of the Cross Sculpture Garden outside the Cathedral Basilica.   Note both have limited hours. 

Hotel - I had a nice stay at the La Fonda, which had a very good on-site restaurant and was well-located in downtown Santa Fe, next to the Cathedral Basilica and comfortably a couple of blocks from the Plaza. It was easy to get nearby street parking to avoid the hotel's very expensive parking fees.

Day 2: A scenic circle route around Santa Fe

I assembled a fantastic one-way (circular) scenic driving route around Santa Fe. From Santa Fe, take highway 84 north, to 502 west, to 4 west, to 550 south, then 25 north back to Santa Fe. I think this counter-clockwise direction is best as it is a long day, and there is not much on the last two highways, and easy to drive near/after sundown. So let's get started:

Stop 1: Anderson Overlook on Highway 502

This is a beautiful overlook and a quick, safe stop along the highway.  The highway also offers a grand entrance to the overlook, as the road is curvy, progressively gains elevation, and the scenery becomes more spectacular.  The view of the mesas are very unique.

Stop 2: Santa Fe National Forest hike near Los Alamos

This is a fun, small trail system, the Deer Trap Mesa Trail, accessible from a neighborhood on the northern edge of Los Alamos.  The trail can be adapted to fit your desired length. I did not do the "full" trail, but about a mile each way to a very nice overlook of mesas and canyons.

There are a few other things (e.g., museums) that are in Los Alamos for tourists, although I didn't do anything else. The town is small so looking at places through Google Maps will be enough to see what's around.

Stop 3: Bandelier National Monument

Bandelier preserves ancient homes of Ancestral Puebloans (hence the national monument status).  It is also an area of rich geographic features and biodiversity.  Bandelier sits on the edge of the Valles Caldera, a dormant volcanic caldera (we'll get there in the next stop) - below is some more info from the National Park service.

The park entrance is at the higher elevation. There's a canyon overlook close to the entrance; I recommend stopping there, especially to see the canyon and where the monument sits. The park road then goes down into the canyon floor, to the visitors' center. From the visitor's center, take the easy Pueblo Loop trail to see the sights. At the end of the trail, cross the river and return through a more vegetated part of the park.  This area also has many informational signs about vegetation and wildlife in the area.  This is all very relaxing, fun, and informative! 

There is a restaurant next to the visitors' center that serves pretty good food and is a good stop for lunch.  I had their green chile burger.  There are also other trails available in the park that are more strenuous.

Stop 4: Valles Caldera National Preserve

Driving west and south from Bandelier, the scenery changes completely, from desert, mesas, and rocks, to lush, green, rolling hills. 

These rolling hills are actually volcanic domes that are long-dormant. It's really a spectacular sight, not to be missed. It seems like what Haleakalā National Park in Maui will look like in tens of thousands of years.  (I had actually walked the X hike in Haleakalā less than a month prior, so I was amazed by the parallels between these two parks!)

The interactive National Parks map of Bandelier shows the Valles Calderas area: click here.  The caldera is on the northwest side of the map. I encourage stopping at the "stop" or "highway pullouts" to soak in the sights. You can then drive further into the park at the signed entrance, to be a bit more surrounded and inside the caldera. 

Stop 5: Red Rocks near Jemez Pueblo

Our original plan was to take a short hike through the aptly-named Red Rock trail, but we arrived too late. Instead we parked and enjoyed the scenery for a few minutes. Be aware a permit may be required to walk on the trail, which can be purchased at the nearby visitor center. The area is actively patrolled so don't be fined and buy the permit. 

End: Return to Santa Fe.

Other ideas for a longer trip

This guide assumes a normal 2 day weekend in Santa Fe.  There is more to do if more time is allocated. Some ideas:

• Taos - There are some things to do near Taos, like hiking New Mexico's highest peak, enjoying natural hot springs, and self-meditative monastery stays.
• Trains - It's possible to arrive or depart via Amtrak. See the getting here section.  In any case, there's also a local train, the New Mexico Rail Runner, between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, that parallels the highway.  There is nice scenery along this route, but drivers can't enjoy it, as there are no scenic/lookout points, and people drive VERY fast (>80mph common) on this stretch.
• Events in Santa Fe - Check the calendar for local events, e.g. the Santa Fe Opera is well-known and runs July and August. 

How to get here

• I visited in June 2024.
• Air - Albuquerque (ABQ) is the closest city with widespread and cheaper flights.  There is a small regional airport in Santa Fe (SAF), and an airport with JSX service in Taos (TSM).  I flew to/from Albuquerque and rented a car at the airpot
• Train - Albuquerque may be reasonably reached by Amtrak from Los Angeles on a well-timed overnight train from Los Angeles, believe it or not. The daily Southwest Chief departs Los Angeles at ~5pm and arrives Albuquerque at ~11am.  
• Click for packing and preparation tips.  I can also help you plan your trip.