Summer and Fall Activities in Taos Ski Valley and Surrounds
Taos Ski Valley is so much more than a winter destination! As things start to warm up and the snow melts away more fun and adventure awaits! With world class hiking, rafting, fishing, art and cultural, Taos has something to offer the whole family.
Need help crafting the perfect vacation to Taos, NM? Give our friendly front desk staff a call and we’ll make reservations on your behalf or point you in the right direction!
Outdoor Adventures
Hiking– Hiking is one of the most popular summer activities in Taos Ski Valley. With stunning mountain views and perfect temps enjoy a day hiking to the top of New Mexico’s highest peak or to the gorgeous Williams Lake. For more information, including maps and current conditions, please view the hiking page on the Taos Ski Valley Chamber of Commerce website HERE.
White Water Rafting– The beautiful Rio Grande flows just 15 miles from downtown Taos and provides whitewater opportunities for everyone from the first-time rafter who just wants to get their feet wet to adrenaline junkies who want more challenging river experiences; trips range from a few hours to a few days. With lots of raft companies to choose from, we recommend Far Flung Adventures for their professionalism, their amazing guides and their YUMMY lunches! Check out their multi-sport packages as well!
Horseback Riding– Trail riding adventures for every level of rider! Step off the beaten path and experience Taos in a whole new way. Enjoy a ride on the beautiful mountain trails of the Sangre de Cristo range or on the meandering banks of the Rio Grande with experienced and knowledgeable guides. Click HERE to learn more.
Rio Grande Stables (in Taos Ski Valley)
Fishing– Both the experienced angler and the novice will find success in the rivers and streams surrounding Taos Ski Valley. Fly Fishing the Rio Hondo that winds along NM150 into Taos Ski Valley will net you native cutthroat, brown and rainbow trout. Hire a local guide or head out on your own for gorgeous mountain lakes and streams within a hour’s drive from Taos Ski Valley, such as: the Chama River, Red River, Eagle Nest Lake or the Cimarron River. Click on the links below to learn more about some of our legendary local guides.
The Solitary Angler Guide Service
Rock Climbing– Mountain Skills Rock Climbing Adventures offers guided climbing and instruction for all skill levels throughout northern New Mexico- from rock climbing in the Taos Ski Valley to the Rio Grande Gorge. If you are a first time beginner wanting to try something new; or you’re an experienced rock climber looking to hone your skills come enjoy a day on the cliffs of New Mexico. Half-day and full-day trips available. Click HERE for more information.
Scenic Chair Lift Rides @ TSV– Taos Ski Valley’s easiest and most relaxing way to escape the heat and enjoy the mountain scenery. Take in the spectacular views, blue skies and clear mountain air while riding the chairlift. At the top, experience unobstructed views of alpine peaks and abundant wildflowers. Click HERE for more information.
Green Chili Flow Trail (chairlift access mountain biking @ TSV)– Located at top of Lift 4 all the way to the bottom of the Kachina Basin the Green Chile Flow Trail is unlike anything you will find in New Mexico! Featuring 3.5 miles of buttery banked turns, and amazing scenery, the Green Chili Flow Trail is fun for the whole family! Click HERE for more information.
Via Ferrata @TSV- The Taos Ski Valley Via Ferrata, situated at the base of Kachina Peak, features beginner through advanced via ferrata route challenges, a 100-foot skybridge, and a double-cable catwalk. Novice climbers can experience the thrill of cabled mountain travel under the supervision of a guide, and progress to vertical terrain with spectacular views of the Rio Hondo and Wheeler Peak Wilderness. Click HERE for more information.
Disk Golf @ TSV– Test your skill, keep the score, enjoy the views and spend a day in the mountains. This is a great way for the whole family to take in the mountain scenery with a little friendly competition. Play is FREE and rental discs are available at area shops. Click HERE for more information.
Mountain Biking– The Taos area has some of the country’s most spectacular biking from classic road rides over mountain passes to mountain bike trails to the area’s highest peaks. Check out Northside at Taos Ski Valley for some of the best alpine mountain biking anywhere! Or, drive down to Rio Grande and enjoy an easier ride on the Horsethief Mesa Loop trail. Click HERE for more information on local mountain bike trails. Below are links to local bike shops with rentals available.
Ballooning– Imagine yourself gently gliding on the soft desert winds into the Rio Grande Gorge in the basket of a colorful hot air balloon, with the Sangre de Cristo Mountains as a backdrop. With snow covered mountains in the Winter, baby coyotes and deer in the Spring, blossoming flowers, bushes and cacti in Summer to colorful Fall foliage — there is ALWAYS majestic beauty abound! FAA certified pilots are personable and entertaining, making even the drive to the Gorge fun.
Scenic Railroad– The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad was originally constructed in 1880 as part of the Rio Grande’s San Juan Extension, which served the silver mining district of the San Juan mountains in southwestern Colorado. Today you can ride this historic railway over scenic Cumbres pass, past historic buildings, over raised trestles, through the Toltec Gorge and past abundant wildlife- it is an experience not to be forgotten. Self-guided tours of the railroad yards available.
Tennis and Swimming – There are several places in town that offer swimming and tennis fun for the whole family!
Quail Ridge Tennis and Swimming
High Altitude Health & Fitness
Golf – There are two amazing options for playing golf in area. At the south end of town you’ll find The Taos Country Club and Golf Course, a Jep Wille designed course featuring spectacular desert scenery with silver-green sage brush and challenging arroyos (Awarded 4-star rating by Gold Digest). The other option is the unique 9-hole Valle Escondido Golf Course located at 8,500 feet in a hidden valley nestled in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains just outside of Taos. The sky meets the earth for an unusual golf experience in the beautiful high country of Northern New Mexico.
Taos Pueblo– Taos Pueblo, located in Taos at the base of the sacred Taos Mountain, is the only living Native American community designated both a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and a National Historic Landmark. The multi-storied adobe buildings have been continuously inhabited for over 1000 years and the architecture of Taos Pueblo actually inspired “Pueblo Architecture” as it is known today. Taos Pueblo offers self-guided and guided tours of the Pueblo daily from 8am to 4:30pm, except when tribal religious activities require a closure of the Pueblo. More than 40 shops and galleries showcase Taos Pueblo artists. Admission and camera fees are required when you visit.
Exercise Facilities
- The Edelweiss Lodge & Spa has an exercise room with stationary machines, free weights and yoga supplies, and some machine weights available to all Edelweiss guests.
- High Altitude Training Gym – Located in the heart of Taos Ski Valley, this gym offers day passes to use their facilities with classes offered regularly throughout the winter. (575) 751-1242
- Northside Health & Fitness Center – Located on Taos’ north side near Arroya Seco and Taos Ski Valley, the Northside Health & Fitness center is open all year with complete gym with personal trainers, aerobics classes, a weight training area, as well indoor and outdoor pools, tennis courts, and childcare. Day visits available. (575) 751-1242
- Taos Spa & Tennis Club– Located on Taos’ south side, the Taos Spa and Tennis Club is open all with full training and spa facilities including indoor and outdoor pools, steam rooms, saunas, hot tubs, and even tanning beds. Day visits available.
Spa Services
- The Edelweiss Lodge & Spa has Taos Ski Valley’s premier day spa offering a range of massage therapies, body scrubs, and facials to Edelweiss guests and outside guests alike. Appointments are essential.
- Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort & Spa– Considered a sacred spot by the prehistoric Pueblo Indians who inhabited the mesas and valleys, and referred to the Spaniards as the “hot eye” of a deep volcanic aquifer. The only natural hot spring in the world with combination of five bubbling waters: iron, arsenic, lithium, soda and sodium.
Art, History, and Culture
Taos Pueblo– Taos Pueblo, a living Native American community located at the base of the beautiful Sangre de Cristo Mountain range, is at the center of the history, art and culture in Taos, NM. It is the only living Native American community designated both a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and a National Historic Landmark. The multi-storied adobe buildings have been continuously inhabited for over 1000 years- longer than anywhere other building in the United States. Experience and explore the history, triumph and tradition of the Red Willow people. Click HERE for more information.
The Greater World Earthship Community– An Earthship is a type of passive solar house that is made of both natural and upcycled materials such as, earth-packed tires, pioneered by architect Michael Reynolds right here in Taos, NM. The community includes more than 600 acres of shared land, and is fully off the grid, using solar and wind power exclusively. Greater World is very much a work in progress, with a projected 20-year plan to reach completion. The visitor center provides a glimpse inside an Earthship and insight as to how these “off the grid” homes work. Click HERE for more information.
Harwood Museum of Art– Formed in 1923 by Lucy Harwood and several members of the Taos Society of Artists, University of New Mexico’s Harwood Museum of Art is the second oldest art museum in the state of New Mexico. Boasting a permanent collection of over 1,700 works of art and 17,000 photographic images their galleries feature a wide range of Hispanic works, visual arts from the Taos Society of Artists, Taos Moderns, and contemporary artists. Click HERE for more information.
Kit Carson Museum– If you want a glimpse into the modest lifestyle of Taos’s famous frontiersmen, head to this 3-room adobe home, a block east of the Taos plaza. Built in 1825 and purchased in 1843 by Carson — the famous mountain man, Indian agent, and scout — it was a wedding gift for his young bride, Josefa Jaramillo. It remained their home for 25 years, until both died (exactly a month apart) in 1868. Click HERE for more information.
Bent House and Museum– This residence of Charles Bent, New Mexico Territory’s first American governor, offers an interesting peek into the region’s at-times brutal history. Bent, a former trader who established Fort Bent, Colorado, was murdered during the 1847 Native American and Hispanic rebellion, while his wife and children escaped by digging through an adobe wall into the house next door. The hole is still visible. Period art and artifacts are on display at the museum, located just a short block north of the plaza.
Blumenschein Museum– Home of Ernest Blumenschein, American artist and co-founder of the Taos Society of Artists. After relocating his family to the Taos in 1919 the artist and his family lived there for more than 40 years. Maintained much as it was when the artist and his family lived here, the home is filled with a superb collection of the Blumenschein family’s art, a representative sampling of works by other famous Taos artists, fine European and Spanish Colonial style antiques, and the family’s lifetime of personal possessions. The home beautifully illustrates the lifestyle of Taos artists in the first half of the twentieth century. Click HERE for more information.
Taos Art Museum at The Fechin House – The Taos Art Museum is located in the former home of Russian artist Nicolai Fechin. The museum’s primary aims are to improve awareness of the works and patronage of Taos artists and to nurture local artistic development. The collection includes approximately 300 paintings, drawings, and prints by the Taos Society of Artists founders and other Taos artists. Nearly all the members and associate members are represented in the museum. With many of the works of the Taos Society of Artists held by museums outside of New Mexico, they intend to “Bring Taos art back to Taos”. Click HERE for more information
Taos Art Galleries– Many famous artists, both past and present, have made Taos, New Mexico their home and the plethora of present day galleries and art museums are a testament to this rich history. While there are too many to list individually, an afternoon spent walking around the center of Taos will provide the opportunity to visit a wide variety of art galleries. Visit the website for the Taos Gallery Association, for a comprehensive list of local artists.
Scenic Drives– While there is no ugly way into or out of Taos, some area routes are more beautiful than others.
- The Enchanted Circle – The Enchanted Circle contains many surprises. Not the least of these, for those unfamiliar with northern New Mexico, is the diversity of the landscape. This 86-mile trip through the Southern Rocky Mountains will dispel any thoughts of New Mexico being strictly a desert state. The circle is anchored by Wheeler Peak, which at 13,161 feet is the highest crest in New Mexico. Taos is the hub of the circle and a perfect base from which to make the trip in a single day.
- The High Road to Taos – The High Road to Taos proves that the shortest way is not always the best way between two points. To travel from Santa Fe to Taos you can take the low road, which certainly has its charms or you can travel the high road, which allows you to encounter unexpected delights around practically every corner. The seasons are never more evident than when you travel the high road. The fall and spring bring bursts of color that can take your breath away. The winter brings a quite solitude that shifts life into slow motion. In the summer you feel as though you have traveled back a hundred years to a land of hay bails and grazing cattle and even buffalo.
- The Valle Vidal – Donated in 1982 by Pennzoil to the People of the United States for its outstanding wildlife and scenic values, this 100,000-acre paradise sits between Ted Turner’s Vermejo Park Ranch and Philmont Scout Reservation, in the heart of the Sangre de Cristos. Its lush forests and fragile alpine meadows are home to a component of the largest herd of elk in the state. Often called the “Yellowstone of New Mexico”, this national treasure is close to being given the full permanent protection it deserves. The Valle Vidal offers outstanding opportunities for fishing, hiking, biking and driving and can easily be visited from Taos in a day trip.
Native American Sites
- Taos Pueblo– Taos Pueblo, located in Taos at the base of the sacred Taos Mountain, is the only living Native American community designated both a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and a National Historic Landmark. The multi-storied adobe buildings have been continuously inhabited for over 1000 years and the architecture of Taos Pueblo actually inspired “Pueblo Architecture” as it is known today. Taos Pueblo offers self-guided and guided tours of the Pueblo daily from 8am to 4:30pm, except when tribal religious activities require a closure of the Pueblo. More than 40 shops and galleries showcase Taos Pueblo artists. Admission and camera fees are required when you visit.
- Bandelier National Monument– Home of the Anasazi, who are the ancient ancestors to the Pueblo Indians. Bandelier’s Visitors Center has excellent exhibits and an interpretive film on the Anasazi. Additionally there are underground kivas in the canyon floor and rooms carved out of soft volcanic rock high in the canyon walls.
Cooking Classes– Chef Chris Maher offers a range of cooking classes, private cooking parties, and wine tastings through the year in Taos. For information about regularly scheduled offerings or to contact him for custom classes or services, please contact Cooking Studio Taos.
Casinos
- Taos Mountain Casino is New Mexico’s only smoke-free casino located at the Taos Pueblo minutes from the center of town.
- Buffalo Thunder Casino located in Espanola between Santa Fe and Taos
