What to See, Eat, and Do in Taos, New Mexico
2020 has been unlike any year any of us have ever experienced (unless you were alive during the 1918 pandemic. In that case, I am honored you’re reading my blog and floored at your internet skills). Living in Texas is not something I’ve ever been particularly proud of and especially during this entire crisis. I’m pretty sure we’re the #1 “hot spot” in America right now or damn close, and it’s infuriating. We did well for the first month or so, but we opened back up way too quickly and the repercussions have sucked to say the least.
I had no hopes or dreams of going on any sort of trip for the duration of 2020 (and probably not until Q2 of 2021), but that all changed when a road trip to Taos, New Mexico was spontaneously put on my calendar for the end of June. Now, just to get this out of the way: Yes, I went with a special someone. We’ve been seeing each other since April but I’m doing something I’ve never done, which is keep it to myself. Some things are/should be sacred, and I’m practicing that with this one for as long as I can. So, this special someone decided the best way to escape the harsh reality of living in Dallas County would be to load up my Subaru and make the 11 hour drive to the mountains, and it was really hard to disagree with this logic.
I hadn’t been on a road trip that long since college, and don’t think I’ve been alone in a car with one person that long either. But it was effortless and went surprisingly fast. We listened to music, podcasts, ate snacks, called our moms—all the standard road trip stuff one does to pass the time. We left Dallas at around 9:30am and pulled up to dinner in Taos around 7:30pm (we gained an hour because of mountain time).
LODGING
I don’t know how, but my partner scored the most incredible Air BnB. It was one of several adobe-style homes on a gorgeous, incredibly secluded stretch of land. Our host’s home sat on 6 acres all by itself. It’s technically in El Prado, New Mexico which is about a 15 minute drive from Taos’ main square, and a total piece of cake. The guest house is completely detached from the main house and has an outdoor, always ready-to-go hot tub, a large patio with a grill, a double-vanity bathroom and double-shower head shower with a super deep tub, a king size bed, and all the authentic southwestern charm you could possible imagine in one home. Vivien was an incredible host—quick to respond, super helpful, and so nice. I cannot recommend her property enough. This is the direct link to the Air BnB, too! It’s truly epic.
FOOD & DRINK
Having met mid-quarantine, we have literally not been on a real date. So Taos was extra special because it meant finally enjoying dinner together outside of one our homes and, like, not being in athleisure/sweatpants/one of the 3,000 shirts of his that I’ve somehow managed to collect. As soon as we pulled in, we went to Taos Pizza Out Back and got cold beer, salads, and a huge mushroom pepperoni pizza. We sat on their charming AF patio and relished in the fact that we were out in the world, eating food together. It was wild.
The next morning, we ventured to Michael’s Kitchen, which serves full breakfasts but also has pastry cases upfront full of donuts, danishes, cinnamon buns, and all other delicious breakfast things you almost never get to indulge in, so we went that route. We grabbed a blueberry cream cheese danish and a green chile and cheese croissant that honestly made me see the light of God. It was incredible. We passed the two back and forth (both pretending we didn’t want the green chile one more) and then went on our merry way to our first hike (which I’ll talk about in the hiking section of this post).
We also ventured to one of the local wineries, Vivac. They had just reopened, which we found was the case for so many places in Taos. We got really lucky with the timing of this trip; Taos (unlike other US cities and states we won’t mention (Dallas, Texas)) has actually been quarantining since March and were just starting to ease back into things when we were there (end of June/first week of July). After our first hike, we drove straight to the winery and got a table outside. They usually have a small food menu up for grabs, but had done away with that and were offering pre-packaged meats, cheese, and crackers which was perfect and so cute. We got a bottle at their walk-up window along with all the snacks and set up camp under a big red umbrella in the vineyard. Fun fact: The wind picked up so bad at one point, it straight up LIFTED the umbrella out and up like some Mary Poppins shit and everyone outside (there were like 3 tables) started screaming and I, tipsily, was trying to run after it and catch it before it hurt anyone. It was a scene.
For dinner the first night, the patio at a local Mexican joint, La Cueva Cafe, was open so we decided on a whim to grab some grub. While waiting in line for a table (at a safe distance and with masks on), we chatted up an older couple from Montana who was making the 29437234 hour drive to Argyle, Texas to see their daughter and grandchildren, which sounds really sweet until the woman said indignantly through her face mask, “I don’t think these are required.” At first, we thought she was talking about the restaurant but quickly realized she meant in general, in life. She then followed it up with “It’s just the flu.” I proceeded to share my best friend’s story about her daughter, herself, and her husband getting COVID-19, which still didn’t move them but at least we walked away with a new inside joke (we growl “It’s just the fucking flu” to each other now). Anyway, the food was GREAT! The margaritas were GREAT. I got the shrimp enchiladas pictured below. It was just really good, straightforward, no gimmicks Mexican, and a damn delight. Highly recommend.
On the second day after one of our hikes, we treated ourselves to burgers and beer at Taos Burger Stand and y’all… it was perfect. If you do anything in Taos, challenge yourself mentally and physically to a hike then immediately reward your body and brain with a burger and beer from The Burger Stand. The inside was closed and the menu was limited, but it had every offering you could want. The green chile cheese fries are so good, and the ice cold Nuevo beer hit the spot and then some.
The second night was the big night. We had reservations to sit inside a restaurant and dine (truly unheard of in 2020). Again, meeting someone mid-quarantine automatically ruled out true dates out on the town, so this was a big deal. It’s a restaurant called medley. that’s actually a little outside of Taos and 3 minutes from the Air BnB we stayed at. They were offering 50% capacity dining with tables spaced 6 feet apart (I made the reservation like 2 weeks before we went), which we felt great about. The pics aren’t stellar because I had my old phone and was probably shaking from excitement. What you see here is a proscuitto/burrata appetizer, a ribs, baked beans, and green chile mac and cheese entree, and the best tiramisu dessert I’ve ever had (that’s coffee-flavored shaved ice).
Unadulterated excitement, with lipstick smears from eating to prove it
The last night, we picked up steaks and what not from the local grocer, Cid’s, and made ourselves a homemade dinner on the back deck to be envied. It was truly the perfect meal to end a perfect trip.
HIKING
ELLIOT BARKER TRAIL
The Elliot Barker trail was the first hike we did. It’s a little ways outside of Taos (most of the hikes are), and I can’t say it had the best views. Reaching the crest is kinda anti-climatic, but the hike itself is beautiful and insanely peaceful. We didn’t see one other soul on the trail, it was wild. There were tons of Aspen trees around and it was a workout of a hike, clocking in at 7.6 miles round trip. As soon as we got back down, we headed straight for wine and cheese. Then, on the way back, we drove past the Rio Grande River and spontaneously decided to change into the swimsuits we brought and take a dip, which was unforgettably magical and lovely.
MANBY HOT SPRINGS
The second adventure we went on was to the Manby Hot Springs. To get there, you’re advised to take Tune Drive, which is a completely unpaved, rocky terrain of road. If you’ve got a car that can handle it, by all means. We were in my Outback who’s only ever seen the city, so we decided to put her into X-Mode (that’s a real mode in my car) and let her do what she is meant to do, and it was WILD. Tune Drive in Taos, New Mexico is seriously bumpy and you need 4-wheel or all wheel drive to conquer it. If you don’t have the right kind of car, there’s an alternate route that’s just as good. It’ll just take you a little longer to hike down to the springs. Once you’re at the hot springs, you park in a little lot at the peak and hike your way down to the springs and the Rio Grande River. The hike is super short—about a mile—but it’s SUPER rocky, so watch your step! The views on the way down are stunning. You can see forever!
The hot springs themselves were like the perfect luke warm bath temperature, which felt incredible to be in quite literally in the middle of nature. We put our feet in the river, too, and even struck up conversation with a few people. We would’ve stayed longer if we had packed food and whatnot, but we wanted to get back to town to eat burgers. Highly recommend spending an afternoon here! Just bring food, water/drinks (a cooler), towels, etc.
WILLIAMS LAKE/WHEELER’S PEAK
The literal pinnacle of our trip was this hike. Wheeler’s Peak is the highest mountain in New Mexico, standing at 13,000 feet above sea level. To put that into perspective, Dallas is 430’. FOUR HUNDRED AND THIRTY. Taos is already at almost 7,000’, so you’re tacking on about 6,000 more by hiking up to the peak here. Truth be told, we weren’t even sure we were going to hike it. Our initial plan was to do the 2.2 mile hike to Williams Lake, then see how we felt. I personally wanted to do the Williams Lake hike then head back to the main ski resort area and grab a beer and lunch at The Bavarian Restaurant that had literally just reopened that very day. So off we went to reach the lake. The hike was what I’d call moderate—you definitely work up a sweat and a lot of folx had hiking poles. It took us about an hour to reach the lake, and my god it was stunning. It truly felt like I was on a movie set. Everything was pristine, quiet, seemingly untouched. It was like we had found the Promised Land or just straight up heaven.
Being in this setting suddenly made the idea of hurrying back for beer and food seem silly. With probably a little too much enthusiasm, we literally said “Fuck it. Let’s climb Wheeler’s Peak,” and set off to do just that. Now, once you hit Williams Lake, you’re already 11,000 feet above sea level so the going’s only going to get tougher as you head toward the peak. The Wheeler’s Peak hike is not only essentially on a steep incline for 2,000 feet, but you are quite literally hiking over rocky terrain. You are far above the trees—you’re in the clouds. The altitude is no joke, and neither is the reality of how high up you actually are, both of which we learned the hard way.
When we had cleared all the trees and were literally up so high there was snow, panic set in. The altitude quickly hit my partner, hard. He’s a very tall naturally athletic dude, but altitude doesn’t discriminate. What energy he had left was quickly draining, he was becoming a little dizzy, and our quick breaks along the hike were becoming more frequent. Physically, I was fine. Do I think that has a lot to do with the work I’ve been putting in with my personal trainer? 100%. Mentally, though, I was living a different story. I’m not scared of heights. My legs get a little wobbly, but I don’t have a true fear of being up high. However, Wheeler’s Peak was a different story. At one point, I knew I could no longer look down or I’d lose it. I had to begin self-talk. “You can do this. It’s just a hike. It wouldn’t be open if it was that dangerous. Look at these people up ahead or descending! They’re doing it! They did it! You can do it, too.” But every time we took a quick break, I had time to think about the inevitable climb back down. On our very last break when we figured we had to be 10 minutes from the peak, a group passed us and shouted encouraging words. “You got it! Only 45 minutes left!” We looked at each other—him with Hot & Spicy Cashew remnants (one of our only lasting provisions) clinging to his facial hair for dear life, me welling up with fear millisecond by millisecond. I started to cry. “Look at me!” he demanded. “Look at me. It’s okay. We don’t have to keep going.” “It’s just,” I blubbered. “We’re so high. We’re so high up. And we have to go down.” We both sat there, letting the internal battle of being able to say we made it to the peak or calling it quits rage inside of us. “Let’s turn around. I’m calling it,” he said. Music to my ears.
But ya know, I’m still proud of us. We made it so far. We were so close yet so far away, and I’m thankful we turned around when we did because I don’t know how the hell we would’ve made it back down if something had happened to either one of us. People do this hike every day and conquer it; I know we could’ve, too if we had been a bit more prepared. Next time, though. Next time, we’ll meet the peak.
And that, my friends, was Taos. It was hands down one of the best trips I’ve ever taken. I’m tempted to say the best if for no other reason than I got to travel during the shit show of a year 2020 has been. It’s all been so unexpected, and I am eternally grateful. Fun fact: Halfway into our drive back to Dallas, New Mexico announced they’re no longer allowing out-of-towners into the state without requiring a 14-day quarantine once you get there. To say we lucked out in every way with this trip is an understatement; it’s not lost on us how special this adventure really was. I hope you get to visit Taos some day soon and do all the things we did. I cannot wait to go back!
xox,
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