Denver to Santa Fe Road trip advice, early May (Colorado Springs: rental car, rental)

[Haley Wood]

I moved to Denver last summer but never made it down to Santa Fe and I really want to go. I'm changing jobs, so now is the time for a vacation. I've asked all of my friends here, but none have them have been to Santa Fe! So I'm hoping you guys can give me some advice. Is the road (I-25) safe or challenging? Do I have to worry about snow? Any dangerous/sketchy/scary parts? I looked at google maps but it's hard to tell what it is really like. It'll be me, my dog, and my cat in a rental car/van? THANKS!

[jazzlover]

I-25 to Santa Fe is a pretty straightforward drive. The highest point is Raton Pass, which occasionally can get snow in May, but it's low enough that it usually does not last long. There are some curvy parts around Raton and Glorieta passes, but nothing really "scary" unless you are a total mountain-driving wimp. Most of the drive from Raton south is out on the open plains--it can be windy at times.

You may be likely for a little culture shock once you get south of Pueblo. Most all of the towns in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico along the route to Santa Fe--Walsenburg, Trinidad, Raton, Las Vegas--are all heavily Hispanic--50-80% of the population. If you are Anglo, you will be a minority in those towns. I have some blond female business acquaintances who have had to put up with a little bit of "machismo" from some of the male locals in those towns when they traveled through there on business--nothing dangerous, but a little unnerving, I suppose.

As for Santa Fe, my opinion is that it used to be a really neat place. It still is in some ways, but it is pretty full of itself now. A friend who lived and worked there for 30+ years (and moved elsewhere as soon as he retired) refers to it as "Aspen built out of adobe." He doesn't mean that as a compliment. Pretty much caters to affluent yuppie tourists--less and less really authentic about it. If you want authentic New Mexico, those towns along the way are more likely to give you that.

I live in Colorado, but have been going to northern New Mexico for business and pleasure for about 40 years now.

PS--Don't expect to see huge amounts of green. Nearly all the way from Raton south is above 6,500-7,000 feet, so the trees may just be starting to leaf out in early May.

[vegaspilgrim]

If there's no snowstorms in the forecast an alternative is to take US-285 all the way from Denver to Santa Fe-- much more scenic than I-25. If you do I-25, the key thing is making sure you stay awake, and I mean that literally, not joking around here, especially on the stretch between Raton and Las Vegas. Extremely flat and straight road. It's still incredibly beautiful though in a subtle way:







....from my photos posted on *Anybody with NM photos?

I LOVE southern Colorado and New Mexico! Definitely have fun on your road trip. I'll probably be heading out there this summer too.

[DOUBLE H]

Whazzup, Vegas Pilgrim. Yep, I've been on that road many, many times. On VP's first photo, that little butte on the left looks like Wagon Mound hill to me. Wagon Mound is maybe 65 miles south of Raton, the town sits underneath it. Shaped like a wagon somewhat, not much going on there. An old railroad town.

You won't see 14,000 mountains in New Mexico, but once you ascend up the pass, you can catch a quick view to your right of the Culebra Peaks, part of Colorado's beautiful Sangre De Cristo range (Spanish for Blood Of Christ). Good views of those mountains can be had at the New Mexico port of entry.

Keep in mind the lack of roadside services south of Raton. Raton to Las Vegas, N.M. is a little over 100 miles. No services in Maxwell, not much in services in Springer although there is a nice truck stop that was built there several years ago a few miles north of Springer.

Make sure your car is road worthy. Was in N.M. just a few weeks ago, gas prices aren't much different than Colorado. Will be going back down there in a few weeks. Be careful driving and enjoy!

[treedonkey]

Monument Hill, about 50 miles south of Denver is the most weather-prone spot of that entire route, and it's already late enough in the year that even that should be a non-issue.

If you're looking for a little side trip, and something besides just interstate scenery, you might consider taking a detour on Hwy. 160 throught Alamosa and then down into NM into there. It will add a few hours of driving, but it will give a chance to you see some other places - like Taos and Ojo Caliente (a natural hot springs resort in NM).

[movementarian]

Sounds like good advice about the road conditions above, so I'll add some other advice.

Its been several years since I've been to Santa Fe, but the highlights are probably the museums and the food. I sort of lucked out and a bunch of museums were free on Friday evening. I'm not sure if they do that every friday - but you may want to coordinate with that if they are. It was a great way to see a lot of different things in a quick trip without paying a fortune. I remember thinking the Georgia O'Keefe musuem was really cool as was another art musuem that had all this modern art built from industrial garbage from Los Alamos. The Palace of Governors is fairly interesting as well.

Maybe people here or in the Santa Fe forum can give you good recommendations on quality New Mexican dining - I think one of the places I went was Maria's - big Margarita list. Others can probably give you the scoop on better places where the locals eat.

You may also want to check out Los Alamos. They have a nice science museum there and there are some Native American ruins that are not a far drive away. EDIT- Bandelier National Monument are the ruins I was referring to)

Also, if you have more time, you might want to visit the big Pueblo in Taos. It can often be shut down for ceremonies though so you might want to do some research on dates.

[80skeys]

I25 is totally non challenging on that stretch. There's no snow currently on that highway, and won't be unless there's a freak snowstorm when you travel.

No dangerous or scary parts. Raton pass is the only pass, but it's a low one, and I don't see how anyone could consider it scary.

The entire road (except Raton pass) is in the desert areas east of the Front Range and east of the Sangre de Cristo range.

Originally Posted by Haley Wood

I moved to Denver last summer but never made it down to Santa Fe and I really want to go. I'm changing jobs, so now is the time for a vacation. I've asked all of my friends here, but none have them have been to Santa Fe! So I'm hoping you guys can give me some advice. Is the road (I-25) safe or challenging? Do I have to worry about snow? Any dangerous/sketchy/scary parts? I looked at google maps but it's hard to tell what it is really like. It'll be me, my dog, and my cat in a rental car/van? THANKS!

[chilaili]

I did the drive (unplanned) the day after DIA reopened in December 2006. I drove from Denver to Santa Fe in my little VW Cabrio and thankfully the road was totally clear the whole way. Parts of the drive are quite bleak and the section between Pueblo and Walsenberg was a little scary as I was getting low on petrol and there are no gas stations for about half an hour. BUT the drive was spectacular and interesting and I'm sure in May it will be even more so. I really must do that trip again someday, only in the Summer and a little more prepared.

[treedonkey]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

As for Santa Fe, my opinion is that it used to be a really neat place. It still is in some ways, but it is pretty full of itself now. A friend who lived and worked there for 30+ years (and moved elsewhere as soon as he retired) refers to it as "Aspen built out of adobe." He doesn't mean that as a compliment. Pretty much caters to affluent yuppie tourists--less and less really authentic about it.

As a rare occurrence, I actually have to agree with Jazz here. There really isn't much left in Santa Fe which rings authentic of it's old western roots or even of the days when O'Keefe painted around the area... except for the landscape outside of town of course.

Still, Santa Fe is packed with vibrant art, some very good regional food (try La Fonda on the Plaza), and wonderfully landscaped gardens and parks. If you don't mind a little pretense, it makes for a great weekend getaway. There's a Trader Joe's there too, which is a big bonus for those of us who greatly miss it.

[sunsprit]

I generally figure on Denver-SantaFe as a 6 hour drive time trip via I-25 in fair weather and at posted speeds.

So, if you're not in a big hurry to make a destination in SantaFe, then it's a nicer day-long trip with the opportunities to explore places along the way, get off the highway and take a break. With a dog along, it's an opportunity to stretch your legs and give the dog a break outside the car.

I've always found it worthwhile to stop in Trinidad or Raton for a mid-day break on the trip. Both towns are very accessible from the interstate, and the "downtown" areas are very close ... a matter of minutes off the highway. It's been awhile, so I don't remember the names of the places, but I've always found pretty good family style mexican restaurants ... the genuine article, not the americanized gooey/gloppy upscale taco bell type of foodlike substances .... in those towns. You may have to be a little adventureous about this ... let your "nose" do the guiding as to which are the "real" places ... if you can't "smell" the various meats and spices from outside or around the place, it's most likely not the "real" stuff inside.

Even though it's close to your starting point, the truck stops/fuel stops just South of Monument Hill are a good first place to stretch your legs and top up your fuel ... typically, this is one of the least expensive fuel stops in the drive south. You won't be needing a lot of fuel here (maybe just a couple of gallons), but it will help further on down the road for your peace of mind to know you've got lots of fuel to make it to your mid-trip stop in an unfamilliar vehicle.

Even though a lot of traffic may be passing you, I'd suggest you watch the speed limits in the lower speed zones through Colorado Springs on I-25. There's times when the local law enforcement gets pretty aggressive about those limits ... and you don't need your trip expenses added with a momento of passing through CSprings.

I've found this trip to be more boring and just grinding out miles than any other impression in fair weather. It's an easy drive on a major interstate, although some folks don't realize that they're at altitude and it does take a bit of pressure with the right foot to maintain speed on the grades .... your vehicle may even want to downshift on some of the grades. Let it do so, and if it's "hunting" between top gear and the next lower, downshift to that lower gear and keep it there with a lighter foot on the throttle pedal until you crest the grade, then upshift again to the top gear. It's easier to maintain your steady speed this way, and easier on the vehicle, too, when climbing the grade on Raton Pass, for example.

Drive safe and have fun on your trip.