I am looking for suggestions for lodging, food, sightseeing, particular scenic routes on the drive. I tentatively booked a room in Santa Fe as we are getting to Albuquerque late afternoon on a Sunday and I would like to explore Bandolier the next day, then continue on and spend a night somewhere on route and then maybe see Mesa Verde the next day and head to Telluride. Anyone from the area or who has traveled in the area have any tips, must sees, must eat or drink?
Yeah, but right now they are all in Ramah. Check this thread again after the weekend!
Have a great trip! :thumbsup
Auntie Hope :festivarian2 :green
On one of my trips, I stopped for the night in Dolores. It’s really pretty around there, especially north of town. The motels are cheap and there’s this one REALLY old bar (the Dolores Bar?) that was a very friendly place.
Durango is nice, too, and has MUCH more to do, with shopping and good restaurants (usually only live music on weekends). Check out the Strator Hotel if ya go - TWO nice bars there. You can whitewater raft on the Animas (guide companies are everywhere) and fishing can be great (though MUCH better at the world-class trout waters of the Say Juan River outside of Bloomfield NM). From Durango, there are 3 ways to get to T-ride, all gorgeous. The first, over the mountain pass, can be tough, even for 4-wheel drives, and there might still be plenty of snow. The second, going north, is a little longer than the third, but you get to go thru some beautiful tourist-y towns after passing the ski area. The third goes over an easy pass through beautiful areas. There’s a little cutoff at Mancos to Dolores - take it and save some time. From Dolores north is wonderful (got a fly rod? You’ll want to jump out of your car every mile or two!).
HOWEVER…if you’re in Santa Fe instead of leaving form Albuquerque, you’ll be heading up through Pagosa Springs. The mineral baths there are worth a trip - if you don’t have a lot of time there, at least take a tour of the place. There’s lots of shopping in town, and some decent restaurants (avoid the pretty Mexican place that overlooks the river - I’ve never had good luck there).
Another way to go is from Santa Fe to Cuba (on 550). Follow the signs to Los Alamos and cut thru the National Labs (watch for the nukes!) to the Jemez Mountains. Again, just gorgeous, tho SLOW (switchbacks and tourists). Just before the town of Jemez Springs is the “Soda Dam”. You’ll smell it before you see it, but it’s kinda a nice place to check out. Lots of little shops in JS, then a beautiful drive through 2 Native reservations before hitting 550 in San Isidro. Head north from there.
ANOTHER alternative will add about 40 minutes to your trip from Cuba to Bloomfield is to take the northern cutoff at “The Teepees”, a casino seemingly in the middle of nowhere. That road heads up towards Dulce, but instaed of going into Dulce, go WEST to Bloomfield. Both the northern road and the western cutoff are really pretty - you might see a lot of deer and elk.
And my final little cutoff goes from Aztec, NM to Huesperes, CO. I really like this road cuz it’s pretty AND saves you the time of going all the way into Durango (but you might like that - see above).
If you need to get from Abq to T-ride FAST, go I-25 to Bernalillo, west on 550 to Bloomfield, north on 550 to Aztec, northwest on 574 from Aztec to La Plata, north on NM170 - CO140 to Huesperas, west on 160 to Mancos, northwest on 184 to Dolores, then north on 145 to the FESTIVALLLLLLLLLLL!!!
But if you’ve got the time to cruise around, you can’t go wrong. I guess the best thing about driving up to T-ride from Albuquerque (besides T-Ride itself!) is that it’s beautiful no matter WHICH way you navigate!
From reading some of your other posts-
I’d do Completejohn’s Pagosa Springs/Durango route and stay in:
Pagosa Springs- if you wanted to take some time and spend hours in sulpher mineral pools of various temps. It smells of rotten eggs (you’ll get used to it) and you’ll smell like matches for days after (limit the number of clothes you wear immediately after soaking, they’ll smell like matches for weeks) but you won’t care and the kids will remember it. Pay the extra for the new area that just opened this last winter and consider staying at the Springs Inn for the best room/soak deal. Ask locals for restaurant recommendations.
Dogwood Cafe had awesome southern cooking when we were there in January.
Durango- if you want to be tourists in a western tourist town. Nice just to stroll and shop up and down mainstreet. The old west steam train is cool, but it’s an ALL DAY kind of thing- but also memorable. If you do it, bring some snacks along and pillows for the afternoon nap back- hit Handlebars in Silverton. Lots of great restaurants in Durango, sushi on two corners, fancy places where you don’t have to dress fancy, Old Tymers Cafe for basic burgers- highly recommend Durango Diner for breakfast/brunch/lunch for food and small town diner atmosphere. Bring me some Durango Diner Green Chile Sauce, good stuff!
Mesa Verde is W on Hwy 160 from either one and not too far out of the way to Telluride.
Enjoy! :wave
Ron (other) in Albuquerque
ORIA that Avitar is just FREAKING Wrong !!!