Rail Runner ??

I am taking my annual ski/ride trip! and we%26#39;ll be visiting Taos for the first time next week.

My partner suggested to drop off the rental car in Santa Fe and ride the train to Albuquerque airport on our way back (Friday 20) am just not sure if is worth it?

Any advice?

Also, what places should i stop to enjoy on our way to Taos. We have an early flight to Albuquerque.

Thanks so much!

Rail Runner ??

If you pick up your rental car in ABQ and drop it off in SF, the rental company may consider it a one-way rental and charge you more for doing so. You%26#39;ll need to check with your rental company to know for sure.

Rail Runner ??

I do not know how much time you are spending in the Albuquerque/Santa Fe/Taos area. The RailRunner service is new, so it has a few bugs to work out still. If you were staying for a week in the SF/Alb. area, I would suggest a ride on the commuter train. But, since you are going on to Taos for skiing, I would personally recommend you retain your rental from, and back to Albuquerque International Sunport.

Either coming or going to Santa Fe from Albuquerque, I%26#39;d suggest you take NM-14, the ';Turquoise Trail'; or back-road. Better scenery than I-25, and a much more leisurely pace.

From Santa Fe, you have two choices to Taos. The ';High Road'; passes through old, Spanish-era adobe villages such as Chimayo, and Truchas, along the foothills of the Sangre de Christo Mountains. The ';Low Road,'; waunders along the Rio Grande River north of Espanola. Both are very scenic. ';If'; the weather is bad for your drive to Taos..take the ';Low Road.';

Our northern ski areas are getting more new snow Thursday and Friday, so there should be at least a new foot of powder on the slopes of the Taos Ski Valley.

(P.S.) Don%26#39;t miss the Taos Plaza%26#39;s shops, and Taos Pueblo of course. It%26#39;s main, 5 and 4 story ';houses'; have changed little since Coronado%26#39;s men passed by in 1540!

Have a memorable, and safe trip!

The Railrunner and SF/ABQ rental car pickup/dropoff idea seems just a bit too complicated to make it worth the extra time, effort and probably money.

Especially if you also have an early flight back home out of ABQ.

The other night, car thieves abandoned their ill gotten booty right in the middle of the tracks and the train plowed into the car, causing several hours of delays. It also has hit cows wandering onto the track multiple times in the few months since it started running causing big delays.

It would be pretty awful to have your plans go awry and miss the flight home if one of those things was to happen the morning you needed to rely on things being on time.

On the surface this service sounds great and hopefully will be a good option for both travelers visiting who don%26#39;t want a car and the thousands of state and private sector workers who now commute between ABQ and SF everyday, but there are still lots of kinks to work out in the scheduling and reliability before I would count on it too heavily.

I think in the end, unless gas prices skyrocket again, this thing%26#39;s legacy will be that of a fairly large public works boondoggle that never achieved the ridership it needed to pay for itself.

Thanks to all for the advice!!

We are definitely not taking the train and for sure enjoying the drive!

Also, about the Taos Ski valley bus, we are staying by Arroyo Seco area and I saw there is a bus stop (the last one) at the Arroyo Seco School. I guess my question is if i could get in the bus at the last stop or is usually pretty full and they%26#39;ll left me there to wait for the other one?

My trip date is March 13-20 to Taos.

I really suggest that you drive your car. Since you are staying in Seco, and that is the last stop for the bus, if the bus is full it will just pass you by. Its only a 10 minute drive from Seco to the Ski Valley, and there is minimal traffic as well as free parking.

As of this moment the Pueblo is closed for ';quiet time';. Although there is a possible reopening date on the answering machine at the Pueblo, that date is solely an estimate and may be off by a week or so.

If you want to go to the pueblo be certain to call first.

Have fun!