Santa Fe Surroundings

I%26#39;d like to know what kind of driving conditions around Santa Fe. Is it very mountainous? I%26#39;m afraid of heights, and would be too stressed out if teh roads are high with cliffs on the sides!

Ken

Santa Fe Surroundings

Hi Ken:

Neither my wife or I enjoy heights either and we have no problem in Santa Fe on our annual pilgrimage for the opera.

Both the high and low road to Taos are fine. No problem with Abiquiu. The Turquoise trail to Madrid is flat.

The only road I remember us not overly enjoying is the road up to Los Alamos where the last little bit is kind of cliff-side.

I%26#39;m sure some of local experts will have more on this, but I wouldn%26#39;t let it stop you in the least.

Santa Fe Surroundings

No high cliffs from Albuquerque to Santa Fe to Espanola to Taos. Mostly flat to hilly desert and some winding roads along river. The drive up from Santa Fe to the ski basin is mountainous, but not with huge dropoffs.

Where are you planning on visiting?

I too have been thinking of your concerns, and honestly can%26#39;t come up with any ';cliff-side'; highways that might bother you...maybe along the Rio Grande River between Espanola and Taos, but the cliffs go up beside the highway, with the river on the other side, so there is no ';drop-off.';

Now if you were headed up to Durango, CO, and north of there on US550...you would have some hairy cliff sides. Really they are few and far between in NM.

Have you driven Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper? If you have it%26#39;s similar to those highways, mountainous but not scary.

I would add however, you both will probably not want to take in the Sandia Peak Tramway in Albuquerque. I%26#39;m a bit accrophobiac myself, and in 25 years I%26#39;ve never been up on it. I take the National Scenic Highway up the east side to the summit, with the same great views for 75-100 miles on a clear day. Great road, and many picnic places alongside. It%26#39;s takes off from NM-14 behind the Sandias, the ';back road'; to Santa Fe through old mining towns. Slower, with interesting scenery. I reccomend that.

Our mountains don%26#39;t ';look'; that high because we in Albuquerque are already a mile high, and Santa Fe is over 7,000ft., so the mountain tops are only (only!) 3,000-4,000ft. above the cities.

I think you%26#39;ll be OK within 100 miles of Albuquerque/

Santa Fe. If you are from Eastern Canada...you may want to stay in ';lower'; Albuquerque to adjust to the higher altitudes a day or two. Some people who go from one extreme to another get varying levels of Altitude sickness...usually just a headache, or a little woozy. Gradual acclimation can help that.

Thanks for your interest in New Mexico, USA.

thanks Rah50. The Turquoise trail is one I%26#39;d like to drive.

Ken

Thanks CasaAzul,

I%26#39;m planning to stay in Santa Fe, and take daytrips within 2 hrs of Santa Fe.

The Turquoise Trail, NM14, Bandeleer Park. I will do a Pilgrimmage to Sancturio de Chimayo, as I have a health problem.

Also tour around Santa Fe and Albuquerque.

Ken

NM Photojournalist:

I%26#39;ve driven from Calgary to Banff, so I should be good with the Santa Fe Roads.

I don%26#39;t know how the altitude difference will affect me.. Yes, I%26#39;m from eastern Canada, Toronto to be exact which is 600 ft I believe, so 7,000 ft will be quite a difference.

Would recommend you read Web MD on altitude sickness so you are aware. Many people visit and have no problem whatsoever, or maybe a little headache. Serious hikers and climbers have to be cautious but casual travelers fare pretty well.

Hope you have a wonderful trip. Are you driving all the way or flying in?

thanks misswestslope,

I%26#39;m planning to fly into Albuquerque and rent a car. However , all is still a plan at this moment. My health is up and down at this time, so it%26#39;ll be a last minute thing if I do go.

I%26#39;m thinking of April, what will the weather be like around the April 18th week?

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