Simply stunning, Santa Fe, New Mexico! Nestled in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Santa Fe sits at 7,000 feet elevation with 320+ days of sunshine and breathtaking landscapes. The cultural influence of Native American, Hispanic, Mexican and Anglo shapes the architecture, cuisine and art of this capital city. From skiing, biking, hiking and rafting, there are plenty of outdoor activities to enjoy. Our stay at the Santa Fe Skies RV Park offered a great location to explore the area.
Key Takeaways:
- Santa Fe is worth a visit any time of the year; our March stay was cold but perfect for hiking and exploring the town
- The Santa Fe area is simply stunning with the mountains, and high desert landscape
- The southwestern cuisine is excellent from the food trucks to local restaurants
- Area attractions include the Petroglyph National Monument in Albequerque, Bandelier National Monument, Pecos National Historical Park and Los Alamos National Labratory
- Lots of dog-friendly activities from hikes to breweries
- Santa Fe Skies RV Park is a wonderful RV stay close to local attractions
Campground Review:
We loved our stay at Santa Fe Skies RV Park from the stunning landscape to the art sculptures around the park. Our site was spacious and level with full hookups. Our dogs loved the .75-mile walking path around the park perimeter and the large dog park. The location was perfect to enjoy all the local attractions.
What to do:
- Take the Sunset Serenade train tour from the Santa Fe Depot into the countryside; sip cocktails and listen to live music, enjoy the sunset from the open air train car
- Sample excellent southwestern cuisine at Tomasita’s Restaurant in the Santa Fe Railyard (great option before the Sunset Serenade train tour)
- Sip some local beers at the dog-friendly Santa Fe Brewing Company – excellent craft beer and food from their onsite Fusion Tacos Food Truck
- Visit the Petroglyph National Monument in nearby Albuquerque; hike the dog-friendly Piedras Marcadas Canyon “canyon of marked rocks” – this dog-friendly, sandy trail is home to over 5,000 images created by ancestors of the Pueblo people between 400 and 700 years ago
- Take a day and travel to Los Alamos and the nearby Valles Caldero National Preserve and Bandelier National Monument
- In Los Alamos, visit the Manhatten Project National Historical Park, a small museum that tells the story of the creation of the atomic bomb, take the downtown walking tour of historic buildings
- Visit Valles Caldero National Preserve; at +8,500 elevation, we found snow in March. The drive is beautiful, although changed by wildfires in recent years. The preserve is best experienced on the hiking trails, via horseback or crosscountry skiing in winter months
- Bandelier National Monument is awesome! The park has over 70 miles of trails to view ancestrial Pueblo dwellings. The Pueblo Loop Trail starts at the visitor center and goes through cliff dwellings and other structures. The monument is at 6,000+ feet elevation but had little snow during our visit. Try the awesome cafe at the visitor’s center!
- Stroll through historic downtown Santa Fe; a fantastic city with shops, museums, art galleries and restarants
Sunset Serenade Train
Sunset Serenade Train Sunset
Petroglyph National Monument
Petroglyphs
Bandelier National Monument
Bandelier Dwellings
Bandelier Cliff Dwellings
Valles Caldera National Preserve
Bandelier Cliff Dwellings
Bandelier Cliff Dwelling Cave
Valles Caldera National Preserve
Petroglyph National Monument
Chili & Cedar’s Review:
We loved Santa Fe Skies RV Park! We walked the path around the park every day; we liked the dog park too. It was cold during our stay but we will definitely be back – woof!
Campground Rating: 4.9 PAWS
We saw many of the local sites in the car. We also hiked the Piedras Marcadas Canyon Petroglyph Viewing Trail – very cool! We were going to hike the Valles Caldera National Preserve but there was too much snow on the ground – maybe next trip.