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The Taos Destination is located in the northern area of New Mexico. Taos is the last major city in New Mexico before the Colorado State border.[1] The destination includes many prominent attractions to the state of New Mexico. These include the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, Taos Pueblo, and the High Road to Taos.[2] The area is filled with tiny Spanish Land Grant villages, and some of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains fall within the region's borders. The city of Taos is not only the namesake of the destination but also the largest and most populous city within the area and the entire northern area of New Mexico.[1] The land is placed in the Taos Plateau, with many small rivers, mountains, lakes, and reservoirs covering the landscape.[7] The destination has hot summers and chilly winters with around two inches of rain and snow every year.[4]
The Taos Destination is known for being one of America's leading original art colonies. The destination has a world-class ski resort, world heritage sites, classical churches, and unique landscaping.[1] The area includes the Rocky Mountains and the Rio Grande Gorge, with rolling hills, desert plains, and occasional grass-covered fields.[7] Native Indians to the area dwelled in the land for years, harvesting the land and building villages. Many of these small villages are still functioning today. Local tribes still hold meetings and live in the area. Visitors can experiences many of the native's rich spiritual traditions, taste traditional cuisine, and study fine art passed down for generations.[2]
The world heritage site Taos Pueblo is located in the Taos Destination. This distinct attraction is one of the only native villages still occupied by the Taos Puebloan people today. The pueblo is located one mile north of Taos, New Mexico. As a member of the Eight Northern Pueblos, Taos Pueblo is one of the most private and conservative pueblos. The culture is unique for their language has never been written down, yet over 4,500 people speak it today. Visitors can spend time exploring the ancient adobe dwellings that have been home to members of the Pueblo community for thousands of years. The cultural village is also a common stop to learn more about the history of the area's indigenous people.[1]
A portion of the Carson National Forest is located in the Taos Destination and offers a wide variety of recreation options at all times of the year. The highest mountain in New Mexico, Wheeler Peak, is located in the forest. Visitors can bike and hike through miles of tracks and trails. There are many unique rivers and hidden lakes on the mountainside, and snow sports are standard on the maintained trails.[7] The Rio Grande Gorge attracts visitors from all across Northern and Southern America. The Rio Grande river carved a large canyon through volcanic basalt and is now considered to be a geological wonder. Visitors can view ancient petroglyphs and spend time on the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, looking out over the Gorge as the fifth tallest bridge in the United States.[2]
The Taos Ski Valley is one of the region's most prominent attractions because of its size and unique terrain. As one of America's most authentic and uncrowded resorts, the valley has over one hundred trails for snowboarding and skiing. Around sixteen million people visit new Mexico annually, most of them spend time at the Rio Grande Gorge, Taos Pueblo, or Taos Ski Valley.[8] The summer months are most popular for visitors from May to September. During these months, guests can spend time outside visiting local attractions and resorts in the area. The winter months also sustain a profitable amount of visitors who spend time at the Taos Ski Valley Resort.[4] The destination is known for its extensive industry in agriculture, oil, gas, mining, construction, and manufacturing.[3]
The Taos Destination is located in the northernmost land of New Mexico. The northern border is two hundred and forty kilometers long, bordered by the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the east and the Tusas and the San Juan Mountains to the west.[1] The southernmost area of the region is in a basin with unique terrain known as the Taos Plateau. There are small rivers, lakes, and reservoirs throughout the destination. Most of the land is desert or dry with high grasses, and mountainous areas are covered in thick shrubbery and forest. Taos is the largest and most populous city in the region, but there is Questa to the north, Little Castilla Peak along the Colorado state border, Ute Park to the east, and Cerro Vista to the south. Wheeler Peak and Picuris Peak are prominent mountain ridges throughout the destination.[7]
Summers in the Taos Destination are warm and last from the months of May through September. The average temperature during these months is seventy-five degrees. The hottest month during the summer is July. Winters are relatively cold, with an average temperature of forty-eight degrees. The summers are short-lasting from late November through early February. January is the coldest month of the year. The area receives around two inches of rain annually and three inches of snow each year.[4] Early summer and winter are the most popular for visitors for the warm temperatures, blooming landscapes, and sunny skies. Wildlife throughout the area varies.
Common animals include elk, deer, antelope, white-tailed rabbits, gray squirrels, gray foxes, wolves, coyotes, mountain lions, and bobcats. The state animal is the black bear.[6] The plants throughout the area include common yarrow, saskatoon berry, desert marigold, big sagebrush, and true mountain mahogany.[5] The destination produces meat, eggs, dairy, honey, wine, beer, chicken, oil, and gas.
The Taos Destination started out as an Indian pueblo village for almost an entire millennium. The pueblo was built around 1450 AD. Taos Puebloans have occupied the area for as long as the area has been known. The Taos Puebloans still live in the area to this day. Spanish travelers brought their culture to the area when passing through to trade and visit other states in the United States, including Colorado, Utah, California, and Arizona.
The original settlers in the Taos Destination were artists and missionaries from South America. Upon their arrival in the area, they built some of the oldest churches and dwellings still standing in the United States today. The name Taos means place of red willows from the native Taos language. The city Taos was founded by Nuevo Mexico Governor Fernando Chacon in 1795. It functioned as a fortified plaza and trading outpost for neighboring Native American Taos Pueblo and Hispano communities in the area.
The town was incorporated in 1834 and is the county seat of Taos County. The area around the city of Taos is covered in memorials, historical sites, and there are many cave drawings and dwellings still standing in the area. Locals have built businesses off of creating art, clothing, and other artifacts passed down through generations. The Taos Destination is filled with art, culture, traditional foods, recreational activities, historical monuments, and thousands of miles of untouched natural habitat.[1]
Sitzmark Sports & Lodge is located in Red River, New Mexico, which is on the northern side of the state and is surrounded by a number of mountains. Due to the elevation and natural surroundings, outdoor activities such as skiing, snowboarding, horseback riding, and hiking tend to be some of the more popular activities that can be done in the area. Three fly fishing guides work for the Sitzmark Sports & Lodge and are available for guests to book for full or half-day fishing trips in the nearby Red River. The company doubles as a rental store that allows guests to temporarily rent winter or summer sports gear on an hourly or daily basis and a lodge.
...Read MoreLocated in Espanola, New Mexico, the Inn at the Delta is a two-story inn with Northern New Mexico style architecture and hand-carved accents. The area has a rich history and features many local festivities throughout the year, including fiestas, country music concerts, parades, and ancient ruin tours. There are two buildings on the Inn at the Delta property. The first houses the main office and meeting room, the second is where the guest quarters are. There are ten rooms in guests can reserve at the Inn at the Delta. Each room is spacious and features art and furniture hand carved and painted by local artists.
...Read MoreLocated in Red River, New Mexico, Rio Colorado Lodge includes twenty cabins on five acres of land. The kitchens in each cabin contain basic necessities needed for cooking and eating meals, in addition to the grills and picnic tables outside the cabins. The lodges are surrounded by many trees, plus a pond for guests to fish in. The overall atmosphere of the property can be described as quiet and urban. Down the street from Rio Colorado Lodge are several restaurants, some of the owner's favorites being Bearly Awake Coffee and Noisy River Winery. The current managers, Brian and Tawnya Waltz, have owned and operated Rio Colorado Lodge for the last fifteen years. Their goal is to help their guests feel welcomed and comfortable during their stay.
...Read MoreCasa Escondida Bed and Breakfast is an inn that is open year-round and capable of providing nine units. Though the guest rooms are uniquely decorated, they all come with similar amenities, including private bathrooms, Wi-Fi, hairdryers, and toiletries. Breakfast is provided free of charge to those staying at the establishment. The owner of the business would like patrons to feel “welcome and comfortable.” Of the nine units, five of them are pet-friendly, allowing visitors to bring their dogs along for the trip. The building was first erected in 1970 and used as a family home for a few decades. It wasn’t until later that the property's second owner turned it into a bed and breakfast. The home was built with handcrafted Adobe and shares designs similar to other structures in the city of Chimayo.
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