Day 1: Arrival, Transfer to Trailhead - Santa Fe
Miles: 0 miles
Launch in Santa Fe. Meet your group at our host hotel by 3PM. We will have an orientation meeting at 4PM and prepare for our week together. We will block some rooms if you desire to arrive a day earlier for more exploration. Consider visiting the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum and the historic Santa Fe Plaza.Dinner included.
Day 2: Turqouise Trail near Santa Fe
Miles: 65 miles · Elevation: +4,683’ / -3,292'
Terrain: Paved road
You roll out of Santa Fe in the early morning, climbing steadily along the Turquoise Trail as the city’s adobe glow fades behind you and the open high desert unfolds ahead. The road carries you through quiet stretches of piñon and juniper before dropping into the quirky, colorful village of Madrid, where old mining shacks, art studios, and cafés line the narrow main street and make for an easy rest stop. From there, the terrain rises and falls in gentle waves, the surrounding hills weathered and wide, until the final stretch leads you toward the campground tucked among the pines just north of the highway. By the time you roll into camp, the day’s mix of open-road riding, small-town charm, and high-desert scenery has settled into a satisfying rhythm—an easy, scenic ride stitched together by New Mexico’s long horizons. All meals included.
Day 3: Abiquiu
Miles: 69 miles · Elevation: +3,166’ / -3,739'
Terrain: Paved road.
Leaving Santa Fe in the cool morning air, you head north on quiet backroads that rise gently through piñon-dotted hills before opening into the broad, sunlit spaces of the Española Valley, where the desert colors sharpen and the mountains frame the ride on both sides. After passing through the town of Española, the road begins to follow the Rio Chama, its cottonwoods and red cliffs guiding you toward Abiquiú, the landscape growing increasingly dramatic in the warm afternoon light. The final miles wind past adobe homes, open ranchland, and the iconic ochre buttes that inspired Georgia O’Keeffe, until you reach the Abiquiu Lake Campground, perched above the blue expanse of the reservoir—a quiet, wide-open place to rest after a day of steady, scenic New Mexico riding. All meals included.
Day 4: Ojo Caliente and Hot Springs
Miles: 38 miles · Elevation: +2,266’ / -2,449 ’
Terrain: Paved road
You leave Abiquiu Lake Campground in the soft morning light, climbing gently away from the reservoir as the red and ochre cliffs glow behind you and the road settles into a quiet rhythm along the Rio Chama. The route north rolls through wide-open ranchland and clusters of cottonwoods, the air warming as you pass the turnoffs to Ghost Ranch and then settle onto the peaceful stretch toward La Madera, where the hills tighten briefly before opening again into high-desert plains. As you near Ojo Caliente, the terrain softens into broad mesas and sandy arroyos, and the scent of mineral-rich hot springs begins to drift on the breeze. By the time you reach the historic resort, the day’s gentle but steady ride feels perfectly matched to the promise of a long soak, the landscape’s calm carrying you all the way to the water. Hot springs entrance not included. All meals included.
Day 5:Cliffs, Streams and Wildlife - Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway
Miles: 63 miles · Elevation: +5,799’ / -3,810’
Terrain: Paved road
Leaving Ojo Caliente in the cool, mineral-scented morning, you head north through quiet rolling desert, the road rising gently toward the sage flats and distant blue ridgelines that guide you toward the edge of the Carson National Forest. The climb stiffens as you approach Tres Piedras, where granite outcrops and tall pines replace the open desert and the air grows cooler with elevation. From there, the route cuts east across high country toward the Moreno Valley, offering long, wide-open views of the Sangre de Cristos before dropping into the green meadows near Angel Fire. The final miles to Eagle Nest Lake sweep gently downhill, the water appearing suddenly like a sheet of silver beneath the mountains—an inviting, wind-brushed finish to a full day’s ride across shifting landscapes and elevations. All meals included.
Day 6:Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway to Taos
Miles: 66 miles · Elevation: +4,172’ / -5,428’
Terrain: Paved road
You leave Eagle Nest Lake Campground in the cool, high-country morning, climbing gently out of the valley as the sun edges over the ridgelines and the air still carries the chill of the night. The landscape opens into wide sagebrush plains on the way to Questa, where the Sangre de Cristo Mountains rise like a wall of blue granite to the east and the town’s quiet main street slips by in a handful of storefronts and old adobe buildings. Turning south, you settle into a long, smooth descent toward Taos, the horizon widening as the gorge and mesas begin to take shape. Before reaching town, the route bends toward Taos Pueblo, where the multi-storied adobe structures stand warm and ancient against the bright desert sky, their presence grounding the ride in a sense of history and place. From there it’s a short, easy glide into Taos proper, where art studios, cafés, and sunlit streets greet you at the end of a ride that feels like a journey through both landscape and time. All meals included.
Day 7:Taos to White Rock
Miles: 75 miles · Elevation: +3,714’ / -3,996’
Terrain: Paved road
You roll out of Taos in the cool morning light, descending toward the Rio Grande as the canyon walls rise around you and the river flashes beside the road; by the time you pass through the orchards and small communities of Embudo and Velarde and reach Española, the day has warmed and the climb toward Los Alamos begins to tug at your legs. The long ascent up NM-502 unfolds steadily, mesas stacking higher around you until the pine-scented air of the Jemez replaces the desert heat, and the final winding miles toward Bandelier feel both quiet and earned. When you arrive the campground, the plateau is golden in the late light, the canyon dropping away beyond the junipers, and the whole day’s ride settles into a calm sense of space and accomplishment. All meals included.
Day 8:Sante Fe - Bringing it all together
Miles: 36 miles · Elevation: +1,809’ / -2,857’
Terrain: Paved road · Van transfer: 60 minutes
Visit the Bandelier National Monument and White Rock. Cycle to Espanola for a after lunch then shuttle to Sante Fe Hotel to close out the adventure. Trip ends on arrival at the hotel. Hotel overnight is included in trip fee. Breakfast and lunch included. Dinner on own.
Disclaimer: Our itinerary depends on securing commercial cycling permits in several National Parks, National Forests, Provincial Parks and other federal and state jurisdictions; many of which we have secured in the past. Our itinerary may change as a result.
