At Cafe Abiquiú, my blue corn trout cakes and rosemary lemonade were delightful. I finished with a New Mexico pistachio sundae and made a valiant effort to eat it all.
I hustled back to Ghost Ranch for sunset.
Golden light washed across the rugged cliffs as I explored the cabin used in the 1991 movie “City Slickers.” Before heading to my room, I stopped to say howdy to the horses.
I ended the evening by reading myself into a blissful slumber. The darkness and silence at Ghost Ranch are wonderful.
Day 2: Hiking Chimney Rock and Visiting Chaco Canyon
I woke before sunrise but waited for a little light before hiking Chimney Rock Trail.
The three-mile, out-and-back trail gains about 600 feet. It climbs a rocky mesa before reaching panoramic views of the Piedra Lumbre basin.
The morning air was crisp, and I had the trail completely to myself. Starting the day with those red-rock views was magical.
Read my complete guide to hiking Chimney Rock Trail at Ghost Ranch for full trail details.
Before leaving, I grabbed coffee and wandered over to the historic Ghost House. The adobe structure dates to the late 19th century.
Drive From Ghost Ranch to Chaco Canyon
The drive from Ghost Ranch to Chaco Canyon takes approximately 2½ hours. The exact time depends on your route and the condition of the unpaved roads.
Not long after leaving, I stopped at an overlook above Abiquiú Lake. The scenery shifted throughout the drive from jagged cliffs to forest and vast desert.
Reaching Chaco Culture National Historical Park requires driving on dirt roads. The north entrance has 13 unpaved miles. The final four can become especially rough.
The south entrance includes 21 miles of unpaved road. Either route can become impassable after rain or snow.
Check current road conditions before leaving. Carry water, food and emergency supplies. Cell service is limited, and this is not where you want to discover you have a flat. More on that shortly.
Explore Chaco Culture National Historical Park
Chaco Canyon was a major regional center for Ancestral Pueblo people from about 850 to 1250 CE. It remains a sacred place for many Indigenous communities across the Southwest.
Fajada Butte rises more than 300 feet above the canyon floor near the park entrance. The prominent formation had astronomical importance, but visitors cannot climb it.
I started at Una Vida near the visitor center. It is one of the earliest great houses, and fifth largest, in Chaco Canyon. Una Vida is Spanish for “one life.”
It is mile round trip, with an addition quarter of a mile to see some petroglyphs. Of course I had to do the short, steep climb to see those!
Next, I stopped at Hungo Pavi before heading to Pueblo Bonito. The largest great house in Chaco Canyon contains 150 rooms, a great kiva, and enclosed plaza. The meaning of the name is still unknown, but one Hopi translation is “Crooked Nose.” It’s most likely a mispronounced or misspelled name of a Hopi village.
I joined a ranger-led tour at Pueblo Bonito. It’s the largest most excavated building in Chaco Canyon. then spent more time wandering through the complex. Passing through small doorways and interconnected rooms felt like entering a stone maze.
The scale and precision of the masonry are remarkable. Many of the walls are nearly 1,000 years old.
Why Here?
Olivia, our ranger guide, told us Pueblo Bonito was the “first time to see a complex society form” in the canyon and all of the Southwest. It took about 400 years to build. We started at the newest corner and walked around to enter the pueblo in the oldest section.
It’s possible this was a trading center since so many pieces of turquoise, pottery and other trade items were found. In one room alone, 55,000 pieces of polished turquoise were found.
I was struck by the number of kivas, or circular ceremonial sections of the pueblo. It was far more kivas than I had seen at any other ancestral Puebloan site in the southwest.
Why the people settled here in the desert, not close to a big water supply, is still unknown. Perhaps they built here as a pilgrimage site.
According to oral traditions, it was a sacred place with several Navajo and Pueblo clans and ceremonies originating in Chaco Canyon.
A Flat Tire Changes My Plans
My tire-pressure light came on shortly after I reached the park. I blamed the warning on a quick temperature change.
That was wishful thinking.
When I returned to my car after exploring Pueblo Bonito, one tire was flat. A kind traveler named Greg from Seattle helped me put on the spare.
My leisurely afternoon at Chaco Canyon abruptly became a careful drive to Farmington. A technician at Peerless Tires found the offending piece of metal and quickly patched the tire.
The repair cost $16, which felt like a small miracle. It was definitely a moment when the kindness of strangers means a lot, especially when you’re a solo traveler.
I spent the night near Aztec instead of continuing with my original plan. Road trips occasionally rewrite themselves.
I made the decision to stay in Aztec, about 10 minutes or so from Farmington. I booked the Comfort Inn & Suites Aztec, which is the closest hotel to Aztec Ruins National Monument.
After an eventful day, a wine margarita and spinach enchiladas at Rubia’s Fine Mexican Dining hit the spot.
Day 3: Natural Arches and Aztec Ruins
Northwest New Mexico contains hundreds of natural arches. I spent the morning exploring Rock Arch and Cox Canyon Arch, also called Anasazi Arch on some older maps.
A dirt road led toward Rock Arch. I used trekking poles to descend a loose slope for a closer look. Near the formation, I found petroglyphs. Sadly, I also saw modern names carved into the sandstone.
Next, I head to Cox Canyon, also known as Anasazi. Cox Canyon Arch is considered the most spectacular arch in the Aztec area with 125-foot vertical rise.
But it’s difficult to reach. The route is faint and requires scrambling, including a short rock ladder. After a second climb, the full arch comes into view.
The scenery was fantastic, but these are undeveloped backcountry sites. Get current directions locally and download offline maps. Don’t rely entirely on cairns or old online instructions.
With the drive time, you need about 2-2.5 hours to explore both of these arches. Seeing two is just scratching the surface of the arches dotting the landscape.
Visit Aztec Ruins National Monument
Despite its name, Aztec Ruins National Monument was not built by the Aztec people. Early settlers mistakenly used “Aztec” as a general term for ancient Indigenous sites.
Ancestral Pueblo people built this community between the late 1000s and late 1200s as the Chaco Canyon commnity was diminishing. Aztec West once had more than 400 rooms and stood three stories high.
The half-mile, self-guided trail passes through original rooms and a reconstructed Great Kiva. I was fascinated by intact wooden ceilings and carefully aligned walls.
Green stone appears in sections of the masonry. Its exact purpose remains unknown. The architecture includes a wall built so the sun would rise along it on the summer solstice and set along it on the winter solstice.
Allow one to two hours for your visit.
Explore Salmon Ruins
Salmon Ruins is about 15 minutes from Aztec near Bloomfield. The site includes a Chacoan great house, museum, historic homestead and Heritage Park.
A marked route leads through the archaeological site near the San Juan River. While walking around, I spotted a peacock. That was not on my ancient-history bingo card.
I also explored the George Salmon homestead, established during the 1890s. You can go inside of the bunkhouse. Heritage Park contains reconstructed regional structures, including a trading post along with Navajo and Apache pithouses, hogans (ceremonial buildings), and ramada.
Take the Scenic Route Back to Denver
From Salmon Ruins, I followed U.S. Highway 64 toward Dulce. I love taking the road less traveled, and this stretch didn’t disappoint.
The peaceful drive passed remote mesas and forests. I even spotted the Monastery of Christ in the Desert from a distance.
After crossing into Colorado, I continued through Pagosa Springs and headed back to Denver.
Three days gave me a wonderful introduction to northwest New Mexico. Between Ghost Ranch, Chaco Canyon, natural arches and ancient communities, the region is filled with reasons to return.
I left with unfinished business at Chaco Canyon, a patched tire and a much longer adventure list.
For more fun in the Four Corners, check out my post on Southwest Colorado. If you’re a road tripper, check out my suggestions for Texas, New Mexico, and Southwest Colorado.
Northwest New Mexico is filled with colorful mesas, natural arches and ancient sites. During a three-day road trip from Denver, I stayed at Ghost Ranch, explored Chaco Canyon and visited two Ancestral Pueblo communities.
My route included plenty of dirt roads and adventure, with one very untimely flat tire. It also left me wishing for another day.
Day 1: Drive From Denver to Abiquiú
The drive from Denver to Abiquiú takes about 5½ to six hours without extended stops. Take the scenic route through southern Colorado and northern New Mexico.
My first stop was San Luis, the oldest continuously inhabited town in Colorado. Since it was Palm Sunday, I walked the Shrine of the Stations of the Cross, which I’ve also visited at sunset close to Christmas and on Easter. The bronze sculptures lining the hillside created a powerful place for reflection.
At the New Mexico state line, I naturally stopped for a selfie. Calling it windy would be an understatement.
The route took me near Taos, across the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge and past Ojo Caliente. I had visited all three before, so I resisted stopping. That took some serious road-trip restraint.
Explore Historic Abiquiú
Abiquiú (pronounced Ab-e-cue like barbecue) is a tiny village surrounded by dramatic cliffs and mesas. Artist Georgia O’Keeffe maintained a home here and painted the landscape for decades.
Wander through the historic village and visited Santo Tomás el Apóstol Catholic Church. The current adobe church dates to the 1930s, while the parish’s history stretches back centuries.
Late afternoon, I browsed galleries like the Bosshard Gallery before deciding where to spend the night. Choices are the Abiquiú Inn or the more rustic Ghost Ranch. Rustic won this trip, but I have stayed in the Abiquiú Inn and its delightful.
Before leaving town, I stopped at Bode’s General Store for gas. Bode’s has served travelers since the late 19th century and remains a handy stop for food, fuel and supplies.
Stay Overnight at Ghost Ranch
Ghost Ranch is approximately 13 miles from Abiquiú and 65 miles northwest of Santa Fe. Its 21,000 acres include towering cliffs, vivid sandstone and wide-open skies.
The ranch is an education and retreat center rather than a traditional resort. Accommodations are comfortable but intentionally simple.
I stayed in the Tumbleweed building on the mesa. My room had a private bathroom and a stellar view. The quiet setting made the rustic choice an easy one to love.
Options for overnighting are historic adobe lodging, lodge-style rooms, bunkhouses, cottages and campsites. Stays in guest quarters include three daily meals. Campers can purchase meal packages in advance.
Dinner Then Sunset at Ghost Ranch
I drove back to Abiquiú for dinner at Café Abiquiú. There’s an overlook of the Rio Chama between Ghost Ranch and town. It’s worth a quick stop.
At Cafe Abiquiú, my blue corn trout cakes and rosemary lemonade were delightful. I finished with a New Mexico pistachio sundae and made a valiant effort to eat it all.
I hustled back to Ghost Ranch for sunset.
Golden light washed across the rugged cliffs as I explored the cabin used in the 1991 movie “City Slickers.” Before heading to my room, I stopped to say howdy to the horses.
I ended the evening by reading myself into a blissful slumber. The darkness and silence at Ghost Ranch are wonderful.
Day 2: Hiking Chimney Rock and Visiting Chaco Canyon
I woke before sunrise but waited for a little light before hiking Chimney Rock Trail.
The three-mile, out-and-back trail gains about 600 feet. It climbs a rocky mesa before reaching panoramic views of the Piedra Lumbre basin.
The morning air was crisp, and I had the trail completely to myself. Starting the day with those red-rock views was magical.
Read my complete guide to hiking Chimney Rock Trail at Ghost Ranch for full trail details.
Before leaving, I grabbed coffee and wandered over to the historic Ghost House. The adobe structure dates to the late 19th century.
Drive From Ghost Ranch to Chaco Canyon
The drive from Ghost Ranch to Chaco Canyon takes approximately 2½ hours. The exact time depends on your route and the condition of the unpaved roads.
Not long after leaving, I stopped at an overlook above Abiquiú Lake. The scenery shifted throughout the drive from jagged cliffs to forest and vast desert.
Reaching Chaco Culture National Historical Park requires driving on dirt roads. The north entrance has 13 unpaved miles. The final four can become especially rough.
The south entrance includes 21 miles of unpaved road. Either route can become impassable after rain or snow.
Check current road conditions before leaving. Carry water, food and emergency supplies. Cell service is limited, and this is not where you want to discover you have a flat. More on that shortly.
Explore Chaco Culture National Historical Park
Chaco Canyon was a major regional center for Ancestral Pueblo people from about 850 to 1250 CE. It remains a sacred place for many Indigenous communities across the Southwest.
Fajada Butte rises more than 300 feet above the canyon floor near the park entrance. The prominent formation had astronomical importance, but visitors cannot climb it.
I started at Una Vida near the visitor center. It is one of the earliest great houses, and fifth largest, in Chaco Canyon. Una Vida is Spanish for “one life.”
It is mile round trip, with an addition quarter of a mile to see some petroglyphs. Of course I had to do the short, steep climb to see those!
Next, I stopped at Hungo Pavi before heading to Pueblo Bonito. The largest great house in Chaco Canyon contains 150 rooms, a great kiva, and enclosed plaza. The meaning of the name is still unknown, but one Hopi translation is “Crooked Nose.” It’s most likely a mispronounced or misspelled name of a Hopi village.
I joined a ranger-led tour at Pueblo Bonito. It’s the largest most excavated building in Chaco Canyon. then spent more time wandering through the complex. Passing through small doorways and interconnected rooms felt like entering a stone maze.
The scale and precision of the masonry are remarkable. Many of the walls are nearly 1,000 years old.
Why Here?
Olivia, our ranger guide, told us Pueblo Bonito was the “first time to see a complex society form” in the canyon and all of the Southwest. It took about 400 years to build. We started at the newest corner and walked around to enter the pueblo in the oldest section.
It’s possible this was a trading center since so many pieces of turquoise, pottery and other trade items were found. In one room alone, 55,000 pieces of polished turquoise were found.
I was struck by the number of kivas, or circular ceremonial sections of the pueblo. It was far more kivas than I had seen at any other ancestral Puebloan site in the southwest.
Why the people settled here in the desert, not close to a big water supply, is still unknown. Perhaps they built here as a pilgrimage site.
According to oral traditions, it was a sacred place with several Navajo and Pueblo clans and ceremonies originating in Chaco Canyon.
A Flat Tire Changes My Plans
My tire-pressure light came on shortly after I reached the park. I blamed the warning on a quick temperature change.
That was wishful thinking.
When I returned to my car after exploring Pueblo Bonito, one tire was flat. A kind traveler named Greg from Seattle helped me put on the spare.
My leisurely afternoon at Chaco Canyon abruptly became a careful drive to Farmington. A technician at Peerless Tires found the offending piece of metal and quickly patched the tire.
The repair cost $16, which felt like a small miracle. It was definitely a moment when the kindness of strangers means a lot, especially when you’re a solo traveler.
I spent the night near Aztec instead of continuing with my original plan. Road trips occasionally rewrite themselves.
I made the decision to stay in Aztec, about 10 minutes or so from Farmington. I booked the Comfort Inn & Suites Aztec, which is the closest hotel to Aztec Ruins National Monument.
After an eventful day, a wine margarita and spinach enchiladas at Rubia’s Fine Mexican Dining hit the spot.
Day 3: Natural Arches and Aztec Ruins
Northwest New Mexico contains hundreds of natural arches. I spent the morning exploring Rock Arch and Cox Canyon Arch, also called Anasazi Arch on some older maps.
A dirt road led toward Rock Arch. I used trekking poles to descend a loose slope for a closer look. Near the formation, I found petroglyphs. Sadly, I also saw modern names carved into the sandstone.
Next, I head to Cox Canyon, also known as Anasazi. Cox Canyon Arch is considered the most spectacular arch in the Aztec area with 125-foot vertical rise.
But it’s difficult to reach. The route is faint and requires scrambling, including a short rock ladder. After a second climb, the full arch comes into view.
The scenery was fantastic, but these are undeveloped backcountry sites. Get current directions locally and download offline maps. Don’t rely entirely on cairns or old online instructions.
With the drive time, you need about 2-2.5 hours to explore both of these arches. Seeing two is just scratching the surface of the arches dotting the landscape.
Visit Aztec Ruins National Monument
Despite its name, Aztec Ruins National Monument was not built by the Aztec people. Early settlers mistakenly used “Aztec” as a general term for ancient Indigenous sites.
Ancestral Pueblo people built this community between the late 1000s and late 1200s as the Chaco Canyon commnity was diminishing. Aztec West once had more than 400 rooms and stood three stories high.
The half-mile, self-guided trail passes through original rooms and a reconstructed Great Kiva. I was fascinated by intact wooden ceilings and carefully aligned walls.
Green stone appears in sections of the masonry. Its exact purpose remains unknown. The architecture includes a wall built so the sun would rise along it on the summer solstice and set along it on the winter solstice.
Allow one to two hours for your visit.
Explore Salmon Ruins
Salmon Ruins is about 15 minutes from Aztec near Bloomfield. The site includes a Chacoan great house, museum, historic homestead and Heritage Park.
A marked route leads through the archaeological site near the San Juan River. While walking around, I spotted a peacock. That was not on my ancient-history bingo card.
I also explored the George Salmon homestead, established during the 1890s. You can go inside of the bunkhouse. Heritage Park contains reconstructed regional structures, including a trading post along with Navajo and Apache pithouses, hogans (ceremonial buildings), and ramada.
Take the Scenic Route Back to Denver
From Salmon Ruins, I followed U.S. Highway 64 toward Dulce. I love taking the road less traveled, and this stretch didn’t disappoint.
The peaceful drive passed remote mesas and forests. I even spotted the Monastery of Christ in the Desert from a distance.
After crossing into Colorado, I continued through Pagosa Springs and headed back to Denver.
Three days gave me a wonderful introduction to northwest New Mexico. Between Ghost Ranch, Chaco Canyon, natural arches and ancient communities, the region is filled with reasons to return.
I left with unfinished business at Chaco Canyon, a patched tire and a much longer adventure list.
For more fun in the Four Corners, check out my post on Southwest Colorado. If you’re a road tripper, check out my suggestions for Texas, New Mexico, and Southwest Colorado.
