317 Kit Carson Road
Taos, New Mexico 87571
Hotel: 575-758-3502
Reservations: 1-855-846-8267
VISITING TAOS
El Monte Sagrado Living Resort and Spa is a true discovery; a spot of enchantment in an area already known for its life-altering beauty. While visiting El Monte Sagrado, you will benefit from the expertise of experienced hospitality professionals as they guide you through the many opportunities to connect to Taos and Northern New Mexico. We can help you customize your engagement with all Taos attractions: area maps, local guides with our partner Heritage Inspirations, and more; it is our pleasure to help you find and enjoy things to do in beautiful, engaging Taos, NM.
Heritage Inspirations offers half and full-day excursions, multi-day adventures and custom-crafted itineraries. With more than twenty tours across Santa Fe, Albuquerque and Taos, whether you’re looking for an active outdoor expedition, a specially curated walking tour or a roving glamping adventure, they’re bound to have a unique and dynamic option that aligns with your travel plans. Learn more below.
Every season brings new festivals, celebrations, concerts, lectures and museum exhibitions to Taos. From Pueblo ceremonies to film festivals, visitors will find a variety of attractions and activities. Learn more below.
Experience over 1,000 years of tradition with a visit to the Taos Pueblo: one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in the United States. Our partner Heritage Inspirations offers custom private tours of Taos Pueblo. Learn more below.
Only a short distance from El Monte Sagrado is the heart of Taos — our famed Plaza. El Monte Sagrado offers complimentary shuttle service to the Plaza where you can experience a wide array of shopping.
Experience Northern New Mexico's beautiful outdoor adventures including fishing, hiking, rafting, hot air ballooning, horseback riding, Jeep tours, narrow gauge railroad riding, rock climbing, and skiing.
The Mabel Dodge Luhan House, the Harwood Museum of Art, the Kit Carson Home & Museum - these are just some of the fascinating destinations to explore fine and modern art, to dive into history and to understand Taos and the people who've shaped its artistic and cultural landscapes. Learn more below.
San Francisco de Asis Church has become an icon of Northern New Mexico, in no small part to Georgia O'Keeffe's painting of the back of the church, much like Monet's studies of the door of Chartres Cathedral. Learn more below.
Cordova, Truchas, and Ojo Sarco, small towns along the high-road to Taos, feature galleries sellings woodcarvings, pottery, rugs, and other local arts and crafts. In Las Trampas, an 18th-century mission church is one of New Mexico's best-preserved examples of Spanish Colonial architecture. Pick up NM 518 at Peñasco and wind your way through the Carson National Forest to US 68 at Ranchos de Taos, where you'll see the famous San Francisco de Assisi Church, photographed and painted by many artists.
DISCOVER
WINTER EXPERIENCES
Take off on lightweight snowshoes along the scenic back countrytails with our partner Heritage Inspirations for a day of fun in the snow like no other. Guide Angelisa Murray leads guests on a two-hour walk through the beautiful Amole Canyon in the Carson National Forest (at an elevation of 8,150 feet). Tours include snowshoe and pole rentals, a gourmet pack lunch and transportation to and from the trail. Learn more on the Heritage Inspirations website and book your room package by calling 575.779.5516. Learn more below.
The Taos Ski Valley, a world-class ski resort 30-minutes from the heart of Taos, comprises 110 trails over nearly 1,300 acres with a 3,281-foot vertical drop. The road to the ski area winds through the beautiful Sangre de Cristo Mountains making for a perfect preamble to a day of enjoying some of the best skiing and snowboarding conditions in the world. The mountain offers diverse terrain for skiers and riders of all levels and features one of the highest chairlifts in North America: The Kachina Peak Lift. Guests of El Monte Sagrado can enjoy fare-free service to the Taos Ski Valley through the 341 TSV Green. Learn more below.
ADVENTURES
NEW MEXICO ADVENTURES
Angelisa Murray
Owner & Guide
Phone: 1-888-344-TOUR (1-888-344-8687)
Email: info@heritageinspirations.com
HeritageInspirations.com
Learn more below.
Do happy hour with Taos artisans on this walking tour. Experience Taos’ funky artistic spirit while investigating the city center’s rich artistic history. Weaving through winding alleyways and backstreets, explore the local art scene and engage with local craftspeople as they create their inspired creations. Then depending on the day, finish with happy hour fun either at Chokola Bean to Bar for organic, small-batch, exquisitely crafted chocolate. Learn more below.
Get a quick taste of Taos’s great outdoor surroundings with this active half-day tour. Journey to Taos’ outskirts to walk the seventh tallest bridge in the U.S., the Taos Gorge Bridge, and then take a nearby Rio Grande Del Norte National Monument hike on the La Vista Verde Trail. This 2 ½ mile, 6.400-foot round trip expedition offers breathtaking scenery and spectacular panoramic views of the raging waters within the plungingly step walled gorge at your feet. Learn more below.
Want to quickly delve into Taos’ cultural depths? Visit the World Heritage UNESCO site of Taos Pueblo to see the oldest inhabited community in the U.S. and catch a glimpse of ancient Puebloan culture. Then, go to the Millicent Rogers Museum to peruse an incredible collection of Hispanic and Native American artifacts. Finally, complete your exploration of this center of Southwestern culture and living history by journeying to Taos Gorge Bridge. Learn more below.
Go deeper than most visitors by learning and interacting with the Taos Puebloans through this horno bread baking tour. Learn about these adobe arched outdoor ovens and the best ways to shape and bake Puebloan bread, directly from a Taos tribal member. After making bread, walk through and explore Taos Pueblo, a World Heritage UNESCO site known for their continuously inhabited 1000 year+ adobe buildings, and then have lunch at a local grandmother’s café. Learn more below.
Easily imagine old western movie backdrops with this journey from Taos to Ghost Ranch. Journey through red earth and multi-colored basalt covered in dusty green sagebrush on a 3-mile Chama River Valley hike to Chimney Rock. See why this sculpted textured land inspired Georgia O’Keeffe and learn about rare fossilized dinosaur discoveries. This tour highlights the stimulating vistas and prehistoric escapades of this glorious Northern New Mexico region. Learn more below.
Explore Taos’ Puebloan culture and the land Puebloans have called home for 1000s of years with a visit to Taos Pueblo, Taos Gorge Bridge and the Rio Grande Del Norte National Monument. This interpretive guided experience highlights prehistoric dwellings and the stunning geological background of the Rio Grande Rift Valley. After exploring the village’s historical and modern-day contexts, see how the river has carved out an 800-foot descent through the thick lava walls of basalt rock and hike along the rim of this breathtaking landscape. Learn more below.
The “High Road” goes through the Sangre de Cristo mountain range between Taos and Santa Fe. This tour traverses awe-inspiring scenery, provides a glimpse back in time to New Mexico’s Spanish colonial roots, and visits hidden away artists’ studios and historic landmarks. Go through Las Trampas to see the San Jose de Gracia church, wind through Ojo Sarco’s artist studios, experience Truchas village’s famed Dr. Rey Montez’ gallery, and finally taste Dixon’s Vivác Winery’s 100% New Mexican grown grape wine.
Journey along the scenic Rio Grande corridor into the Rio Grande Del Norte National Monument on an active and immersive water and hike adventure. Starting with land, hike a 2 ½ mile, 6,400-foot round trip expedition that offers breathtaking scenery and spectacular panoramic views of the Rio Grande Gorge and famous Taos Box. Then by water, choose either a stand-up paddle board or kayak or raft for a mild to wild paddle experience of the Rio Grande River. Dry off over a riverside picnic lunch. Learn more below.
Adventure through the Rio Grande Del Norte National Monument with this hiking and whitewater rafting tour. First, journey along the rim of the canyon and experience the 6,400-foot drop of the Rio Grande Gorge, offering breathtaking scenery and spectacular panoramic views. Then, be ready to go down to the bottom of the canyon and raft a class 2-3 rapid course of the Rio Grande. Both first timers and whitewater enthusiasts will be safely oriented and prepared for this river journey, although during high water levels, minimum ages are applied. Learn more below.
Fulfill a fly-fishing bug by casting a line across pristine watery expanses in isolated high mountain terrain. This tour is for people who wish to commune in New Mexico’s’ glory while trying to catch a variety of either warm or cold-water fish species. Fortunately, New Mexico weather allows for year-round fishing and has a large selection of both public and private river destinations. Thus, with a choice of watery locales, a wide variety of fish and a year-round climate, New Mexico has something for every type of angler to enjoy. Learn more below.
If you can walk, you can snowshoe. Float on snow in a snowshoe only designated section of Carson National Forest. Amole Canyon offers unsullied old growth ponderosa pine as well as excellent conditions for all levels of snowshoe experience. After a snowshoe strapping demonstration, pole fitting and short safety talk, enjoy two miles of quiet blanketed wilderness at over 8.000 feet. This tour can also be paired with an afternoon wine tasting. Learn more below.
This three-day, two-night glamping experience features the best of Taos hiking in the Rio Grande Valley, stand-up paddle boarding on Lake Abiquiu within Georgia O’Keeffe Country, farm-to-table dining and sleeping in a fusion of glamour and Taos camping. Journey With Us and read how we have cultivated this experience in our Travel Blog and our first Perseid Meteor Experience. Learn more below.
Experience a two day, one night backpacking trip perfect for beginners. This tour includes a fully equipped backpack - including tent, sleeping bag, pillow, backpacking meals, cooking supplies, and everything you need to make your first trip a success. Learn more below.
Video Transcription
As New Mexico's Premier Travel Company, we invite you to join us and take a walk in our shoes. Let us introduce you to the adventure, to the people, the art and culture, to the voices and stories and wild places. These elements combined exemplify the magic of New Mexico. Our mission is to create inspirational travel experiences that elevate your senses and compel you to an unmatched encounter with the Land of Enchantment. Storytelling is our passion. Our E-Bike Tours explore the deep-rooted historical dialogue of our state, while unveiling undiscovered destinations along the way. Our Glamping Tours take you to rugged and hard-to-reach places in style, inviting you to "go luxuriously wild". Step off the beaten path, beyond ordinary tourist routes and transcend boundaries through our ethically curated, intimate and immersive New Mexico excursions. Heritage Inspirations LLC. New Mexico's Premier Travel Company. To book now, call 1-888-344-8687 or visit www.heritageinspirations.com.
CULTURE
Experience all the cultures of the Southwest under one roof. Twenty galleries and exhibition spaces exploring the heritage of the Hispanic, Native American, and Anglo arts of the Southwest, started with Millicent Rogers' distinguished collection of Native American silver and turquoise jewelry, and Navajo and Rio Grande weavings. Over the course of more than fifty years, the Museum's collections have grown to include traditional and contemporary Hispanic religious and domestic arts, pottery, paintings, photography, and graphics, and a wide range of arts and crafts from the many cultures of northern New Mexico. On permanent display is a unique collection of pottery by the famed Maria Martinez. The Hispanic collections feature religious sculpture and painting, Spanish Colonial furniture, and textiles. Visit MillicentRogers.org for more information. Learn more below.
The museum is in the home of frontiersman Kit Carson and his wife Josefa where they raised their children between 1843 to 1867. Built around 1825, the building is an example of territorial and Spanish Colonial architecture, with adobe walls more than two feet thick. It is open to the public and receives over 20,000 visitors a year from all over the world. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1963 by the National Park Service. Learn more below.
Half a mile north of Taos Plaza is the Taos Art Museum at the Fechin House, dedicated to the art of early twentieth century Taos. The museum is housed in the studio and home that artist Nicolai Fechin built for his family between 1927 and 1933. The heart of the museum is a collection of paintings by the masters of the Taos Society of Artists — a collection of approximately 600 paintings, drawings, prints and other artifacts of the Taos Society of Artists. Learn more below.
Located one block southwest of Taos Plaza on historic Ledoux Street, the Harwood Museum of Art is home to the works of Taos' and Northern New Mexico's best-known artists, past and present, as well as a collection of 18th to 20th-century traditional work. Today, it offers a full complement of courses, seminars, exhibitions, performances, and more. The museum site was purchased by artists Burt and Elizabeth Harwood back in 1916 and has served as a cultural hub ever since. In 1935, the Harwood Foundation was given to the University of New Mexico (UNM). Learn more below.
From May through October, you can visit the homes and studios of E. I. Couse, one of the founding members of the Taos Society of Artists and its first President, and Joseph H. Sharp, also a founding member. It is the only surviving intact home and studio complex of a founder of the internationally-known Society and Art Colony that established Taos as the origin of today’s widely emulated Southwest art genre. The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (2005), the New Mexico Register of Cultural Properties (2004), and as a National Trust Historic Artist’s Studio (2002) – one of only 35 such properties nationwide. Learn more below.
One of the few northern New Mexico style, late Spanish Colonial period "Great Houses" remaining in the American Southwest, this fortress-like building with massive adobe walls was built in 1804 and was once an important trade center for the northern boundary of the Spanish Empire. Today, its twenty-one rooms surrounding two courtyards provide the visitor with a rare glimpse of the rugged frontier life and times of the early 1800s. Regularly scheduled demonstrations present the continuing traditions of northern New Mexico. The Hacienda is on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior. Learn more below.
The E.L. Blumenschein Home and Museum is maintained much as it was when the artist and his family were alive. The home is filled with a superb collection of the Blumenschein family's art, a representative sampling of works by other famous Taos artists, fine European and Spanish Colonial style antiques, and the family's lifetime of personal possessions. The home beautifully illustrates the lifestyle of Taos artists in the first half of the twentieth century and commemorates the formation of the Taos Society of Artists (often credited to E.L. Blumenschein) and the establishing of Taos as a world-renowned art colony. The E.L. Blumenschein Home and Museum was registered as a National Historic Landmark in 1966. Learn more below.