7 a.m. Head for the high country
Get an early start before the desert sun heats up the Dale Ball Trails, a 24-mile network of interconnected hiking and mountain-biking trails in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, just east of downtown. Anyone not yet acclimated to the altitude — over 7,000 feet — can take it easy on the 1.25-mile nature trail that begins at the Cerro Gordo Trailhead and loops through the Santa Fe Canyon Preserve, past beaver ponds and native fourwing saltbush shrubs. More experienced hikers can follow the well-marked trails up Picacho Peak, a strenuous 3.7-mile climb through pinyon-juniper woodlands with great views along the way.
9 a.m. Replenish with a sweet treat
Refuel after a hike on Lena Street, an artsy enclave south of downtown packed with small art studios, creative workspaces and a fantastic bakery called, simply, Bread Shop. High-altitude baking is tricky business, but you wouldn’t know it from the perfect sourdough boules and baguettes. Pick one of the seasonal pastries, like the frangipane toast, a square of house focaccia topped with gooey raspberries and rich almond cream ($4.75). And for a hit of espresso, head next door to Iconik Coffee Roasters, an eclectic cafe with local art on the walls, cozy reading nooks and a sweet house specialty: a subtly cinnamony horchata latte ($6).
10 a.m. Find art and artisans at the Railyard
The revitalization of the Santa Fe Railyard has transformed the district into a multiuse community hub with year-round farmers’ and artisan markets, contemporary art galleries, an urban park, and various entertainment, shopping and dining options. One of the newest additions, Vladem Contemporary, opened in 2023 as a satellite museum of the New Mexico Museum of Art, with spacious galleries that showcase many works from New Mexican artists like Agnes Martin and Emmi Whitehorse (admission is $12 and includes entry to both locations). Another spot worth seeking out is SITE Santa Fe, an ambitious contemporary arts institution that features local artists (free admission).
12 p.m. Devour tacos made by top chefs
The side-street location, across from a strip-mall parking lot south of the Railyard, seems an unlikely spot for one of the city’s top lunch spots. But that’s precisely where you’ll find El Chile Toreado, a beloved food truck run by Luis and Berenice Medina, a father-daughter duo from Mexico and semifinalist for the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest in 2023. For lunch, try a medley of tacos (four for $13) filled with shredded pork carnitas, slow-cooked barbacoa or pineapple-adobo al pastor, all drizzled with their signature jalapeño-cilantro sauce.
1:30 p.m. Gallery crawl along Canyon Road
A half-mile stretch of Canyon Road lined with ochre-hued, Spanish Pueblo-style buildings is home to more than 100 commercial art galleries and shops. It’s a lovely street to stroll, past doorways decorated with ristras (strings of dried red chiles), but the quality of the art varies widely. Some of the best finds are hidden down narrow alleyways, like Smoke the Moon, a small gallery that opened there in 2022, showing paintings and sculptures from emerging artists in an airy, two-room space and a backyard casita. Across the driveway, step inside Raymond Nordwall’s gallery and studio to meet the artist who paints the vivid Native American and wildlife scenes on display. Then pop into Desert Moss Vintage to shop for secondhand Southwestern flair like bolo ties, silver belt buckles, cowboy boots and fringed suede jackets.
3:30 p.m. Admire dioramas atop Museum Hill
One could spend the better part of a day on Museum Hill, about 10 minutes southeast of downtown, between the four top-notch museums and the Santa Fe Botanical Garden. When time is limited, those traveling with kids will delight in the Museum of International Folk Art, where an entire wing of enchanting dioramas offers more than 10,000 pieces of folk art from around the globe, including a pint-size Puebloan village, a miniature Spanish corrida and a doll-house Italian villa. Continue through temporary exhibits that currently include moving works from incarcerated artists (through Sept. 2) and an upcoming retrospective of the Nuevomexicano textile artist Policarpio Valencia (beginning June 8). Admission $12, 16 and under free.
6 p.m. Try some chile-based classics
An order of mezcal to sip is the move at Paloma, an agave-focused restaurant in the Railyard district with more than 40 varieties on the menu (from $7) as well as mezcal-based cocktails like a citrusy Paloma made with Jarritos soda ($12). Pair a drink with a piquant ceviche of Baja sea bass, lime, pico de gallo and serrano pepper ($18) and crispy fish tacos with jalapeño slaw ($20). Or try for a table at Tomasita’s, a lively family-run restaurant nearby. Every local has a favorite old-school spot for northern New Mexican classics; for many, this is it. Start with a margarita — the Silver Coin ($11) is great, but more refreshing is the frozen version with reposado tequila ($9). Then order the chile rellenos ($16.95), fried, cheese-stuffed New Mexican chiles served with refried beans, green chile and sopaipillas (pillows of fried dough best drizzled with New Mexican honey).
8 p.m. Catch a film or a desert sunset
The Center for Contemporary Arts Santa Fe, a longtime player on the city’s vibrant cultural scene, reopened after a brief closing in 2023 as an independent, nonprofit cinema in a beautiful Pueblo-style building south of downtown. Take a seat in one of the two intimate screening rooms, where showings include independent and foreign films, documentaries, and art-house classics (tickets $14). Nothing that piques your interest on the schedule tonight? Then head to the Cross of the Martyrs, a hilltop park on the edge of downtown. Follow the path lined with plaques noting important dates in the city’s history to a panoramic overlook with excellent views of the sunset, which is often magically vibrant because of the clear high-desert air, cloud formations between the mountains and the expansive vista.
