High Road to Taos (NM-76)
The High Road to Taos is a 56-mile National Scenic Byway connecting Santa Fe and Taos through the Sangre de Cristo Mountains via a string of Spanish colonial villages. The core of the route follows NM-76 through Córdova, Truchas (an 8,000-foot weaving village), Las Trampas, and Chamisal before picking up NM-75 through Peñasco and NM-518 into Ranchos de Taos. The route climbs from high desert scrubland to pine-forested ridges at over 8,700 feet, with panoramic views across the Jemez Mountains. Key stops include the Santuario de Chimayó, the National Historic Landmark 18th-century adobe church at Chimayó, and numerous working artist studios.
What you'll hit along the way.
Rider-verified stops, overlooks, fuel, and the corners worth knowing about — in the order you'll meet them.
Española
Gateway town at the start of the High Road where you can fuel up and grab a meal before heading into the mountains.
El Paragua
A longtime local restaurant in Española known for traditional New Mexican cuisine, a good spot for a pre-ride meal.
Rio Chiquito
Small community nestled in the foothills that marks your transition from the valley into the higher terrain of the High Road.
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Runs are rider-logged & GPS-traced in the app
Ride your own ride — times are rider-logged & GPS-traced, never a race on public roads.
Shot by the riders who've run it.
Riders upload photos to their profile and tag the road or stop — tagged shots show up here automatically.