Española

Understand

The town sits at the heart of North Central New Mexico in a wide valley between the Sangre de Cristo Mountains on the east and the Jemez on the west.

Get in

Española is about 20 miles (30 km) north of Santa Fe on US Highway 84/285. US 84/285 are co-routed on the same road through town, and split apart at a junction about 10 miles northwest of Española. Other roads out of Española are NM 68, which heads northeast to Taos; NM 76, the "High Road to Taos" which heads east through some mountain villages; and NM 30, which heads southwest towards Los Alamos. Though there is a small airport north of town, there is no commercial air service.

New Mexico Park and Ride offers regular weekday bus service to Santa Fe and Los Alamos. Additionally, Española also serves as a hub for NCRTD bus service to many of the communities of North Central New Mexico; service is limited and restricted to the weekdays, with the exception of the Taos Express weekend service to Taos and Santa Fe.

Get around

Española is not particularly pedestrian friendly. Nearly everything in town requires a car to be reached.

Go next

• Several Native American Pueblos are located nearby: in addition to Santa Clara and Ohkay Owingeh bordering the town, San Ildefonso, Nambe, Pojoaque (at the town of the same name), and Tesuque are a short drive south. All are good sources of American Indian arts and crafts; Santa Clara and San Ildefonso are particularly noted for fine black and red pottery. Several of the pueblos host casinos.
• North of town on US 285, about a half-hour drive, is the tiny town of Ojo Caliente, which has a popular hot springs resort with several mineral spring pools, spas, bath houses, and scenic hiking trails leading into the hills behind town.
• Taos, Santa Fe and Los Alamos with Bandelier National Monument nearby are all short drives from Española and worthy destinations to visit. In the case of Taos, the trip there is worthy in and of itself:
• NM 68, the primary route to Taos, follows the Rio Grande up the valley and through a section of the Rio Grande Gorge, passing a number of picturesque little villages, many with seasonal fruit stands. (Don't bother with the peaches at these; in the main, they're not local products but are trucked in. Much of the other produce, however, is of local origin, including apples and chile.) The stretch of the river through the Rio Grande Gorge is excellent white water, but there are more outfitters/tour operators in Taos and Santa Fe than in Española.
• Alternatively, you can take a longer, though even more scenic drive to Taos via NM 76, the "High Road to Taos," east from Española into the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. This route passes through several picturesque villages, including Chimayó, home to the Santuario de Chimayo, a church reputed for miracles that is the focus of a major pilgrimage every Easter.
• Española is the gateway to much of the red-rock country of north central New Mexico made famous by artist Georgia O'Keeffe. The small town of Abiquiu is northwest on US Highway 84, with a pleasant motel and attached restaurant (Abiquiu Inn, Cafe Abiquiu) and Abiquiu Lake, a man-made lake on the Rio Chama that can offer some boating and fishing, depending on the level of the lake (it's often drawn down in fall and winter to prepare for spring runoff). Ghost Ranch, a conference and retreat center owned by the Presbyterian Church, is just north of the lake and has a lot of gorgeous red rock scenery as well as some hiking and photography opportunities.