I’ve taken a few women’s adventure trips before but this one beats them all!  Your enthusiasm and love for your profession shows in everything you do and your compassion and concern for others is a great example for all of us.  --  Kathy T, WI

Women’s Adventure Travel Colorado and New Mexico

New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment, is conveniently adjacent to our favorite part of Colorado – the San Juan Mountains. This is a perfect playground for Canyon Calling adventurers who are looking for primarily hiking and exploring vacations. We’ll enjoy the gorgeous mountain towns of New Mexico and Colorado.  We’ll soak in hot springs, explore ancient ruins and visit galleries and museums in Santa Fe and Taos. A highlight is our stay is in Georgia O’Keefe country where we form a deep appreciation of the red canyons, magical mesas and soft light that Georgia O’Keefe loved so deeply. We’ve also included a stay at a tranquil and sacred mineral springs resort and spa offering restorative body therapies. Fall is a perfect time in the high desert and in the San Juan Mountains, with mild day time temperatures and cool nights. Join us out west on this inspirational desert mountain escape!

Desert Mountain Escape Activities at a Glance

Desert Mountain Escape Itinerary

Day 1

Your Canyon Calling Trip Leader will meet you at 2pm at the Albuquerque Airport and we’ll drive north to Santa Fe to check into our hotel. You’ll have some time to explore the wonderful galleries, enjoy the shops or museums.  Santa Fe also has a multitude of architectural and cultural subjects for photographers.  We’ll dine at a favorite local restaurant where we’ll sample the New Mexican cuisine. Overnight Santa Fe, NM

Day 2

After breakfast we’ll drive to Bandelier National Monument. Bandelier National Monument protects over 33,000 acres of rugged but beautiful canyon and mesa country, as well as evidence of human presence going back over 11,000 years.  Petroglyphs, dwellings carved into the soft rock cliffs, and standing masonry walls pay tribute to the early days of a culture that still survives in the surrounding communities. We’ll hike Frijoles Canyon, containing some ancestral pueblo homes, kivas, rock paintings and petroglyphs. Some of the dwellings were rock structures built on the canyon floor; others were “caveats” produced by voids in the canyon wall and carved out further by humans.  After exploring, we’ll have lunch in the park restaurant and poke our heads in the gift shop. Next, we head north to Taos, New Mexico with a stop in Chimayo. Chimayo, and it’s Santuario, is a pilgrimage site that also offers treats and local crafts.  We’ll check into our hotel to relax and maybe enjoy the hot tub after our hike. It’s off to dinner! Overnight Taos, NM

Your format and company sure draws some incredible women. We had more than a few belly laughs along the way. -- Kris T, VA

Day 3

After breakfast, we’ll explore the unique plaza area and its shops. (If the Taos Pueblo is open, we will visit – hours change). Next, we’re off to the Rio Grande Gorge for some wonderful photographs. We’ll stop at a local organic diner for lunch, then it’s time to head to Ojo Caliente for a hike to stretch our muscles before we check in to this tranquil and sacred mineral springs resort and spa. Yes, this is an overnight stay at this Spa Finder-voted “Top 10 Best Hot Springs Spas in the World”. These springs are deemed sacred by the Native American tribes of Northern New Mexico – a gathering place and source of healing for hundreds, even thousands of years. This is the only hot springs in the world with a remarkable combination of four different types of mineral water.  After soaking and relaxation, we’ll enjoy the onsite Artisan restaurant which provides a real foodies experience and charming atmosphere. We’ll sleep well in our comfy beds tonight. Overnight Ojo Caliente, NM

Day 4

We’ll have a delicious breakfast at our hotel before saying our farewell to Ojo!  A scenic ride through the mountains north to Pagosa Springs for lunch, and on to the old-west mining town of Silverton to explore a bit, maybe even dress up for an ol’ tyme group photo. This is a road trip day with stops along the way as we travel to the adorable mountain town of Ouray, often referred to as the “Switzerland of America”.  Here we check into our lodging and stroll through the town in this picturesque setting of historic Victorian buildings. With no nearby ski area to attract the tourism of other alpine Colorado towns, Ouray has kept much of its authentic turn-of-the-century charm. The whole town is registered as a Historic District and includes many buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. We’ll enjoy views of the steep, beautiful San Juan Mountains, known to their original inhabitants, the Utes, as the Shining Mountains. Depending on the time, we may make a stop at Box Canyon for a quick hike. We’ll have a number of delightful restaurants to choose from for dinner.  Overnight Ouray, CO

I cannot tell you how much I respect your attention to detail and the quality of your trips. -- Linda Z, NY

Day 5

After breakfast, we’ll drive over to the beautiful ski town of Telluride for our gondola ride.  We’ll travel high up into the nearby mountains with scenic views of the valley. We’ll have time to explore this beautiful little town that is a photographer’s delight. After lunch and back in our van, we’ll head up and over a 10,000’ pass to the Delores River Valley. This afternoon we’ll explore Mesa Verde National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  For over 700 years, the Ancestral Pueblo people built thriving communities on the mesas and in the cliffs of Mesa Verde. Today, the park protects the rich cultural heritage of 26 Pueblos and Tribes and offers visitors a spectacular window into the past. This is also an International Dark Sky Park, and is home to over a thousand species, including several that live nowhere else on earth. As we walk through Spruce Tree House, we get a wonderful sense of the lives of the Ancestral Puebloans.  If they still allow it, you may even climb down into a kiva, a room used for religious rituals. After we’re done exploring, we drive to nearby Durango to check into our lodge and enjoy dinner.  Overnight Durango, CO

Day 6

After breakfast, we’ll pick up a picnic lunch and drive south to Chaco Culture National Historic Park.  Today the massive buildings of the Ancestral Puebloan people still testify to the organizational and engineering abilities not seen anywhere else in the American Southwest. We’ll get a taste of the monumental architecture and complex community life of the Chacoan culture that existed from roughly 800 to 1200AD.  It is truly astounding to wander the well-preserved ruins of the great houses and kivas and imagine the sophisticated social organization in which this community of thousands thrived.  We’ll have our picnic lunch, and hike some more.  Our destination this late afternoon is Abiquiu to check into our lovely lodge and enjoy dinner. Overnight Abiquiu, NM

My first visit to the Southwest was chock full of grand memories. You made the trip so relaxing and fun. It was like traveling with true “road sisters!” -- Regina E, MD

Day 7

It’s fun to get up early in the cool air, enjoy some quiet time before breakfast, and watch the desert come alive.  After breakfast, we’re off to Ghost Ranch – yes, Georgia O’Keefe country!  We’ll stop to view this educational retreat space with a museum, trading post, and with our day pass in hand, we’ll enjoy a wonderful two-hour hike that takes us up through red rocks and white gypsum near Kitchen Mesa. The red and yellow cliffs of this mesa were favorite subjects for O’Keefe’s paintings.  Georgia O’Keefe once said “You enter the landscape of vast vistas, table-topped mesas, tall cliffs, the Rio Chama bordered by huge old cottonwood trees, mountains in the distance and more beauty around every bend in the winding road. It is not a country of light on things, it is a country of things in light.” The views are spectacular, and you can see why this ranch was so beloved by her.  After our hike, we’ll have lunch and drive back to Albuquerque. Here we check into our airport hotel to relax a bit before heading to our farewell dinner.  As we reflect on all of our amazing experiences this past week, we’ll say farewell for now. Overnight Albuquerque, NM

Day 8

Enjoy breakfast and the amenities of the hotel before the complimentary hotel to airport transfer for your flight home or stay and play in the Land of Enchantment!

What’s Included

• 7 days/7 nights fully guided tour by a Canyon Calling Trip Leader
• Lodging accommodations in double occupancy
• All land transportation as specified in this itinerary
• All meals from dinner on Day 1 through breakfast on Day 8
• All activities as specified in this itinerary
• All activity guide gratuities
• All entrance fees, passes and permits

What’s Not Included

• Round-trip transportation from/to Albuquerque, New Mexico
• Alcoholic beverages and other items of a personal nature
• Optional gratuity to your Trip Leader at the end of the week