Denver to Santa Fe road trip: Best stops, distance & times
The best road trip stops on the Denver to Santa Fe drive are the Garden of the Gods, the La Veta Pass and Taos Pueblo. By car, the distance from Denver to Santa Fe is 358 miles, with a driving time of around 5h56m.
Planning a Denver to Santa Fe road trip itinerary
The drive from Denver to Santa Fe connects the capitals of Colorado and New Mexico.
Top Denver experiences include Rocky Mountain National Park day tours, downtown Denver food tours and chilling guided ghost walks around the Cheeseman Park cemetery.
Santa Fe is one of the oldest cities in the US, and has a huge arts scene. The glut of adobe architecture makes the New Mexico capital highly photogenic. These buildings are best seen on an architecture walking tour.
Fab Santa Fe experiences include history walks covering the city’s past, on-the-move photography classes and New Mexican food tours through the evocative Santa Fe Plaza.
For other options, try small group e-bike tours through lesser-known areas of the city and ghost story tours.
If you want memorable Santa Fe accommodation, try the Hacienda in the Railyard Arts District or the adobe-style La Fonda on the Plaza.
Top tip for Santa Fe
The Canyon Road Arts District plays a huge part in Santa Fe’s distinctive character. But with 80-plus galleries, it’s difficult to know where to start looking. Taking a Canyon Road Arts District tour with an art historian guide helps you zero in on the most interesting works. You’ll also get to chat to the artists and gallery curators. Find out more here.
David Whitley, editor of Best3Stops.
Denver to Santa Fe distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Denver to Santa Fe is 358 miles. That makes for a driving time of five hours and 56 minutes. This is using the shortest route, which goes south along the I-25, then branches of to the west along US-160.
If you stick to the I-25, it’s a longer distance and more boring journey, but you can shave 20 minutes off the driving time.
Denver to Santa Fe road trip stops: The Garden of the Gods
There’s plenty to do around Colorado Springs, but if picking just one spot, the Garden of the Gods is probably the best choice. This park is home to scores of dramatic sandstone rock formations that jut out above the surrounding landscape like dragons’ teeth.
It’s a popular spot for hiking, mountain biking and rock climbing. Spend a bit of time there, and you’ll be struck by how different all the red rock outcrops are from each other.
Once there, you can take an e-bike tour or explore by Segway.
Denver to Santa Fe drive: La Veta Pass
US-160 climbs through the Sangre De Cristo Mountains, offering spectacular views along the way. It reaches an elevation of 9,413ft. There are plenty of places to pull over and take photos along the way.
The La Veta Pass ends in Fort Garland where the Fort Garland Museum and Cultural Center covers the history of the Buffalo Soldiers and maintains historic adobe buildings.
Attractions between Denver and Santa Fe: Taos Pueblo
Mountain town Taos is known for its arts scene and skiing, but the star attraction is the World Heritage-listed Taos Pueblo. Thought to be nearly 1,000 years old, this is one of the finest examples of a native pueblo village in the US. Some of the adobe buildings are up to five stories high.
Other top Taos experiences include white-water rafting, snowshoeing adventures and art scene walking tours that visit the artists’ workshops and include chocolate tastings.
More Denver road trips
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More Santa Fe road trips
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