New Mexico · A day worth getting out for.

High desert.
Adobe and open sky.

Walk Santa Fe's Plaza and Canyon Road, climb the ladders at Bandelier, drive the High Road to Taos, watch five hundred balloons rise at dawn, or spend a weekend on the dunes of White Sands. We’ve put the stops, routes and practical details together so your day out of Santa Fe or Albuquerque is easier to plan.

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The twin wooden belfries and buttressed adobe walls of San José de Gracia church at Las Trampas, with weathered crosses in the dry grass of the churchyard under a pale sky
THE NEW MEXICO COLLECTIONOld adobe. Cliff dwellings. Balloons.San José de Gracia church, Las Trampas, New Mexico
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Small price. A whole day of possibilities.

Where will your New Mexico day take you?

From Santa Fe to the Rio Grande Gorge.
Guides from $4.
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San Francisco Street in downtown Santa Fe, lined with adobe-style shops under wooden portals, with the cathedral's tower and green mountains at the far end under a blue skyHistory & art walk
Santa Fe Plaza → Palace of the Governors → Cathedral Basilica → Loretto Chapel → San Miguel Chapel → Canyon Road → Railyard

Santa Fe on Foot: The Plaza to Canyon Road

A full day on foot in old Santa Fe: the Plaza and the Native artisans under the Palace of the Governors portal, the New Mexico History Museum, the Cathedral Basilica, Loretto Chapel's spiral staircase and the San Miguel Chapel, then an afternoon in the galleries of Canyon Road and a late stroll through the Railyard, with the hours, fees and parking rules that catch visitors out.

7–8 hour day·No driving; about 4–5 miles on foot, with a free shuttle option
Best: All year; best September–October
$4 USD
The round stone foundations of Tyuonyi pueblo on the floor of Frijoles Canyon, seen from the cliff trail above, with a paved path curving past and green cottonwoods behindCanyons, history & volcano
Santa Fe → Bandelier → Los Alamos → Valles Caldera → Soda Dam → Jemez Springs

Bandelier, Los Alamos and the Jemez

A full loop from Santa Fe over the Pajarito Plateau and through the Jemez Mountains: ladders into Ancestral Pueblo cliff rooms at Bandelier, the Manhattan Project story in Los Alamos, the huge meadow of Valle Grande inside Valles Caldera, the travertine Soda Dam and an early dinner in Jemez Springs, with the parking, pass and checkpoint details that catch first-timers.

11–12 hour day·About 4½–5 hours of driving in a loop
Best: May to October; best September to mid-October
$4 USD
The twin wooden belfries and buttressed adobe walls of San José de Gracia church at Las Trampas, with weathered crosses in the dry grass of the churchyard under a pale skyVillages, churches & pueblo
Santa Fe → Chimayó → Truchas → Las Trampas → Taos Plaza → Taos Pueblo → Rio Grande Gorge

The High Road to Taos

A loop from Santa Fe up the High Road through the old Hispanic mountain villages: the pilgrimage chapels of Chimayó, Truchas on its ridge below the peaks, the 18th-century adobe church at Las Trampas, lunch on Taos Plaza, an afternoon at Taos Pueblo, and the Rio Grande Gorge before the river road home, with the visitor rules, closures and opening days that catch first-timers.

10–10½ hour day·About 4½ hours of driving in a loop
Best: May to October; best mid-September to October
$4 USD
Dozens of brightly striped hot air balloons rising into a clear blue morning sky over the Balloon Fiesta launch field, with more balloons still inflating on the grassFestival & event
Balloon Fiesta Park → Dawn Patrol → Mass Ascension → Balloon Museum → Old Town → Sandia Peak Tramway

A Day at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

One full Balloon Fiesta day in Albuquerque: a pre-dawn arrival for the Dawn Patrol and the 7 am Mass Ascension, the Balloon Museum next to the launch field, a late lunch in Old Town, then the Sandia Peak Tramway at sunset, with the tickets, Park & Ride times, parking cash and weekday catches that trip first-timers up.

16–17 hour day, with a midday rest·About 1½ hours of driving, plus Fiesta traffic
Best: Balloon Fiesta: October 2–10, 2027
$4 USD
Rippled white gypsum dunes stretching to a line of dark mountains under a bright sun and heaped white clouds at White Sands National ParkWeekend getaway
Albuquerque → San Antonio → Valley of Fires → Carrizozo → Alamogordo → White Sands → Cloudcroft → Three Rivers → Albuquerque

White Sands and Cloudcroft Weekend

A two-night weekend from Albuquerque to the white gypsum dunes of White Sands National Park. Drive down on Friday by way of a green chile cheeseburger, a walk across the Valley of Fires lava flow and the old railroad town of Carrizozo. Saturday is the dunes: an early hike on the Alkali Flat Trail, the space museum in Alamogordo at midday, then sledding and sunset back on the sand. Sunday climbs to the mountain village of Cloudcroft and stops at the Three Rivers petroglyphs on the way home.

2-night weekend·About 9–10 hours of driving in all, roughly 550 miles: 3½ hours each way from Albuquerque plus the trips into the dunes and up to Cloudcroft
Best: October to April
$5 USD

Every guide lists the date and time it was last updated and when the trip is best experienced, from a single week to all year. Each includes official links to verify roads, tides, hours, fees and closures for your travel date. Buy once and the guide is yours forever: read it online any time from your account, always in its latest version, or keep it offline in the Greg’s Guides app for iPhone and iPad, which updates it for you.

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No juggling a dozen tabs or guessing how much you can squeeze into a day. Get a realistic starting plan, then make the day your own.

  • No ads. Just your next great day.You’ll never see ads popping up in your face to ruin your experience. Our website, app and guides are ad-free, so you can focus on planning and enjoying your trip.
  • Your day, laid outA timed itinerary, worthwhile stops, and honest driving estimates.
  • Your route, readyA route overview plus Google Maps, Waze, and Apple Maps links. Open a route to use your app’s latest available road closures, detours and traffic information.
  • The details that save a headacheParking, park rules, seasonal closures, packing tips, and what to skip.
  • A plan for the unexpectedWeather alternatives and flexible stops when the day runs long.
  • Dated, seasonal and yours to keepEvery guide shows when it was last updated and when the trip is best experienced. You own your guide forever: read the latest version online any time, or keep it offline in our iPhone app.
GREG’S GUIDES IN EVERY GUIDE
One guide.
A better starting point.
01
Trip guideRead online or in the app
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02
Route overviewSchematic route map
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Navigation linksGoogle Maps · Waze · Apple Maps
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Offline in the appiPhone & iPad, no signal needed
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From “we should go somewhere” to out the door.

Your next good day in three steps.

01

Pick your escape

A relaxed beach day, a mountain outing, or a bigger coastal adventure. Choose what fits your time.

02

Get your guide

Pay once and read it online right away, or open it in the Greg’s Guides app to keep it on your phone.

03

Make a day of it

Check current conditions, open your route, and head out. Linger where you like. Skip what you don’t.

Good questions.

A few things
before you go.

What exactly am I buying?

A digital guide with a timed itinerary, stop-by-stop details, a schematic route map, navigation links and a plain-text plan. This is a self-guided plan; attraction admission, parking, food, and transport are separate. We update trips regularly, and you’ll always have access to the latest information: you own your guide forever, so you can read the latest version online any time or keep it up to date in the app.

Do I need an account?

No, but it’s worth having. Tell us your home city and we’ll unlock a free guide to a day trip, event or activity near you. Your account also keeps every guide you buy, so you can read it online any time and use it in the Greg’s Guides app.

Will it work on my phone?

Yes. Read it online in your phone’s browser: sign in to My account and open your guide. Or, as we recommend on iPhone and iPad, use the Greg’s Guides app: sign in with the same account and your guides are saved on your phone, so they work without cell service. Navigation links open in the relevant app or browser when supported.

Can I use the guide without cell service?

In the Greg’s Guides app, yes: your guides and route maps are saved on your phone. Reading online needs a connection. Guides don’t include offline road maps or turn-by-turn navigation, so save the area in your navigation app and prepare your route while connected.

Will my route include current closures and detours?

Route links open in Google Maps, Apple Maps or Waze, which calculate directions using their latest available road, traffic, closure and detour information. This information depends on your app, coverage and connection and may not include every restriction. Check official road alerts, review the route before leaving and obey posted closures. The guide’s route map is a saved overview.

Are these trips suitable for everyone?

Each preview tells you the time commitment and activities. Beach sand, stairs, steep paths, weather, and road access can affect suitability. Choose shorter options and check accessibility at the stops you want to visit.

How current is the information?

Each guide shows the date and time it was last updated and the time of year it is best experienced; some stops also note their own best season. Roads, services, prices, tides and rules can change, so every guide includes official sources to check before departure. Online, you always see the latest version, and the app updates the guides on your phone. You own your guide forever.

How do I get my guide after paying?

Stripe returns you to an order page with links to read each guide online as soon as payment is verified. Bookmark that page and reopen it any time for fresh links. Sign in or create a free account to keep your guides together and use them in the Greg’s Guides app. No subscription is required. Please keep the order link private.

Who is Greg?

I’m Greg Pasquariello, a software engineer living in the Pacific Northwest and the owner of Tecnicl LLC. I love a good day trip, and I host a lot of out-of-town visitors who want to know what they can do while they’re here. Greg’s Guides began as the plans I kept putting together for them. Now anyone can use them.

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