This is the most popular trail in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The gradual uphill climb and the width of the road make it ideal for hikers of all abilities and ages. It's also popular with cross-country skiers. The road is closed to motorized vehicles including snowmobiles.

Directions: Follow Paseo de Peralta to Washington Ave on the North end of Paseo de Peralta. Turn away from the plaza heading north on Washington Avenue to Artist Road (Ski Basin Rd). Follow the Ski Basin Rd. 13 miles. Access this trail from Aspen Vista Picnic Area, just beyond the 13 mile marker. Ample parking is available.

The Atalaya Mountain Trail, accessible from the parking lot at St. Johns College, is one of the most popular and easily accessible hiking trails in Santa Fe. Hikers have the option of taking the longer route (Trail 174), which is approximately 7 miles round-trip, or parking farther up near the Ponderosa Ridge development and doing a 4.6-mile loop (Trail 170) instead. Both trials eventually join and take you toward the top of Atalaya Mountain, a 9,121-foot peak. The first few miles of the trail are relatively easy, but it becomes increasingly steep and strenuous as you near the summit of Atalaya Mountain. Hikers who make it to the top are afforded great views of the Rio Grande valley and the city below.

The Chamisa trail is an easy hike only six miles from the plaza. The Chamisa Trail is well defined and hikes through rolling terrain and meadows for 4.75 miles round trip. The hike will take you through large stands of evergreen trees. This is an enjoyable hike or trail run close to town.

Directions: Follow Paseo de Peralta to Washington Ave on the North end of Paseo de Peralta. Turn away from the plaza heading north on Washington Avenue to artist rd (ski Basin rd). Follow the Ski Basin rd. 5.6 miles to a wide canyon with two prominent parking areas on the south and north sides of the rd. Park on the north side. Locate trailhead and follow to big Tesuque creek.

Click here for a pdf file of a map of the Dale Ball Trail system.

The Dale Ball Trail system includes 22.22 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails that connect to other well-known Santa Fe trails and extend across land owned by the City of Santa Fe, Santa Fe County, the National Forest Service and the Nature Conservancy. Parking can be found at the east end at the St John's College parking lot; or at the Nature Conservancy on Upper Canyon Road; or on Cerro Gordo Road and also on Camino de Cruz Blanca. Connecting trails include: Cruz Blanca Trail 1.27 miles, St. John's Trail 1.47 miles, Nature Conservancy 1.27 miles, Dorothy Stewart 1.45 miles and Atalaya Trail 5.16 miles; making the total trail network 32.84 miles, all starting within two miles of the Santa Fe Plaza.

This 190-acres of open space, only a few miles from Santa Fe's bustling historic Plaza, offers a thriving bosque of cottonwood and willow trees, a pond, the ruins of an historic Victorian-era dam, hiking trails, more than 140 species of birds and the original route of the Santa Fe River. One of the last unspoiled riparian areas along the river, the preserve is nestled in the foothills adjacent to the Santa Fe National Forest
The Conservancy, with a little help from Mother Nature, has worked to restore the land to its natural state and constructed a 1.5-mile interpretive loop trail detailing the colorful history and fragile ecology of the place. Interpretive panels along the preserve trail detail this colorful past through archival photographs intertwined with information concerning the area's ecology. The preserve also serves as a trailhead for the 20-mile Dale Ball Foothill Trail System. Pets and bicycles are not allowed on the preserve trails.

Explore the wide world of nature to be found in Santa Fe at the Randall Davey Audubon Center, part of the National Audubon Society. The historic house belonged to Randall Davey, a celebrated modernist painter, before the National Audubon Society took ownership in 1983. With 135 acres of land, the center offers guided bird walks, two nature trails and historic home tours. Look for more than 130 species of rare and common birds as well as plenty of wildlife, butterflies, flowering plants and forests of fir and spruce trees. Stop by the on-site Nature Store, filled with toys and books for the kids as well as binoculars and other birding items.