Taos (Summer)

Isolated Taos is known for its special brand of light and for being a place where you can drop out of mainstream life. Just check out the extraterrestrial-shaped Earth ships, conceived as environmentally friendly dwellings now available for tours or overnight rentals. For decades the town has drawn artists and bohemians who come in search of a background found only in northern New Mexico that turns the sky and mountains and fields into a golden-hued fantasy. Taos is filled with eccentric types who pride themselves on being semi-cut off from the world. Hippies and artists, old-time Hispanic families who still work the land, ski bums and ...

Isolated Taos is known for its special brand of light and for being a place where you can drop out of mainstream life. Just check out the extraterrestrial-shaped Earth ships, conceived as environmentally friendly dwellings now available for tours or overnight rentals. For decades the town has drawn artists and bohemians who come in search of a background found only in northern New Mexico that turns the sky and mountains and fields into a golden-hued fantasy. Taos is filled with eccentric types who pride themselves on being semi-cut off from the world. Hippies and artists, old-time Hispanic families who still work the land, ski bums and Native Americans inhabiting the nearby Pueblo all share the clear high desert air. In summer get ready to play in the great outdoors outside town — there is whitewater rafting and fly-fishing on the wild Pecos or tamer Rio Grande rivers, plenty of hiking and fantastic soaking at nearby Ojo Caliente’s natural hot spring pools. Also drive the High and Low Roads between Taos and Santa Fe to experience the best of this region’s tri-cultural heritage.

About the Expert

Aaron Anderson is coauthor of Lonely Planet's Washington, D.C. City Guide, a contributor on western states to Lonely Planet USA, and he wrote the Austria chapters for Lonely Planet's Western Europe and Europe on a Shoestring.