I stumbled upon the Santa Fe to Taos (SF2T) thru-hike quite by accident. But once I’d discovered it, I couldn’t get this trail out of my mind.

I love spending time in Santa Fe and Taos. Plus, I love the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the autumn with their bold colors. The idea of spending 132 miles hiking between the two places seemed right up my alley.

Before I could begin hiking this trail, I needed to figure out a the logistics of making it happen:

• How would I get to Santa Fe to start of this hike?
• How would I get back home from Taos afterwards?
• Would I need to carry all my food? Or could I resupply along the route?
• How frequent were the water sources?
• When is the best time to do this thru-hike?
• What were my options if I needed to bail out in the middle of this hike due to an injury, bad weather, or other unforeseen circumstances?

This is the answer to all those questions. Hopefully, it helps other future SF2T hikers plan their own adventure on this new route.

Getting to/From New Mexico

Unless you live within driving distance of Santa Fe, the best option for getting to the start of this hike is to fly into one of northern New Mexico’s airports.

• ALBUQUERQUE. The Albuquerque Sunport (or ABQ) is the biggest airport in New Mexico. Southwest Airlines has the most flights in and out of ABQ each day. However, most domestic airlines, including Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, United, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit, and Sun Country, also fly there.

• SANTA FE. There is a VERY small regional airport in Santa Fe (or SAF), with limited flights connecting to Los Angeles (LAX), Phoenix (PHX), Denver (DEN), Dallas (DFW), and Houston (IAH). There’s generally only one flight each day to these hub airports, whereas ABQ had multiple daily flights and more destinations.

I strongly recommend hikers fly in and out of ABQ instead of SAF. If your Santa Fe flight is delayed for any reason (mechanical issues, weather, etc), you will likely have to wait a full day before a new flight is rescheduled and/or you will likely miss your connecting flight home. This exact scenario happened to me at the end of my hike!

Albuquerque and Santa Fe are just 55 miles apart, and there are several ways for hikers to reach Santa Fe once they arrive in New Mexico. My best advice is to save yourself the headache and just fly into ABQ.

Getting to Santa Fe

Once you arrive in Albuquerque, you have several ways to get to the southern terminus of this hike at Santa Fe Plaza.

• RENTAL CAR. The larger rental companies offer one-way car rentals between ABQ and Santa Fe. I was able to book a reasonably priced one-way rental from Hertz in October 2025 for under $100. This rental also gave me the flexibility to drop off my food cache before starting my hike. If you rent a car, consider dropping it off at the “in-town” Cerrillos location instead of the Santa Fe airport. There is a bus stop nearby that will take you the rest of the way downtown via the #2 Santa Fe Trail bus (fare is $1).

• RAIL RUNNER EXPRESS. If your goal is to get from Albuquerque to Santa Fe as inexpensively as possible, another option is to ride the Rail Runner Express train connecting the two cities. The ride takes approximately 90 minutes between downtown Albuquerque and Santa Fe. As a bonus, the Santa Fe terminal is conveniently located next to REI, where you can purchase a fuel canister, a water filter, or any last-minute items. The Rail Runner Express schedule is available HERE, and the one-way fare to Santa Fe is $10 (only $9 if purchased online or via the NMRX App). Hikers can get from the ABQ Sunport to the train terminal by taking the Rail Runner’s Airport Express shuttle (which is free when you book your train ticket through the app) or via the Rio Metro #50 bus.

• SHUTTLE. Hikers can also book an airport shuttle to Santa Fe with Groome Transportation. This nationwide shuttle company provides reliable transportation to and from local airports and their surrounding cities. Each passenger is allowed two pieces of luggage, and the cost is about $50 (excluding tip) for a one-way trip to downtown Santa Fe. The shuttle must be pre-booked with your pick-up time, so give yourself a little buffer in case your flight into ABQ is delayed for any reason.

• RIDE SHARE SERVICE. Another flexible option for hikers arriving at ABQ is to take a ride share (e.g., Lyft) to Santa Fe Plaza. The cost between the two locations usually runs $75-$80 (excluding tip). This is a great option for groups of hikers who can split the cost. It allows more flexibility with timing than a pre-booked shuttle, since you don’t need to arrange it until after you’ve landed. (Note: rideshares may be more costly or difficult to arrange in early October during the Annual Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta).

GETTING BACK HOME

The northern terminus of the SF2T thru-hike is Taos Plaza. Taos is roughly 70 miles north of Santa Fe, and there are several inexpensive ways to get back home after the hike.

• BLUE BUS. The Blue Bus is part of RTD’s free shuttle bus system that runs between Santa Fe and Taos several times each day. On weekdays, passengers can take the #300 bus from the Taos County Administration Building to the Española Transit Center, then transfer to the #200 bus to Santa Fe. The combined travel time for the two buses is 90 minutes. On weekends, there is an express bus service between the two cities. The #305 bus departs the Guadalupe Parking lot (near Taos Plaza) and continues through Española to Santa Fe. The travel time is the same as on weekdays, but there is no bus change required in Española.

• AIRPORTS. Once back in Santa Fe, hikers can fly from the Santa Fe Regional Airport (not recommended) or continue on to the Albuquerque Sunport to fly to their final destination. Travel between downtown Santa Fe and ABQ can be done via the Rail Runner Express (see details above), pre-booked shuttle, or by a rideshare service (e.g., Lyft). Finding one-way rental cars heading south to ABQ is significantly more limited and expensive than those coming north to Santa Fe.

RESUPPLY OPTIONS

The only towns with grocery stores along this route are in. Santa Fe and Taos. This means that thru-hikers will need to purchase all their food at the start of this hike or consider returning to town via one of the trailheads along the way.

• CARRYING IT ALL. The obvious solution to this lack of interim resupply locations is to carry all your necessary food from start to finish. Depending on your hiking pace and the number of days you anticipate being on the trail, this might be a feasible option. However, most hikers I know prefer not to carry 130 miles’ worth of food if they can avoid it. Thus, the other options are likely to be more popular.

• CACHING FOOD. There are several places where a hiker could cache food along this route. I opted for this method, caching my food at Santa Barbara Campground (mile 68), which was near the halfway point of the hike. Getting to Santa Barbara Campground (or any other cache) site will require a car, as there is no public transportation that runs close to the trail. However, if you are already renting a car to get from the airport to the start of this hike, it is a very doable detour. There is a lot of wildlife in this part of northern New Mexico, so make sure you protect your food cache appropriately. Other potential food cache sights include the Santa Fe Ski Basin (mile 19), Panchuela Campground (near mile 38), and Agua Piedra Campground (near mile 80).

• SIPAPU SKI & SUMMER RESORT. The Sipapu Resort is located 2.2 miles from where hikers cross NM-518, near the Agua Piedra Campground (mile 80). Hikers can mail themselves a resupply package using the resort’s address, and the resort will hold it for free. Their mailing address is Sipapu Ski & Summer Resort, 5224 NM-518, Vadito, NM 87579, and hikers should call them at (575) 587-2240 to coordinate holding the package. Getting from the SF2T route and Sipapu Ski & Summer Resort from the trail will require a 2.3-mile roadwalk along NM-518 (each way). However, the resort is an ideal place to take a “zero” or spend the night indoors. They rent hotel rooms and cabins year-round, and there is also a restaurant on the premises.

• TRES RITOS MEMBERS’ RESUPPLY. The SF2T thru-hike’s creator, Pam Neely, has organized a storage locker in Tres Ritos (near mile 81) where hikers can send their resupply box. This storage unit is co-located with the Tres Ritos Lodge (which is currently closed) on NM Highway 518. To use this resupply point, hikers must be a member of the SF2T Organization before beginning their hike. Members can ship themselves as a resupply box c/o The Santa Fe to Taos Thru-Hike, and the box will be dropped at the storage locker for them. The SF2T Organization will then send the hiker a code to access their items in the storage locker.

• TRAILHEAD RESUPPLY. Similar to the cache resupply, SF2T thru-hikers can coordinate to meet a “support person” along multiple access points on the trail. The trailheads that are easiest to access by car include the Santa Fe Ski Basin/Windsor TH (mile 19), Panchuela TH (near mile 39), Santa Barbara Campground (mile 68), Agua Piedra Campground (mile 80), and Rio Chiquito Bridge (mile 110).

Water Sources

The biggest question every hiker has when planning a long-distance hike in the Southwest is about water. How much water is on the trail? What is the longest water carry? Are there any running water sources or just a bunch of stagnant cattle tanks?

• FREQUENCY OF WATER. Compared to most desert trails like the Arizona Trail (AZT) or Continental Divide Trail (CDT), the SF2T thru-hike has a veritable abundance of water. This is partially due to its location in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, and partially due to Pam Neely’s choice of how to route the trail. She deliberately avoided burn areas with long waterless stretches, and with two exceptions, hikers will encounter water every 3-4 miles.

• WATER SOURCES. This high-altitude hike goes past nine lakes and dozens of creeks and rivers, so hikers shouldn’t ever feel parched. There were only a few boggy sources that I turned my nose up at (Los Esteros, La Cueva Lake, the Beaver Pond). But these sub-par choices were often within a very reasonable distance to a better water option flowing across or beside the trail.

• WATERLESS STRETCHES. There are two longer waterless stretches that SF2T thru-hikers need to plan around, and both of them come in the northern half of the hike. The first one is an 8.5-mile section where the route remains on high-elevation forest roads between the Ojitos Maes Trail (mile 85) and Rio Grande del Rancho (mile 94). The second one is a 10-mile section at the very end of the hike between the entrance to the Drake Canyon Loop Trail (mile 117) and Taos Cow (mile 127).

WHEN TO HIKE THE TRAIL

Mid-June to mid-October is the best time to hike this route. This allows the snow to melt from the high passes and trails, and the snow usually doesn’t return until mid-October or later.

The trail’s creator recommends August as the ideal month for the SF2T thru-hike. This is when the weather in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains is at its warmest. The summer days are long, with an average of 14 hours of daylight. Plus, all of the water sources are likely to be in good shape from snowmelt and summer rains.

I believe that the sweet spot for this trail is in early autumn. The summer’s monsoon rains are usually over by then, and the mountain scenery is truly spectacular in late September and early October. This short fall season sees the aspens turn bright gold, orange, and deep red. The ferns lining the trail transition from green to shades of bronze and copper. And the wildlife is more active during the final warm days of the year as they search for food to fatten up before winter.

Of course, hiking in the early autumn also means cooler daily temperatures and the possibility of freezing nights. I beefed up my hiking attire accordingly to ensure I remained comfortable and safe in early October. (Note: my complete SF2T gear list for this autumn thru-hike can be found HERE).

BAIL OUT OPTIONS

As I discussed in my previous post about my (very unwise) SF2T itinerary, this route can be very challenging for hikers who are not acclimated to the high elevation. The SF2T route differs significantly from the Colorado Trail and John Muir Trail. It does not provide multiple days for hikers to acclimate to higher elevations and strenuous climbs.

This high-elevation hike can also be dangerous if significant weather unexpectedly moves into the mountains and you are not prepared to hike through adverse conditions. Northern New Mexico experiences the monsoon season from June 15 to September 30, which can bring heavy rain, flash flooding, and lightning. Early-season snowstorms may occur in October, and wildfires are an ever-present danger during the peak hiking season.

Once SF2T hikers enter the Pecos Wilderness (near mile 21), it’s crucial to know where they can safely exit the trail and find shelter or outside help. For peace of mind, I pre-marked six “bailout” spots on my GPS before I began my thru-hike. These spots were located roughly every 20 miles along the trail:

• Santa Fe Ski Basin/Windsor TH (mile 19) – Busy trailhead with ski resort buildings nearby.
• Panchuela TH (near mile 39) – Near several USFS campgrounds & Los Pinos Guest Ranch
• Santa Barbara Campground (mile 68) – Popular trailhead with eventual access to ranches en route to Peñasco
• Agua Piedras Campground/Tres Ritos (mile 80) – Access to Tres Ritos and NM-518, with regular vehicle traffic
• Diablo Canyon/FR 438 (mile 102) – 7-mile walk to Pot Creek TH and NM-518, with regular vehicle traffic
• Drake Canyon/Rio Chiquito Rd (mile 117) – 3.4-mile to NM-518 and the town of Rancho de Taos

Hikers should also consider carrying a personal locator beacon (PLB) like the Garmin InReach Mini, Zoleo Satellite Communicator, or Spot X in case they encounter a true emergecy where they cannot get themselves to a trailhead without assistance.

Final Thoughts

The SF2T route is a major departure from hiking a more developed trail like the Colorado Trail, Arizona Trail, or Pacific Crest Trail. There are no SF2T trail markers along this route, and the route is not available in FarOut (yet!). As a result, you will need to rely on your own navigation skills, the SF2T guidebook, and any GPX file that you make or download.

The newness of this trail also means you aren’t likely to find a crew of fellow thru-hikers on this short adventure. There won’t be the camaraderie or safety net of a trail family. So, if you want to hike with a partner, you should arrange to bring that person along with you instead of relying on the possibility of meeting another hiker on the trail.

Nevertheless, if you go into this hike with a solid plan, it’s a lovely little adventure. If you’d like to know more about my Santa Fe to Taos thru-hike and what I saw each day of the route, check out my daily trail journal.

Happy Trails!