Taos - American Southwest - page 202

202 202 altogether drop out of, mainstream soci-

ety. Most Taoseños live here to play here—
and that means outdoors. Many work at
the ski area all winter (skiing whenever
they can) and work for raft companies in
the summer (to get on the river as much as
they can). Others are into rock climbing,

mountain biking, and backpacking. That's
not to say that Taos is just a resort town.
With the Hispanic and Native American
populations' histories in the area, there's a
richness and depth here that most resort
towns lack.

1 ORIENTATION

ARRIVING
BY PLANE The Taos Regional Airport ( & 575/758-4995 ) is about 8 miles north-
west of town on US 64. Most people opt to fly into Albuquerque International Sunport,
rent a car, and drive up to Taos from there. The drive takes approximately 2 1 / 2 hours. If
you'd rather be picked up at Albuquerque International Sunport, call Faust's Transporta-
tion, Inc. ( & 575/758-3410 ), which offers daily service, as well as taxi service between
Taos and Taos Ski Valley.
BY BUS The Taos Bus Center is 5 miles south of the plaza at 710 Paseo del Pueblo
Sur ( & 575/758-1144 ). TNM&O arrives and departs from this depot several times a
day. For more information on this and other bus services to and from Albuquerque and
Santa Fe, see “Getting There & Getting Around,” in chapter 3.
BY CAR Most visitors arrive in Taos via either NM 68 or US 64. Northbound travelers
should take exit I-25 at Santa Fe, follow US 285 as far as Española, and then continue
on the divided highway when it becomes NM 68. Taos is about 79 miles from the I-25
junction. Southbound travelers from Denver on I-25 should exit about 6 miles south of
Raton at US 64 and then follow it about 95 miles to Taos. Another major route is US
64 from the west (214 miles from Farmington).
VISITOR INFORMATION
The Taos County Chamber of Commerce, at 108 F Kit Carson Rd., Taos, NM 87571
( & 575/751-8800; www.taoschamber.com), is open in summer, daily 9am to 5pm. It's
closed on major holidays.

8

CITY LAYOUT
The plaza is a short block west of Taos's major intersection—where US 64 (Kit Carson
Rd.) from the east joins NM 68, Paseo del Pueblo Sur. US 64 proceeds north from the
intersection as Paseo del Pueblo Norte. Camino de la Placita (Placita Rd.) circles the
west side of downtown, passing within a block of the other side of the plaza. Many of
the streets that join these thoroughfares are winding lanes lined by traditional adobe
homes, many of them over 100 years old.
Most of the art galleries are located on or near the plaza, which was paved over with
bricks several years ago, and along neighboring streets. Others are in the Ranchos de
Taos area, a few miles south of the plaza.
MAPS To find your way around town, pick up a free Taos map from the Town of Taos
Visitor Center, 1139 Paseo del Pueblo Sur ( & 800/732-TAOS [8267] or 575/758-
3873). Good, detailed city maps can be found at area bookstores as well. Carson
National Forest information and maps are available in the same building.