Day 1 Austin to Pecos, Texas
- Left Austin with a packed lunch from home. Stopped at an Econo Lodge to charge and have lunch.
- Two more charging stops, the last in Pecos, Texas.
- Stayed at the La Quinta in Pecos, 2 minutes from the charging station.
Our hotel for the night.
Day 2 Santa Fe
- Charged in Artesia, New Mexico, and had lunch at Subway.
- Charged again in Vaughn, New Mexico.
- Stopped at the fast charger at the Walmart in Santa Fe, a good time to pick up groceries and essentials.
- Drove to La Choza for dinner.
- Checked into our Airbnb and walked around the neighborhood before a thunderstorm moved in.
The enchilada and chile relleno combo at La Choza.
Day 3 Nambé Falls and Santa Fe
- Drove to Nambé Falls on the Nambé Pueblo reservation and hiked to the waterfall. The trail is about half a mile round trip, with some steep, rocky sections. We hiked to the base of the falls and walked and waded up the stream as far as we could, turning back when the water was more than thigh-high.
- Drove a bit further to the lake. Kayaks are available to rent, but our son wasn’t interested.
- Lunch in town at one of our favorite New Mexico eateries, Annapurna.
- In the evening, we parked in the paid downtown parking and walked around the shops on the Plaza. We bought some spices and specialty foods, then had dinner at the Burrito Company.
- Then we drove to the Railyard District (also paid parking), walked around, and had local green chile ice cream. This neighborhood is hip and cool, with loud live music, and the train tracks are right across the street. The stimulation might be too much for some; our son liked it only briefly, thanks to the trains coming and going.
Nambé Falls from the viewpoint.
Day 4 Abiquiú, Ghost Ranch and Chama
- Packed up after breakfast and checked out.
- Drove about an hour to the Purple Adobe Lavender Farm in Abiquiú. We enjoyed lavender scones and lavender iced tea, though the snacks and souvenirs are pricey.
- Drove about 30 minutes to Ghost Ranch, a retreat on land connected to the artist Georgia O’Keeffe, and hiked some short trails.
- Drove 50 minutes to Chama. Lunch at Subway, then a walk around the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad station.
- Drove about 50 minutes to Pagosa Springs, Colorado. We charged the car by the river and walked the Riverwalk trail.
- Picked up groceries and checked into our Airbnb. Thai takeout for dinner.
Hiking at Ghost Ranch.
Day 5 Piedra Road trails
- Drove down Piedra Road, unpaved but fairly flat, to the Ice Caves / Piedra River trailhead.
- Hiked the Piedra Ice Fissures trail, 2.7 miles round trip and dog-friendly. We didn’t see any ice in the fissures, but the views of the valley were beyond gorgeous.
- Drove further down Piedra Road to the Piedra Falls trailhead. This stretch had many rocky sections, potholes and mud; you need four-wheel drive with high clearance.
- Piedra Falls is 1 mile round trip. With a storm coming in, we hiked it and left.
- Picked up pizza from Mountain Pizza for lunch at our Airbnb, and cooked dinner at home.
- Another walk along the river while the car charged in the evening.
The view from the trailhead for the Ice Fissures and the Piedra River trail.
Day 6 Wolf Creek Pass and the hot springs
- Drove the scenic Wolf Creek Pass, northeast of Pagosa Springs, toward the Big Meadows Reservoir.
- First stop, Treasure Falls: about a mile round trip to two viewpoints of this amazing waterfall.
- Cascade Falls, a short half-mile round trip: a leisurely 30-minute walk up the waterfall from the reservoir.
- A couple of scenic lookouts along Wolf Creek Pass.
- Picked up lunch at the Subway in Pagosa Springs for a picnic by the river.
- Spent the afternoon at The Springs Resort in Pagosa Springs, soaking in its many natural hot spring pools.
- Came home in the late afternoon because of thunderstorms, and cooked tacos for dinner.
The Big Meadows Recreation Area.
Day 7 Coyote Hill and tubing
- Hiked the Coyote Hill Loop, 3.4 miles round trip, with easy climbs and beautiful wide-open views.
- Picked up veggie burgers from Kip’s Grill in Pagosa Springs.
- In the afternoon, I stayed at the Airbnb with our pup while my husband and son went tubing with Pagosa Outside Adventures.
- My husband tried Root House Coffee by the river while the car charged.
- Dinner from Shanghai Chinese.
The Coyote Hill Loop.
Day 8 To Crested Butte
- Checked out of the Airbnb and headed for Crested Butte.
- About an hour in, we stopped in Del Norte for coffee at Raisin Rye. Their orange honey cardamom latte was incredible.
- A couple more hours through the beautiful Colorado mountains to Gunnison, for lunch at Sherpa Cafe. We charged the car here too.
- On through gorgeous meadows and mountains to Crested Butte.
- Hiked the Teddy’s Trail section of the Snodgrass Mountain trail, about 2 miles round trip. This trail had more wildflowers than we had ever seen.
- Drove back through the most beautiful scenery to town for dinner at a Thai restaurant.
- Checked into our hotel and spent the evening at the pool.
Wildflowers galore on the Snodgrass Mountain trail.
Day 9 Judd Falls and Peanut Lake
- After breakfast, we drove up Colorado 317, past more magnificent mountain and wildflower views, and hiked to Judd Falls, about 2.2 miles round trip. We got lost a couple of times, as the path isn’t well marked.
- We kept driving up CO 317 hoping to reach Emerald Lake, but the road was unpaved, with large rocks, lots of potholes and uneven ground. We had no spare tire, and my husband was nervous about getting into trouble so far from help, so we turned around maybe 5 miles short of the lake.
- Lunch in town at Pita Paradise, with a dog-friendly patio.
- After resting in the afternoon, we parked at the Peanut Lake lot and hiked the Upper Lower Loop trail, about 2.2 miles round trip. A small climb gave us great views of Peanut Lake, then the trail ran through an aspen forest and out into wildflower meadows with wide-open mountain views.
- Dinner at Bonez for amazing tacos, then dessert at the ice cream shop around the corner.
Judd Falls.
Day 10 Cottonwood Pass, St. Elmo and on to Taos
- Packed up and left Crested Butte.
- Took county roads 742 and 306 (open only in summer) over Cottonwood Pass, past beautiful campsites tucked into pine forests and lots of white-water rafting spots.
- Followed the county roads to the St. Elmo ghost town, near Nathrop, Colorado. Nearby are the Mount Princeton Hot Springs and some hiking. We walked around the ghost town, enjoying its mountain setting and well-preserved historic buildings.
- Drove on to Salida to charge. We picked up ramen from an amazing food truck, Rocky Mountain Ramen: perfect for warming up on a cool, rainy afternoon, if a bit messy to eat in the car.
- After charging, we drove on to Taos, New Mexico, our home for the next few days.
- Straight to dinner at Orlando’s for a traditional New Mexican meal.
- Checked into our cabin and enjoyed some time in the hot tub.
The St. Elmo ghost town.
Day 11 Taos Pueblo and the Rio Grande Gorge
- Started at Taos Pueblo, which offers insight into the thousand-year-old culture and traditions of the people who live in the village. We enjoyed learning about their lifestyle, food, arts and crafts. Bring cash for snacks and shopping, or drive a couple of miles to the gas station for some.
- Lunch in town at La Cueva Cafe: dog-friendly, with great chile.
- It was quite hot, so we walked the Plaza only briefly, then rested indoors at the cabin through the hottest part of the day.
- As it cooled off, we went to the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. There’s a parking lot with restrooms and Native American markets. We walked a trail along the side of the gorge for about a mile, with amazing views of the gorge and the bridge.
- We started across the bridge, but the wind was picking up as a storm rolled in, and we didn’t want to be caught on the bridge, so we turned back to the car.
- Tried Taos Pizza Out Back for dinner. They were short-staffed that day, and with a thunderstorm looming we couldn’t enjoy the pet-friendly patio. The staff were nice, and we took our food to go to spend more time at the cabin.
- The cabin sat on a gorgeous property with river access and secluded meditation tents, which we explored after dinner. Another hot tub session before bed.
Traditional dwellings at Taos Pueblo.
Day 12 Williams Lake
- After breakfast, we drove about an hour to Taos Ski Valley and straight to the Williams Lake trailhead.
- We parked in the lot closest to the trailhead to cut down on walking. The Williams Lake trail is 3.7 miles round trip with 1,000 feet of elevation gain. It’s dog-friendly (lots of off-leash dogs) and has plenty of shade in the mid-morning.
- Lunch at The Bavarian, right across from the parking lot, with lots of vegan and vegetarian options. The dessert was the best part!
- Rested at the cabin, and cooked spaghetti for dinner.
We made it to Williams Lake.
Day 13 Back to Pecos, Texas
- Our cabin had an EV charger, so we didn’t need any charging stops in Taos.
- Packed the car and headed back toward Pecos, Texas, with the same charging stops as on the way to Santa Fe.
- Ordered pizza for dinner in Pecos.
Our cabin in Taos.
Day 14 Home to Austin
- The same drive back to Austin, with charging stops in Ozona and Junction, Texas.