Angel Fire's position on the Enchanted Circle makes it an excellent base for day trips into northern New Mexico.
Taos is 25 miles west over the Palo Flechado Pass on US-64, a drive of about 40 minutes. The town has enough to fill a full day: Taos Pueblo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in North America; the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, a dramatic span 650 feet above the river; and a compact historic plaza ringed with galleries and restaurants.
Red River is a former gold-mining town at the north end of the Enchanted Circle, about 35 miles via NM-38. The town sits in a steep canyon at around 8,700 feet and keeps an old-west wooden-storefront character. Red River Ski Area is small and affordable, popular with families from Texas and Oklahoma. In summer the canyon road is excellent for cycling and the surrounding national forest trails are lightly used.
Cimarron Canyon is a scenic 30-mile drive southeast on US-64, where the road drops from the high valley into a narrow canyon cut through red and grey rock by the Cimarron River. The canyon holds some of New Mexico's best wild trout water, and easy trails climb the canyon walls into ponderosa pine forest. At the far end, the historic town of Cimarron and the bullet-scarred St. James Hotel are worth the extra few miles.
Santa Fe is about two hours south — a long day trip but worth it for the museums, the Palace of the Governors, and the Canyon Road galleries.
