Outdoor activities abound in the wilderness surrounding Santa Fe, New Mexico. Rather than “do it yourselves” and book experiences, such as fly fishing, whitewater rafting and horseback riding, through a number of different outfitters, I suggest you have Santa Fe Mountain Adventures make all the arrangements for you.
This “adventure concierge” typically books various vacation experiences for families over a number of days. Mornings are typically reserved for outdoor excursions, such as the signature “Mountain Treasure Hunt,” a guided hike and geo-caching, where families use GPS devices to search for hidden shoeboxes (see photo) filled with trinkets for the kids. My family did this last year, and we are still talking about it!
Afternoon activities usually have an arts or cultural bent, such as cooking classes and historical walking tours. Then there’s family yoga, guided llama treks and nighttime star gazing with an expert astronomer. We chose to paint pottery together, and brought home two hand-painted wine glasses, a jet bank and a star jewelry box.
All the transportation, gratuities, snacks and guides are included in a day’s program with Santa Fe Mountain Adventures (plus nice perks like water bottles and a subscription to Outside). A one-day enrollment in the program with two activities is $135 per adult; $115 per child age 6 to 12. But rates decrease the more activity days you book. And if you’re staying at a downtown partner hotel — La Posada or the Inn and Spa at Loretto — you get preferential pricing as well.
