Overnight Summer Getaway to Taos, New Mexico

If you're driving up from Santa Fe, stop along the Rio Grande rapids and grab lunch at the ironically-named Pilar Yacht Club. It's simple, tasty, local fare and while you're gobbling barbacoa tacos on the front porch, you can hear the rafters talk about their adventures on the river. Continue to El Monte Sagrado in Taos, an idyllic resort just far enough from the main drag to be a peaceful oasis. Check into a mountain room, try out your gas fireplace and enjoy the view from your balcony. Take a dip in the grotto pool and maybe even play a game of pool in the library before heading 15 minutes up the road to Arroyo Seco for dinner. Enjoy fresh-squeezed margaritas and tasty grilled steaks and ribs at Sabroso before heading back to watch the sun set with a nightcap from the hotel's iconic Anaconda Bar.

You'll likely wake to the sound of birds outside and maybe even spot a woodpecker hunting for breakfast in a cottonwood tree. Pack up, check out and take yourself to breakfast at Michael's Kitchen, a quick drive or easy walk from the hotel. Once you're satiated with a hearty breakfast burrito and strong coffee (your cup will never be empty,) you might treat yourself to something fresh and tempting from the bakery case. You can always get it to go and save it for the drive back to Santa Fe! Assuming you have 4-wheel drive and are feeling adventurous, make the trek up to the Taos Ski Valley and continue to the Williams Lake trailhead. Park in the Hikers Lot and hit the trail - the hike to Williams Lake is about 2 miles each way, but conditions vary, so just do what you can. We've forded run-off streams and trudged through knee-deep snow as late June! However far you get, you'll earn yourself a satisfying beer and a pretzel or schnitzel at the Bavarian restaurant back at the trailhead. Savor the views and raise a stein to your high-altitude expedition before heading back to Santa Fe or onward to your next destination.