Adventures in the Southwest

Santa Fe is a magical city and it will always have a special place in our hearts. It was one of the first cities we road-tripped to with Squash and it was our home base for 4 months during the pandemic (2020). We originally planned this fall trip (2022) around a friend’s wedding and it would be the first time we would be stepping foot in Santa Fe since we left for California almost two years earlier. The second we arrived we remembered just how magical and beautiful the city is. Our weeklong trip was filled with hiking, great food, shopping (Santa Fe has some of the best art and pottery we’ve ever seen), celebration, and nostalgia.

Modern Adobe Home in the Heart of Santa Fe

Choosing pet friendly lodging is always tricky, but there is definitely no shortage of dog friendly stays in and around Santa Fe. Because we were staying a full week, we decided to stay at an Airbnb over a more traditional hotel. “Sage Haven” checked a lot of boxes for us. Prime location, peaceful, stunning views, proximity to shopping, modern, clean and very dog friendly. The home is located on the historic East Side, in a quiet neighborhood right by the river and a 10 minute walk from Canyon Road (home to hundreds of galleries, shops and restaurants). The hiking trails around the city are right outside the front door and the mountain trails are not too far, only a 20 minute drive. The house itself was very quiet and clean, had many modern amenities, EV charger, smart TV and Bosch appliances, and even a fenced-in 40′ x 5′ dog run. Squash loved using the dog run, relaxing on the patio, taking naps on the cold concrete floors, and walking through the arroyo to the river (right outside the front door).

Dog Friendly Hikes in & Around Santa Fe

Santa Fe National Forest

If you’ve been following our adventures, you know by now that we are big fans of National Forests. Compared to National Parks, National Forests are a lot more dog friendly, especially if you like to do some off-leash exploring. One of the many reasons we love Santa Fe is that it sits at the foothills of the Santa Fe National Forest, with stunning mountain hikes only a 15-20 minute drive away. From mountain lakes, to aspens, to skiing, Santa Fe National Forest is abundant, beautiful and full of dog-friendly hiking trails. Here are some of our favorites.

Raven’s Ridge & Deception Peak

Raven’s Ridge is one of the hikes we did often when we lived in Santa Fe in the fall/winter of 2020. It’s an challenging but short trail (about 2-3 miles) with rewarding views of the forest and southwestern landscape. When we felt adventurous and weather permitting, we would continue on to Deception Peak. The full trail to the peak is about 6 miles and almost 3,000 ft. of elevation. It’s often windy and very cold, but Squash loved running around the open fields above the tree-line.

Lake Katherine

At 13+ miles, this is the longest hike we’ve done in Santa Fe National Forest, and perhaps the longest hike we’ve ever done with Squash. It is an out and back route with over 3000 feet of elevation gain – it is as challenging as it is stunning.

Nambe Lake

On the same trail system as Lake Katherine and Deception Peak, Nambe Lake is another challenging but fun hike in the Santa Fe National Forest. You hike 6+ miles through forests of pine and aspens and end up at a crystal clear emerald lake surrounded by giant exposed peaks.

Our Other Favorite Hikes

There are truly too many, deserving of their own blog posts, but here are some of our favorites: Dale Ball trail system in Santa Fe, Jemez Springs in the Jemez Mountains, Williams Lake in Taos and Cave Creek Trail in the Pecos Wilderness. Here is a comprehensive list of dog-friendly trails in Santa Fe.

Dog Friendly Activities Around Santa Fe

Al-Fresco Dining in Santa Fe

Santa Fe has a lot of dining options, but not all of them are dog friendly. Thankfully for us, two of our favorite places love dogs. Nestled among the aspens and at the end of historic Canyon Road (famous for it’s world renowned galleries), you’ll find The Tea House. If you love tea, the Tea House is the spot. The have premium loose-leaf organic teas and botanicals from around the world as well as an extensive breakfast, lunch and dinner menus which include all your Santa Fe favorites and more. Although seasonal, their patio is a stunning oasis surrounded by the adobe homes and galleries on Canyon Road and it is one of the most dog friendly dining patios around.

One of our other hangout spots in Santa Fe is Iconik Coffee Roasters. Iconik has two locations, we typically frequent the Lena Street location. The inside is cozy, smells like fresh coffee (they have a roaster inside) and the perfect place to study and hangout. The patio is large, covered by beautiful trees and has multiple seating areas, all of which are extremely welcoming to dogs.

Japanese Spa in the Mountains

Any visit to Santa Fe is not complete until you visit and spend some time at ten thousand waves. Inspired by hot spring resorts of Japan and located 10 minutes from downtown Santa Fe and at the foothills of the Santa Fe National Forest, Ten Thousand Waves offers a variety of services such as private hot tubs, massages, lodging and much more. The best part? You guessed it, they love dogs. We have spent many snowy evenings and post-hiking afternoons at 1 of their 8 outdoor tubs. While each tub is unique, all of them are private, nestled amongst the trees and self-contained – each environment consist of a hot tub, cold plunge, sauna, private changing rooms, and showers. Squash loves to take naps under the mature trees while we relax. Our best tips for Ten Thousand Waves? Book in advance, go after a long hike in the mountains or try going while it’s snowing – it is truly a magical experience. Disclaimer: we have not gotten massages or facials and have never stayed overnight so we can’t speak to the dog friendliness of those services. The tubs and the on-site restaurant however, Squash has accompanied us during many a visits.

Canyon Road

Canyon Road is a history half mile road in Santa Fe with other 100 world renowned galleries, fine dining establishments, specialty boutiques and beautiful adobe homes. While the art selection varies from traditional to abstract to contemporary and from prints to pottery, most of them have something in common: they are extremely dog friendly. Its a great street for a pleasant stroll with the dog, perusing art, and enjoying the beauty of Santa Fe.

Frank S. Ortiz Dog Park

This is one of the largest dog parks in the United States and one best dog parks we’ve ever been to. We spent many mornings, afternoons and evenings at Frank Ortiz during our time in Santa Fe. With almost 200 acres of arroyos, hills and trails and spectacular views of Santa Fe, Albuquerque and all the surrounding mountains, it is the perfect place to let the dogs run loose, meet other dog lovers and spend some time admiring the beauty that surrounds Santa Fe.

I truly can’t recommend Santa Fe enough. There is so much to do, so much natural beauty to experience, so much inspiring art and architecture and so many dog friendly activities that even after living there for 4 months we left feeling like there was s0 much left to explore.