New website promotes things to do in Taos, and the area’s natural beauty

When it comes to having an adventure, who doesn’t like to have “insider” information.

That’s the idea behind Adventures de Taos, a segment of taos.org, the city’s tourism site. The website was launched last week as a way to spread the word that Taos is more than skiing and artwork.

“There are lots of mountain towns that offer skiing and hiking,” says Nikki Ross, a Taos transplant from France who moved to New Mexico seven years ago with her Taos-native husband, Jake Caldwell.

	Taos facts ⋄  The Rio Grande Valley is the second largest “rift” valley on earth. Portions of the area date to 29 million years ago. Petroglyphs can be found on many of the rocks. ⋄  Taos Valley’s elevation ranges between 7,000 feet and 8,000 feet, with Wheeler Peak (the highest spot in New Mexico) above 13,000 feet. ⋄  Taos Pueblo is the only UNESCO Living World Heritage Cultural Site in the U.S. and is a National Historic Landmark. It has been continuously inhabited for over 1,000 years. SOURCE: taos.org

But, she says, blending the area’s unique natural features and outdoor opportunities with the area’s culture is what makes Taos a truly special place.

Ross, a co-founder of Twirl toy store and play place, says she loves the fact that she can walk out the door and share unique adventures with her daughters, who are 4 and 7 years old.

“To grow up with such incredible natural beauty as your childhood playground is a rare gift,” she says.

One of the most special places in the region for her, she says, is the Taos Gorge.

“It’s unique,” Ross says. And it’s possible to get a great experience whether you gaze down on it from the Rio Grande Gorge Bride – the second highest bridge in the U.S. – hike along the rim, or venture down through the lava flow out and down to the Rio Grande some 650 feet below.

“Walking along the gorge still has the effect of that very first time I set eyes on Taos – and I haven’t looked back since.”

For Ross, who met Caldwell at a ski resort in Chamonix in the southeastern region of France, ski adventures with her girls also are very special.

“There’s a run (Japanese Glade) where a porcupine is sometimes spotted,” she says. And, on a tree run that’s often among the first technical runs kids attempt, there’s a “wishing tree.”

She says blending these bits of ski area folklore helps make skiing more about the adventure and less about how many times you go up and down the mountain.

“These stories about the mountain make the technical skiing a little less intimidating,” she says.

In addition to Active Adventures listed on the site – all with locals’ perspectives – Adventures de Taos includes adventures broken down into categories:

⋄  Creative Adventures includes everything from a moonlight hike to Williams Lake – the highest point in New Mexico – to llama trekking through the Rio Grande Gorge;

⋄  Cultural Adventures includes photo safaris and painting classes from the exact spot where Georgia O’Keeffe painted her most famous works;

⋄  Playful Adventures includes activities such as visiting the dozen or so labyrinths around Taos and relaxing in a natural hot spring.

For more info and to register to win a trip to Taos, see taos.org/adventure.