We are two couples in late 60s planning our first trip to NM. I read a number of posts and appreciate a wealth of information they delivered.

Here is our plan along with some questions.

Day 0 – late arrival to Albuquerque, sleep at airport hotel?

Day 1 – Drive to Taos in the morning, visit Bandelier and Santuario de Chimayo on the way. Sleep in Taos.

Day 2 – Taos Pueblo as early as we can. Didn’t decide on the afternoon activities yet. Is it worth visiting Rio Grande Gorge Bridge? Sleep in Taos or drive to Santa Fe?

Day 3 – drive to Santa Fe (if not done the day before), Santa Fe sightseeing. Sleep in SF

Day 4 - Santa Fe, Georgia O’Keeffe museum. Sleep in SF.

Day 5 – Santa Fe. Is Tent Rock open? Can we visit it? We are moving to the southern part afterwards. Leave SF in the afternoon or stay another night?

Day 6 – Drive to White Sands in the morning – 4 hrs. Visit White Sands in the afternoon.

Day 7 - Visit Carlsbad Caverns in the morning. Not sure about the base for Days 6 and 7. Initially we wanted to stay in Truth or Consequences to relax in baths there, but it seems a lot of driving to Caverns and White Sands park. Any suggestions?

Day 8 – Drive to Albuquerque. Sightseeing in Alb. Fly home at 11 pm.

Please provide the feedback on the itinerary. Not sure about the base on days 6 and 7. If we are not staying in Truth and Cons. are there other towns in the area with the baths? Are we missing any ‘must see’ here?

Should we see Albuquerque on our Day 1 or see it at the end, as the last day?

I'd see Alb. on the last day when you are more refreshed. The Old Town with historic Plaza features the 1706 San Felipe de Neri church and 300-year-old adobe homes converted into art galleries boutiques selling Native American pottery and jewelry. Nearby are the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Alb Museum of Art, History and Science which features ancient Spanish maps and Spanish conquistador armor and helmets. . The Sandia Peak Tramway takes you up 4,000 feet from the high desert floor to the lush mountain where there are fantastic views of the city. The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center shouldn’t be missed. Be sure to eat traditional New Mexican food (different from TexMex) which includes green-chile stews, blue corn dishes, purple pinto beans, Chile rellenos, blue-corn enchiladas, Menudo, huevos rancheros, breakfast burritos, Posole, and Sopapillas. Check out Sadie’s of New Mexico.

When visiting White Sands, don't drive off the pavement. We got stuck in the sand when we went off the pavement.

Taos has interesting museums.

https://taos.org/explore/arts-culture/museums/

I'm partial to the Fechin house.

To avoid some backtracking day one, drive from Albuquerque to Bandelier, then Statuario de Chimayo then go to Taos.

Check Taos Pueblo to make sure they will be running tours on the day you will be there. If not then check for day 3 and go to Santa Fe for the rest of day 1 and day 2 visit Taos on day 3.

you will be doing a lot of driving, so pick up a cheap cooler on day 0’ fill with ice, drinks, snacks etc. and refill as needed. Drink lots of water.

have a great trip.

Don't miss Abiquiu on your way to Taos. That's where Georgia O'Keefe lived. You can see the Pedernal mountain there, which she painted often. You can tour her home in Abiquiu.

Tent Rocks is not open.

If you decide to go, it's strongly advisable to get advanced reservations to O'Keeffe's home and studio.

Day 2- sleep in Taos! Don’t cut your time in Taos short.

I would do Alb. on your last day to allow for more time in Taos and Santa Fe! Definitely get a reservation for the Georgia O'Keefe home tour, it's so beautiful and worth the $ in my opinion. If I remember correctly, they also have classes sometimes, which could be a fun activity. I would also push for taking lots of time for Santa Fe, it's just such a beautiful place and try to eat as much authentic food there as possible, on my last trip there I remember having the best meals in Santa Fe.

I'm actually working with the National Scenic Byways Foundation to build Overlook Maps, a new GPS app that allows travelers to customize their routing experience as well as the points of interest and food options they see along the way. It will be going live later this year so you might be able to use it on your trip to better explore the beauty of NM as you go from place to place

From ABQ, when you go to Taos, follow the High Road from Santa Fe (web search will give you the route) and stop at Santuario de Chimayo on your way. Bandelier is in the opposite direction. Stay in Taos, visit the Pueblo (and check out the Millicent Rogers museum). Another night in Taos, then go to Bandelier on your way to Santa Fe.

Tho originally planning to go to T or C, We drove east on 380 instead of going down to T or C and stayed in Alamogordo at an AirBnB for White Sands. We did some short walks on the sands (a workout) but no sledding. I enjoyed a visit late afternoon and again next morning. I think my husband would have been happy with just one afternoon visit.

we then drove 82 winding over the mountain with a stop to tour Sunspot observatory then on to Artesia as base for Carlsbad for next morning tour. Drive seemed long. Artesia wasn’t memorable but caverns great.

we weren’t looking for baths so can’t help there.

It would be a bit of a detour from Albuquerque, but, if the dates worked for you, I’d highly recommend a tour of Acoma Pueblo, https://www.acomaskycity.org/page/tours.

I agree 100%. It's well worth the hour drive west of Alb. The pueblo dates from the 1200s and is perched high on a mesa. It features adobe houses and a church from the 1600s which has four-foot-wide stone walls.

You didn't say when you are going to NM, so I may be too late. You are covering a lot of ground for essentially just 6-7 days. Plus, if you are not used to altitude, you may feel extremely tired for a couple of days. I've found it best to take the first couple of days kind of slow and drink plenty of fluids before arriving and after. There is so much to see around Albuquerque, Taos and Santa Fe that I would skip going to White Sands this trip. It's interesting, but you are really short changing the other places. I agree with the other poster that Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu is fascinating and then go to the O'Keefe Museum in Santa Fe when you are there. Even if you don't like her work, her life was incredible to learn about and it really brings it home after you have seen Ghost Ranch. Not too far from Taos and Abiquiu there is Ojo Caliente which has wonderful hot springs.

If you go to the Santuario de Chimayo, combine it with lunch at Rancho de Chimayo and it the weather is nice, sit outside.

If you like hot springs and body work, visit 10000 Waves in Santa Fe. It is 1 of the only Japanese spas in the US. It's pricey, but after going there for over 30 years, I have never had a bad massage or facial and I studied massage and am picky!