Best time to visit Santa Fe?
 

I have my heart set on visiting Santa Fe, but I'm not sure when we should plan a trip. I notice the rates are lower in the spring. What is the weather like there in March/April? Will we have to worry about it being too cold to enjoy the outdoors? I'd like to save money where I can, but I don't want saving a few pennies to keep us from enjoying the outdoors. Is it a good deal to go in the spring or best to pay more and wait until summer/fall?

I was there in April. The sky was bright blue and the air was crisp; comfortably cool days, chillier nights. It was a great time to visit.

(For some reason, Santa Fe is the only city I've visited where I got altitude sickness.)

The best time to visit New Mexico is in the spring, and generally late spring is best. New Mexico temperatures are unpredictable. I was in Santa Fe once in the summer and some hikers were trapped in the mountains due to a freak snowstorm. Summer can be very hot.

I've been to Santa Fe at least 20 times and my favorite times to go are April and October. You will not be too cold, if you dress in layers.

Make sure you go to Bandalier and don't miss Ten Thousand Waves.

I'll ditto October and April as my favorite months to visit New Mex. Definitely sign on for April (I'd choose it over March) if the rates are better. Agree that layers work best but even if it's chilly there will be lots of glorious sun! If you fly into Albuquerque and think it's warm, remember that SF can be up to 10 degrees cooler because of its higher elevation.

Thanks for the info. Layers sound good - I like cool crisp mornings/evenings so that would be nice. I guess you can never really know when a freak weather change may occur. I just don't want to be stuck inside if it suddenly turns unseasonably cold and snows on us!! Now I just need to convice dh we should go and get the grandparents to watch our little ones for a couple of days and hopefully we can make it happen!!

Good info on 10,000 Waves. I had been looking for a hotel w/a spa but Waves seems to get such great reviews I guess a hotel spa isn't really necessary!!

It's pretty unusual to get a serious snowfall in April, especially later in the month.

Ten Thousand Waves is not to be missed if you enjoy spa visits.

I miss Santa Fe in the Fall!

Snowrooster -- here's a site that might help you plan your visit. Santa Fe is awesome.
http://www.santafe.com