Buena Vista, CO to Taos NM
 

Does anyone have recommendations of places to see, things to do, restaurants, and where to stop overnight between Buena Vista, CO and Taos, NM?

Salida is a nice place with good downtown with shops, galleries. From BV to Taos is only 190 miles or so. Close to Taos is Rio Grande gulch and earth home colony. Both very interesting. No need to stay overnight , IMO.

Thank you for your input. Do you think it would be better to stay in Buena Vista or in Salida for 2-3 nights before heading to Taos?

Buena Vista gets my vote - been there often, whereas my one trip to Salida was a complete bust.

Guess it comes down to what you want to do, but Buena Vista has a nice assortment of accommodation and restaurants, plus several options for hot springs and some very nice walks/hikes in the area.

Thanks. Do you have any recommendations for restaurants, places to stay, or easy nice walking trails in the BV area?

I like the Best Western Vista Inn - I've stayed there about six times and have never been disappointed.

http://bestwesterncolorado.com/hotel...tern-vista-inn

There are a handful of little coffee shops in town (one conveniently attached to the Best Western).

My favorite place to eat is the Eddyline - they have two locations but I've only been to the one on South Main. Great food.

http://eddylinebrewing.com/

There are 3-4 Mexican restaurants in town - I used to like the Paraiso, but last time I was a bit disappointed.

My favorite hiking trail is Agnes Vaille Falls, but I think it's still closed - sadly five hikers were killed there in a rockslide a few years back.

You might enjoy the scenic drive to St Elmo - a CO ghost town - be sure to look for the chipmunks near the town's only parking area:

http://www.legendsofamerica.com/co-stelmo.html

There are some nice walks including an easy one alongside the river:

http://www.alltrails.com/us/colorado/buena-vista

If you take the back road behind town (easy to find but I don't know the name of the road) you can watch rock climbers and enjoy the river scenery.

Then there are the hot springs at Mt Princeton, Cottonwood and Antero.

You might also enjoy the drive up to Leadville - watch for bighorn sheep:

http://www.leadville.com/

Nice Mexican restaurant there too I recently discovered - Casa Sanchez.

Just keep in mind that Buena Vista (and Salida for that matter) are full of things to see and do for those willing to look. It's not a place for those who need to be entertained, but who are willing to soak up the beautiful surroundings and just go with the flow.

Just pop into the Visitor's Center on your right as you enter town and go from there.

Enjoy!

Those suggestions and websites are a tremendous help! A thousand thanks!