New Mexico trip, with not much driving
 

A friend and I are planning a hiking trip to the southwest this September for about 9 days. We had planned on seeing the Painted Desert and Grand Canyon, but gas prices are rather frightening right now, so we think we’ll just focus on New Mexico. We’ll land in and take off from Alburquerque, and plan on visiting Santa Fe. Does anyone have any driving route recommendations? And cheap places to stay in Santa Fe and Albuquerque?
Thanks,
Valerie

We drove out of Albuquerque up to Chaco Culture NHP. Couple of nice ruins to check out, and a few hikes 2-8 miles long that were also memorable.

We went from Chaco through Jemez Springs on St. Rt 4. This is a nice route through a river valley. It passes by a caldera and eventually we got to Bandelier NM, more ruins, which is outside Santa Fe.

This route could be done over several days and limits your dirving cause it keeps you up in the Albuquerque/Santa Fe region of New Mexico.

There is no place to stay overnight at Chaco but Farmington is fairly close. Need to spend an entire day at Chaco to appreciate it. Don't miss the hike above Pueblo Bonito. Take lots of water where ever you go. Bandilier is a nice afternoon visit unless you want to include the hike down towards the Rio Grande. It's well worth it.

Arriving in Albuquerque, programm can be :
-1-2 days in Albuquerque(sandia peak,
old town, museums and indian cultural center, petroglyph park, coronado park); 5-6 years ago El Valdo Motel an icon of old 66 road was a good non expensive choice.I don't know how it is now...
New mexico turist office has a icon of
hotel reservation.

-days 3/4 : Santa Fe : from Albuquerque, take the Turquoise trail via Gold/Madrid and Cerillos.
In Santa Fe, the town, a lot of museums(indian artifact and history, Giorgia O'Keefe,...).There are a lot of hotels and also the NM turist web site can help.
-days 5/6 : you can or staying in Santa Fe and drive from that base or stay in Taos(Taos puebleo) and there is a nice drive to do -named the enchanted circle from Santa Fe to Santa Fe via Taos and some others pueblos.
A visit to Bandelier Nat'l park worth the times.
-days 7/8 : drive north via Abiquu and then East to Farmington : a lot of natives monuments and park and some
natural wonders(bitsi badlands,...).
day 9 : back to Albuquerque via Acoma pueblo, the sky city.
On the NM turist website check the indian cultural events : they give you the schedule of the pueblo indian feasts and assist to one of them would be a must.
Erik.

Another option is :
-days 1/2 idem as program 1
-days 3 : Albuquerque/Gallup via Grants,
El Malpais(Ventana Arch, Buffalo overlook) El Morro and Zuni pueblo.
Nights 3/4 in Gallup and the day 4 drive to Petrified Forest and Painted desert.
Gallup has a walking tour with a lot of
nice art deco buildings.
Day 5 : Gallup/Window rock(capital of the navajo nation)/Hubbel trading post
in ganado and canyon de Chelley-night at
Chinle.
Day 6 : Canyon de Chelley.
Days 7 : canyon de Chelley/Shiprock(a
sacred navajo place)/Farmington.
Night in Farmington.
Day 8 : Farmington/Chaco Canyon(a lot of anasazi ruins)/Grants-night in Grant
and back to Albuquerque via Acoma city.

First program is a circle by north, this one by east.
This 2nd option would be cheaper as Gallup/Farmington/...are less expensive than Santa Fe.It's more on a navajo experience -first one is a pueblo experience.
Erik.

There is a campground at Chaco.

Utahtea