O’Keeffe Country and the Cumbres & Toltec railway

Route description

Begin at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, a few blocks west of the Plaza, where timed tickets help on busy days. Then drive north on US-84/285 to Española and stay on US-84 as it follows the Chama River northwest. The valley narrows past orchards and adobe churches, and after about 80 km you reach Abiquiu, the village where O’Keeffe lived from 1949.

The museum runs guided tours of O’Keeffe’s Abiquiu home and studio from spring to autumn; book well ahead, as groups are small. A few kilometers on, NM-96 leads to Abiquiu Lake, with Army Corps campgrounds and a view of Pedernal Peak, the flat-topped mountain O’Keeffe painted many times. Ghost Ranch, where she also had a house, lies just beyond on US-84 and offers guided tours and hiking trails for a fee.

Continue north on US-84 to Echo Amphitheater, a sandstone alcove with a short paved trail and a small campground. The highway then climbs through piñon and ponderosa forest to Tierra Amarilla and Chama, a railroad town at 2,400 m with fuel, groceries and RV parks. In summer the evening air is cool, and the Rio Chama valley is green.

The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad runs from late May to October between Chama and Antonito in Colorado, crossing Cumbres Pass at 3,053 m. Most riders take the train one way and return by coach, so you can leave your vehicle in Chama. To drive, take NM-17 over Cumbres and La Manga passes, about 80 km of mountain road that is steep but paved, and follows the railway at several points before dropping into the San Luis Valley at Antonito.