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High Road and Tres Ritos

Traveling southeast of Taos on State Highway 518, the road ascends the summit of US Hill on the east slopes of Picuris Mountain, and then descends down to a lush valley below. From here travelers have the choice of either going upstream and following this valley over a pass towards Mora and Las Vegas which will take them through the Tres Ritos/SIP zone or heading west and southwest along the High Road to Santa Fe (or High Road to Taos if you are coming from Santa Fe) through the Penasco zone. The Vadito zone covers the valley area where you make the decision to either go upstream or take the high road.

The scenic High Road passes through many small old villages surrounded by lush fields and orchards in irrigated valley land. Forested hillsides overlook the pastoral settings, themselves dwarfed by towering snowcapped peaks. Little has changed in these villages for decades and traveling through here gives the feeling of seeing what New Mexico was like fifty years ago. Meanwhile, heading up valley to Tres Ritos and Sipapu leads to an area where mountain recreation and vacation homes dominate.

Because employment options are very limited in this region, and the drive to larger towns is long, home prices are much lower here than in Taos and other closer-in areas. Higher elevations also result cooler temperatures year round.

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Maps and content Copyright by John Kejr

Distance to Taos: 30 - 45 Minutes

Distance to Taos Ski Valley: 1 -1.5 hours

The Taos MLS divides this area into three MLS zones:

Penasco Area (29B)

Penasco claims the title of the largest town on the High Road, but the zone represents different nearby villages including Llano Largo, Llano San Juan, Chamisal, Las Tramps, Ojo Feliz, Truchas, and Rodarte. Truchas marks the southern boundary; the northern boundary is the ridge separating the Rio Pueblo (Vadito area) from the Santa Barbara River. The southern part of this zone also lies in the northern reaches on the Santa Fe Multiple Listing Service and contains homes not searchable in the Taos MLS.

Penasco has its own high school, grocery stores, gas stations and other services. It and the surrounding towns feature many old authentic adobe buildings.

Tres Ritos/SIP (47A)

This zone features mainly summer homes and cabins because of its high altitude cool summers and mountain streams. Many of them are at least 30 years old and located in "camps" of surrounding similar homes. The Sipapu Ski area also provides winter and summer recreation. Unlike Angel Fire, there is no one large central resort with large condominium complexes. This area appeals to those wanting to escape warmer climates and just relax or fish in the surrounding streams.

Vadito (48A)

Vadito is best identified by "The Rock Wall" where state highways 518 and 75 meet. It sits downstream from the Tres Ritos zone in a more agricultural area with irrigated fields and orchards. The zone has no real services but is quite close to Penasco.

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