Santa Fe to Abiquiu transportation
October 8, 2010 1:37 PM Subscribe
I have a friend who will be traveling to Monastery of Christ in the Desert. She does not drive and is looking for ways to get to the monastery from the Santa Fe airport. The monastery is about 75 miles away and they can only suggest "rent a car" on their Visiting Us page. How much would a taxi ride cost (if they would go that far)? Are there services that specialize in this route?
Call the monastery to see if there are other guests arriving on the same date that she could catch a ride with? Call the Ghost Ranch and see if there are services to their location from Santa Fe - tours or something? I don't know how she would get the rest of the way in that case. I am sure santa fe has a car service of some kind, but i don't know the range they travel and imagine it to be costly.
Not a highly populated area.
posted by domino at 1:52 PM on October 8, 2010
Not a highly populated area.
posted by domino at 1:52 PM on October 8, 2010
IIRC, the monastery is at the end of a 10+ mile dirt road. That may affect her ability to hire a car service. I'm not sure how someone would get there without a car - the name "Christ in the Desert" is as literal as it is metaphorical.
posted by catlet at 2:25 PM on October 8, 2010
posted by catlet at 2:25 PM on October 8, 2010
A car service that is able to charge by the hour rather than mandated mile and time rates of taxis might be cheaper than a taxi. Is she after a one way trip? If so expect to pay for both ways.
However if it was me I'd post to craigslist in Sante Fe looking for a ride reserving the professionals for a worst case screw up. I've had great success getting rides that way and it is invariably really cheap.
posted by Mitheral at 2:26 PM on October 8, 2010
However if it was me I'd post to craigslist in Sante Fe looking for a ride reserving the professionals for a worst case screw up. I've had great success getting rides that way and it is invariably really cheap.
posted by Mitheral at 2:26 PM on October 8, 2010
Call Capital City Cab at 505-438-0000, they are based in Santa Fe and seem to have a variety of services. Not sure how much it would cost though, in town taxi rides cost about $20.
posted by backwords at 2:27 PM on October 8, 2010
posted by backwords at 2:27 PM on October 8, 2010
Sorry if this is a stupid question, but are you absolutely sure she's flying into Santa Fe? They do have an airport there, but almost everyone who's going to Santa Fe flies in to Albuquerque and drives up.
posted by NoraReed at 2:29 PM on October 8, 2010
posted by NoraReed at 2:29 PM on October 8, 2010
Looks like they have a number of businesses in Santa Fe. That doesn't mean that they are all staffed by people who go to the monastery itself very often, but I bet there are people who travel in and out of Santa Fe pretty regularly. I'd agree with domino's suggestion to contact the monastery.
posted by Madamina at 2:43 PM on October 8, 2010
posted by Madamina at 2:43 PM on October 8, 2010
As a longtime resident of the region, I can assure you there is no courier/limo/taxi service in Abiquiu. For that matter, there are no paved roads in the village of Abiquiu. It is a rustic on a level that many find hard to believe actually exists in the US. If she is interested in arranging a ride, I'm happy to help and I have a four-wheel drive, which is usually necessary around these parts. But like NoraReed suggests, please double check the airport. The Santa Fe airport only has flights to LA and Dallas, plus it's usually quite expensive. Most people fly into Albuquerque instead. There is commuter train service from Albuquerque to Santa Fe that costs about $8 as well.
posted by caveatz at 2:46 PM on October 8, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by caveatz at 2:46 PM on October 8, 2010 [1 favorite]
IIRC, the monastery is at the end of a 10+ mile dirt road. That may affect her ability to hire a car service. I'm not sure how someone would get there without a car - the name "Christ in the Desert" is as literal as it is metaphorical.
From their site:
Traffic on our 13 mile long "driveway" is light; hitchhikers will probably find that they must hike the entire 13 miles.
Forest Service Road 151 (the name of the road to the monastery) is winding, steep and narrow at some points. It has a dirt and clay surface and turns quite slippery when wet. Drivers of 2-wheel drive vehicles should allow time for the road to dry after a rain. In the winter the road can be negotiated most safely when frozen, i.e., during the night and in early morning hours before sunrise.
I haven't been to the monastery, but I have driven the loop from Santa Fe out past Abiquiu, around the mountains and back to Albuquerque, and there is a whole lot of extraordinarily beautiful nothing out there. Towns are blink-and-miss-it tiny.
If she really doesn't drive (can't or doesn't?), she should contact the monastery to see if they have advice/contacts about hiring a car service or friendly local to drive her out from Santa Fe. I can't imagine that a regular taxi cab hired on the spot in SF is going to want a one-way fare like that.
posted by rtha at 3:33 PM on October 8, 2010
From their site:
Traffic on our 13 mile long "driveway" is light; hitchhikers will probably find that they must hike the entire 13 miles.
Forest Service Road 151 (the name of the road to the monastery) is winding, steep and narrow at some points. It has a dirt and clay surface and turns quite slippery when wet. Drivers of 2-wheel drive vehicles should allow time for the road to dry after a rain. In the winter the road can be negotiated most safely when frozen, i.e., during the night and in early morning hours before sunrise.
I haven't been to the monastery, but I have driven the loop from Santa Fe out past Abiquiu, around the mountains and back to Albuquerque, and there is a whole lot of extraordinarily beautiful nothing out there. Towns are blink-and-miss-it tiny.
If she really doesn't drive (can't or doesn't?), she should contact the monastery to see if they have advice/contacts about hiring a car service or friendly local to drive her out from Santa Fe. I can't imagine that a regular taxi cab hired on the spot in SF is going to want a one-way fare like that.
posted by rtha at 3:33 PM on October 8, 2010
I am not sure if they will do this, but this place will book custom tours.
There is also a small airport in Taos. However, Santa Fe is more likely to have car services of some kind.
Could your friend find someone to travel with her? It is almost impossible to get around in Northern NM without a car.
posted by annsunny at 4:38 PM on October 8, 2010
There is also a small airport in Taos. However, Santa Fe is more likely to have car services of some kind.
Could your friend find someone to travel with her? It is almost impossible to get around in Northern NM without a car.
posted by annsunny at 4:38 PM on October 8, 2010
I used to live in Santa Fe and work in Los Alamos.
This is going to be a tough problem. rtha's assessment of the country as "a whole lot of extraordinarily beautiful nothing" is exactly on point, and the transportation options correspond pretty well with that. Calling ahead for cab options or seeing if you can carpool with a fellow visitor are probably the best ways to go.
NoraReed also makes a good point about verifying whether she's flying into Santa Fe or Albuquerque--I always used the latter airport, even though it was an hour's drive down I-25.
I moved away from the area before Craigslist really became a thing, so I have no experience with that.
If your friend has time, she should have the veggie bean burrito at the Santa Fe Baking Company. While not vegetarian, I pretty much religiously ate one every Saturday morning. Delicious.
posted by tellumo at 7:03 PM on October 8, 2010
This is going to be a tough problem. rtha's assessment of the country as "a whole lot of extraordinarily beautiful nothing" is exactly on point, and the transportation options correspond pretty well with that. Calling ahead for cab options or seeing if you can carpool with a fellow visitor are probably the best ways to go.
NoraReed also makes a good point about verifying whether she's flying into Santa Fe or Albuquerque--I always used the latter airport, even though it was an hour's drive down I-25.
I moved away from the area before Craigslist really became a thing, so I have no experience with that.
If your friend has time, she should have the veggie bean burrito at the Santa Fe Baking Company. While not vegetarian, I pretty much religiously ate one every Saturday morning. Delicious.
posted by tellumo at 7:03 PM on October 8, 2010
Try calling REI in Santa Fe, and ask about shuttle services for hikers. I don't know if a taxi would be willing to head up that road, and depending on the weather they may not be able to make it even if they are.
posted by yohko at 8:07 PM on October 8, 2010
posted by yohko at 8:07 PM on October 8, 2010
Let me be the first to suggest renting a car if you can or making the long haul in your own car if possible. When I visited Christ in the Desert for a week, I lived 13 hours away. I planned months in advance to drive the distance so that I could eliminate flight costs AND have a car. The thirteen hour drive, I did by leaving very early in the morning, Like 3a.m.-ish. The journey there was long and a good precursor to some reflective time at the monastery.
I have contemplated returning, but now live more like a two day drive away from Christ in the Desert, so I would definitely fly to Albuquerque and rent a car to have for my next visit. I am with NoraReed in thinking that your friend is flying into Albuquerque. Santa fe is an hour and a half from the monastery (from memory), but Albuquerque would add a couple of hours to that (maybe some local residents can confirm).
Also, has your friend considered the problems with leaving the monastery without a personal vehicle? When I was there, I could not get a cell phone signal. So calling a cab would be just about impossible. Also, I can't see a cab going off the road for thirteen miles to find an obscure monastery. The drive from the main highway was more of an adventure than I thought it would be. So that means you would have to meet a cab or shuttle at the main highway, thirteen miles out. Hiking in the desert that far with your luggage, etc... would require more skills than the average citizen. And then you would have to hope that the cab/shuttle would be waiting for your at your rendezvous point.
Renting may not be a bad option. There is some comfort in knowing that you can get in your car at the airport (if you live to far away to drive yourself), and that you can stop for lunch in Santa fe if you wish. And you can leave the monastery when you wish. The extra expense will not be that much different to rent a car, IMO.
Give your friend my well-wishes. It was truly one of the best experiences of my life (bring bug spray!)
posted by boots77 at 3:37 AM on October 9, 2010
I have contemplated returning, but now live more like a two day drive away from Christ in the Desert, so I would definitely fly to Albuquerque and rent a car to have for my next visit. I am with NoraReed in thinking that your friend is flying into Albuquerque. Santa fe is an hour and a half from the monastery (from memory), but Albuquerque would add a couple of hours to that (maybe some local residents can confirm).
Also, has your friend considered the problems with leaving the monastery without a personal vehicle? When I was there, I could not get a cell phone signal. So calling a cab would be just about impossible. Also, I can't see a cab going off the road for thirteen miles to find an obscure monastery. The drive from the main highway was more of an adventure than I thought it would be. So that means you would have to meet a cab or shuttle at the main highway, thirteen miles out. Hiking in the desert that far with your luggage, etc... would require more skills than the average citizen. And then you would have to hope that the cab/shuttle would be waiting for your at your rendezvous point.
Renting may not be a bad option. There is some comfort in knowing that you can get in your car at the airport (if you live to far away to drive yourself), and that you can stop for lunch in Santa fe if you wish. And you can leave the monastery when you wish. The extra expense will not be that much different to rent a car, IMO.
Give your friend my well-wishes. It was truly one of the best experiences of my life (bring bug spray!)
posted by boots77 at 3:37 AM on October 9, 2010
Response by poster: Thank you for the responses so far. This is actually a friend of a friend so details may be incorrect but from my understanding, she does not have a driver's license, so renting a car is out. I was told Santa Fe but that could be wrong. I will verify. caveatz, I will make sure she is aware your offer.
posted by JJtheJetPlane at 11:40 PM on October 9, 2010
posted by JJtheJetPlane at 11:40 PM on October 9, 2010
Response by poster: Verified with the traveler and she is actually coming into Santa Fe by train, so it will not be from the airport. Also verified she does not have a driver's license.
posted by JJtheJetPlane at 3:26 PM on October 10, 2010
posted by JJtheJetPlane at 3:26 PM on October 10, 2010
btw, the Amtrak train to Santa Fe does not drop you off in Santa Fe but in a little town 15 miles to the SE of the city called Lamy. I do believe there is a shuttle service to Santa Fe from the train station but keep in mind that Lamy is a very little town essentially in the middle of the desert. Ah, the joys of traveling in Northern New Mexico, where nothing ever lines up just right.
posted by caveatz at 10:18 AM on October 11, 2010
posted by caveatz at 10:18 AM on October 11, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
Failing that, you might save some money by calling some of the local companies in advance and "taking bids" rather than just showing up at the airport, or there might be a courier/limo/taxi service in Abiquiu that might be less expensive (I have no idea how big the community is - I realize it might be laughable that there are any of these services in that area).
posted by randomkeystrike at 1:51 PM on October 8, 2010