It might be easier to picture a tourist on horseback than one simply walking through wild and wide New Mexico. However, protruding from its deserts and mashed into its mountains are cozy communities that are certifiably walkable. Their stroll-worthy spectacles range from an ancient Indigenous pueblo or a historic opera house to a macabre spa and a Wild West-style jail. See where to find these features and how to get to them on foot in the Land of Enchantment.
Las Vegas
The other walkable Vegas, Las Vegas, New Mexico, pleases pedestriansnot with casinos and resorts but antique stores and colonial abodes. The former sites can be reached in the Old Town, Las Vegas Plaza and Bridge Street Historic Districts, while the latter sites populate El Distrito de Las Escuelas.
Those districts plus three others are explorable via the Historic Walking Tour, whose online guidebook describes the history of the districts and their contributing buildings, such as Our Lady of Sorrows Church (a sandstone Catholic church built circa 1852 to replace the old church, whose adobe nave still stands) and the Rheua Pearce Houses (adobe rowhomes built circa 1846 and later inhabited by the titular town icon). As a bonus, many of the structures on the tour house modern businesses. Catch a new release at the Indigo Theatre in an architectural relic of pre-statehood New Mexico.
Silver City
As a place alternately occupied by Indigenous peoples, Spanish colonists, and modern Americans, Silver City has an array of landmarks that can be explored on foot. A perfect starting point is the Murray Ryan Visitor Center, which provides brochures for self-guided tours of downtown murals and historic sites.
While touring, guests can rehydrate at the Jalisco Cafe or refuel at the Corner Kitchen. Then, although it is about 45 miles away, many head to the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, a walkable wonderland of ancient Indigenous dwellings. Self-guided tours are offered year-round, while guided tours are available in spring, summer, and fall.
Taos
Another New Mexico community steeped in diverse history, Taos offers an array of tours by car, trolley, raft, and foot. These include Historic Taos Trolley Tours, Creative Soul Scavenger Hunts, Moonfire Tours, the Ghost Tour of Taos, and Historic Taos: A Self-Guided Walking Tour, the last of which takes pedestrians to 22 different landmarks from the Taos Plaza to the Victor Higgins House…