City Tour of Santa Fe, New Mexico: The Oldest Capital City in the USA plus a sweet Gravel Ride!

city tour of santa fe new mexico
San Miguel Church, the oldest in the USA, circa 1610

“Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in New Mexico with a population of 84,683 in 2019, the county seat of Santa Fe County, and its metropolitan area is part of the larger Albuquerque–Santa Fe–Las Vegas combined statistical area, with a population of 1,178,664 in 2018. The city was founded in 1610 as the capital of Nuevo México, after it replaced Española as capital, which makes it the oldest state capital in the United States. With an elevation of 7,199 feet (2,194 m), it is also the state capital with the highest elevation.” – Wikipedia.org

city tour of santa fe new mexico
Beautiful mixed-surface cycling

“The city is considered one of the world’s great art cities, due to its many art galleries and installations, and is recognized by UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 37.4 sq mi (96.9 km2), of which 37.3 sq mi (96.7 km2) are land and 0.077 sq mi (0.2 km2) (0.21%) is covered by water.”

Santa Fe, New Mexico Ride Experience Video

In this video, JOM of the Gravel Cyclist crew conducts a roughly planned tour of downtown Santa Fe, that ultimately culminates in a mixed-surface ride that takes him out of the city and into the nearby hilly surrounds. This is by no means the most comprehensive tour of Santa Fe, so feel free to visit yourself and explore!

city tour of santa fe new mexico
Art & culture abound in Santa Fe

“Santa Fe’s climate is characterized by cool, dry winters, hot summers, and relatively low precipitation. According to the Köppen climate classification, depending on which variant of the system is used, the city has either a subtropical highland climate (Cwb) or a warm-summer humid continental climate (Dwb), unusual but not uncommon at 35°N. With low precipitation, though, it is more similar to the climates of Turkey that fall into this category.”

city tour of santa fe new mexico

“The 24-hour average temperature in the city ranges from 30.3 °F (−0.9 °C) in December to 70.1 °F (21.2 °C) in July. Due to the relative aridity and elevation, average diurnal temperature variation exceeds 25 °F (14 °C) in every month, and 30 °F (17 °C) much of the year. The city usually receives six to eight snowfalls a year between November and April. The heaviest rainfall occurs in July and August, with the arrival of the North American Monsoon.”

city tour of santa fe new mexico
The longest / gnarliest washboard / corrugated road JOM has ridden
city tour of santa fe new mexico
Santa Fe Railyard District
city tour of santa fe new mexico
A visit to Mellow Velo
city tour of santa fe new mexico
Much beautiful church architecture in Santa Fe

city tour of santa fe new mexico

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2 Comments

  1. Avatar Dale

    Santa Fe what a City Different. The video was a good start to what could be enhanced by adding the Rail Trail from Lamy up to the Rail Yard. The wash board scene to Diablo Canyon in my mind would scare most riders away however hats off to the fellow filming the video. Another point which could be addressed is the availability of other bicycle shops around town. I could go on and on about additional links to other communities near by that offer great gravel bike riding. Either way come visit all you bike enthusiasts there is all type of bike riding adventure in The Great Land of Enchantment ( MTB , DOWN HILL , ROAD and of course miles and miles of Gravel ). Oh almost forgot The Food is like no other some of the most favorable you will ever eat…
    QUE VIVA NUEVO MEXICO

    • JOM JOM

      Thanks for the comments, sort of. You could always produce your own video, rather than making a bunch of suggestions from the comfort of your house. I visited the city with not a lot of knowledge, and recorded and produced a video. Thanks.

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