Location / Directions

Vallecitos Mountain Retreat Center is a magical, 135-acre wilderness ranch and retreat center nestled 8,880 feet above sea level in the Tusas Mountains, 50 miles west of Taos, New Mexico. Though not hard to find, it is important to plan your travel well given the remote location of our center. (See location on Google Maps.)

Airport Options

The most common airport to fly into is Albuquerque Sunport, though Durango and Santa Fe are also near by options.

Transportation options (from the airport or your point of origin)

Driving with or without Ride Share
Shuttle Service: Most Vallecitos retreats offer private shuttle service from the Albuquerque airport and the Hotel Santa Fe. Shuttle service must be reserved and paid for in advance. Click here for more information.

Vehicle Information & Road Conditions

The last seven miles into the ranch are on unpaved Forest Road 91B. It takes 30-40 minutes to travel these seven miles. A 4WD with high clearance is ideal. However, in most situations, a 2WD regular clearance vehicle is adequate, unless the weather is very wet. Weather that is wet enough to make the roads very muddy is a rare occurrence: the roads are almost always passable in a normal, 2WD vehicle. However, if road conditions become unusually muddy or impassable for any reason, we will contact you before the retreat opening. Low clearance vehicles can and often travel into the ranch (i.e. Prius) but please understand that low clearance vehicles like this may scrape bottom from rocks or dried ruts. In addition, when deciding how to travel to the center, please know that AAA and tow services generally do not service our location. We cannot charge EV vehicles on site.

DIRECTIONS

Follow these directions exactly and do not attempt to take any “shortcuts”, other routes or rely on Google maps or GPS (both are unreliable and inaccurate in this area). The directions we provide are the safest, most expedient route to the ranch. You must follow these directions exactly as given or risk getting lost in a remote area where we will not know to look for you. There is no cell phone service in the mountains of this area. If you are lost, please drive back only to the point that you have cell service. Then immediately call 505-469-9017. If no one answers, text this same number as well and we will call you back within 15 minutes on travel days. We have staff on call for opening days who will get right back to you. (Everyone entering the property must have the gate code provided in your Final Instructions email.)

Late arrivals: The arrival window for guests who are driving on opening day of retreat is between 3:00 and 5:00pm. Late arrivals pose safety concerns for you and staff on site. Anyone arriving after 5pm must discuss your plans with us and get explicit approval. Note that you lose cell-phone reception about an hour before you arrive at the retreat center.

From Albuquerque NM: (3-1/2 hours)

From Santa Fe, NM: (2-1/2 hours)

From Taos, NM: (1-1/2 hours)

From Durango, CO: (3-1/2 hours)

From Denver, CO: (6 hours)

From Albuquerque NM: (3-1/2 hours)

Get on I-25 N from Sunport BLVD (if traveling from the airport) – travel for 53 miles
Take Exit 276 for NM 599, stay in left lane and take NM 599 N – travel for 13 miles
Use left lane to take US 84 N/US 285 exit toward Espanola – travel for 0.6 miles
Turn right onto US 285 N/US 84W/N St Francis Dr – take for 22.2 miles
Turn left to STAY on US 285 N/US 84W – travel for 8.5 miles
Turn right onto US 285 N – travel for 47.4 miles
- Please note: Do NOT take Road 111 through the Carson National Forest; Road 111 is an unmaintained dirt road, with worse conditions, and takes longer to get to the property. Navigation systems may take you this way. Go to Tres Piedras (you can use navigation to get to Tres Piedras), then follow these directions to proceed to the center.
Turn left onto US-64 W at 4 way stop (blinking light) in Tres Piedras – travel for 19.3 miles
There is no more cell service after Tres Piedras (unreliable in Tres Piedras even)
Turn left onto Forest Road 91B at Hopewell Lake – travel for 6.7 miles (dirt road)
There are many pull offs and side roads, stay on main road.
Turn sharp right onto primitive road at the Vallecitos sign. Do not turn until you see the Vallecitos Ranch sign! – travel for approximately 1 mile
You will come to a green gate. The gate code will be provided to you prior to your retreat. Close the gate behind you.
Continue down this road. You will see parking on the right. Keep going.
You will see staff housing on the right. Keep going.
You will see the Middle House teacher’s quarters on the left. Teachers park here.
Just a bit further is the lodge. This is where guests unload their luggage then go to park their cars in the first parking lot passed.

From Santa Fe, NM: (2-1/2 hours)

Get on US 285 N/US 84 W/N St Francis Dr – travel for 23 miles
Turn left to STAY on US 285 N/US 84 W – travel for 8.5 miles
Turn right onto US 285 N – travel for 47.4 miles
- Please note: Do NOT take Road 111 through the Carson National Forest; Road 111 is an unmaintained dirt road, with worse conditions, and takes longer to get to the property. Navigation systems may take you this way. Go to Tres Piedras (you can use navigation to get to Tres Piedras), then follow these directions to proceed to the center.
Turn left onto US 64 W at 4 way stop (blinking light) in Tres Piedras – travel for 19.3 miles
There is no more cell service after Tres Piedras (unreliable in Tres Piedras)
Turn left onto Forest Road 91B at Hopewell Lake – travel for 6.7 miles (dirt road)
There are many pull offs and side roads, stay on main road.
Turn sharp right onto primitive road at the Vallecitos sign. Do not turn until you see the Vallecitos Ranch sign! – travel for approximately 1 mile
You will come to a green gate. The gate code will be provided to you prior to your retreat. Close the gate behind you.
Continue down this road. You will see parking on the right. Keep going.
You will see staff housing on the right. Keep going.
You will see the Middle House teacher’s quarters on the left. Teachers park here.
Just a bit further is the lodge. This is where guests unload their luggage then go to park their cars in the first parking lot passed.

From Taos, NM: (1-1/2 hours)

Take US 64 W approximately 46 miles
There is no more cell service after Tres Piedras (Unreliable in Tres Piedras)
Turn left onto Forest Road 91B at Hopewell Lake – travel for 6.7 miles (dirt road)
There are many pull offs and side roads, stay on main road.
Turn sharp right onto primitive road at the Vallecitos sign. Do not turn until you see the Vallecitos Ranch sign! – travel for approximately 1 mile
You will come to a green gate. The gate code will be provided to you prior to your retreat. Close the gate behind you.
Continue down this road. You will see parking on the right. Keep going.
You will see staff housing on the right. Keep going.
You will see the Middle House teacher’s quarters on the left. Teachers park here.
Just a bit further is the lodge. This is where guests unload their luggage then go to park their cars in the first parking lot passed.

From Durango, CO: (3-1/2 hours)

Take US 160 E to Pagosa – travel for approx. 60 miles
Turn right onto US 84 E through Chama – travel for 60 miles
There will be a right turn in Chama to STAY on US 84 E
Turn left onto US 64 E – travel for 29 miles
There is no more cell service shortly after turning onto 64
Turn right onto Forest Road 91B at Hopewell Lake – travel for 6.7 miles (dirt road)
There are many pull offs and side roads, stay on main road.
Turn sharp right onto primitive road at the Vallecitos sign. Do not turn until you see the Vallecitos Ranch sign! – travel for approximately 1 mile
You will come to a green gate. The gate code will be provided to you prior to your retreat. Close the gate behind you.
Continue down this road. You will see parking on the right. Keep going.
You will see staff housing on the right. Keep going.
You will see the Middle House teacher’s quarters on the left. Teachers park here.
Just a bit further is the lodge. This is where guests unload their luggage then go to park their cars in the first parking lot passed.

From Denver, CO: (6 hours – 2 hours from Alamosa, CO)

Take US 285 S from Alamosa – travel for 60 miles
Turn right onto US 64 W at 4 way stop (blinking light) in Tres Piedras – travel for 19.3 miles
There is no more cell service after Tres Piedras (Unreliable in Tres Piedras)
Turn left onto Forest Road 91B at Hopewell Lake – travel for 6.7 miles (dirt road)
There are many pull offs and side roads, stay on main road.
Turn sharp right onto primitive road at the Vallecitos sign. Do not turn until you see the Vallecitos Ranch sign! – travel for approximately 1 mile
You will come to a green gate. The gate code will be provided to you prior to your retreat. Close the gate behind you.
Continue down this road. You will see parking on the right. Keep going.
You will see staff housing on the right. Keep going.
You will see the Middle House teacher’s quarters on the left. Teachers park here.
Just a bit further is the lodge. This is where guests unload their luggage then go to park their cars in the first parking lot passed.

Debra Susan Abbot

...I had a tremendous experience at Vallecitos, which is one of the most rewarding and positive things I’ve done within my lifetime. I have incorporated many of the things I learned into my daily life, and it has been very healthy for me. I had to experience loving kindness, sympathetic joy and generosity to understand the full power and grace of these profound feelings and actions.

Krys Kornmeier

...The view of the Aspen trees outside my casita, the cool silent mornings of meditation, the warmth of the lodge, and the exquisite majesty of the land created a gentle but powerful impression... in one short visit I have come to treasure Vallecitos.

Katie Gall

...Vallecitos has truly become a home to me. Working with such great teachers and mentors is an honor and being able to absorb all the knowledge and blessings that flow through the gorgeous land has shaped my soul and nourished my mind. It really is a magical place that I am forever grateful for.

...17 years ago, I received an invitation to sit for 10 days of silence at Vallecitos. I accepted the invitation with no idea of the lasting impact the retreat would have on me. Over the years, the annual pilgrimage has provided me with tools to sustain and deepen my ongoing mediation practice. Sweeping fields of wildflowers, star-dotted nights, and bubbling streams provide a unique opportunity to directly experience interconnectedness. This gentle, wild setting is a profound environment to recharge mind, spirit, and body.

Jane Cronlund

...Since the retreat, my pace of personal breakthroughs has quickened and old dynamics seem to be changing in positive ways. I am better able to deal with previously tense situations and successfully resolve them. I have increased feelings of peace. Thank you!

Swati Prakash

...The time and the space to reflect and cultivate inner calm were so valuable. This was a very healing experience for me. It also started me on the practice of meditating. I meditate every day now, just for 10 minutes, but it makes a huge difference in my everyday life and with work.

Khalil Hassan

...I cannot express in words alone how important the retreat was for me. One of the most valuable lessons I learned is the importance of listening to my inner self. Vallecitos provided the necessary environment that makes it impossible not to go inward. When I returned home, I hit the ground running, but with a more focused direction. I attribute that to my stay at Vallecitos.

Mark Coleman

...Vallecitos has always been one of my spiritual homes. It is a place where I have learned so much about the refuge of wilderness. It is where I have discovered so much about my own nature, from the wildness of nature there. Not only is it exquisitely beautiful and pristine, it is also profoundly serene and a place of deep renewal. I feel so blessed to have been able to visit every year for the past twenty years. I am eternally grateful for that land.

...I came to Vallecitos for a retreat years ago and fell in love with it. Now as a volunteer and yogi I try to come back every summer to soak up the stunning landscapes as well as the rich dharma. This place truly calls me home.

Cristina Mormorunni

...I am so much more aware of the path I want to be on and the power of the sacred in my life.

Mushim Ikeda

...I was teaching at Vallecitos one year in August, during the meteor showers. Our sensitivity heightened by hours of silent meditation, we would stand outside at night and watch trails of light cross the vast dark sky, signs from what I call the Greater Reality. Unforgettable.

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