A Walk about Dog-friendly Taos, New Mexico

Day 3 (August 2019)
Taos, New Mexico

We have just returned from another inspiring trip to New Mexico, which is beginning to feel like a second home (and may well be in the next few years). A busy few weeks of going, going, going have put me dreadfully behind on blogging! Let’s pick up where I left off on my August 2019 road trip with Juniper, after a long day of wandering from Las Conchas and looping the rainy Enchanted Circle before crashing for the night in Taos…

Taos “Dog Park”

Waking (on my birthday!) refreshed after our night at the charming Sagebrush Inn, Juniper is in need of a little run before our walk around Taos plaza and downtown. Surprisingly, I cannot find an off-leash dog park in Taos, however the city has turned the tennis courts at Kit Carson Park into an off-leash area for dogs. No canine friends are at the tennis court “dog park” today, though Juni enjoys a few minutes of fetch and being off the leash.

(I have since heard there is something like a dog park at the Stray Hearts Animal Shelter.)

Views from Kit Carson park are quite lovely, and the park also makes for a convenient parking area when spots at the plaza are full.

Art-filled Downtown and Taos Plaza

Ah Taos, mountain town of my dreams…

Dog water bowls are found throughout town, and few of the stores and galleries are even dog-friendly! We walk through wonderful Bryans Gallery and admire the collections of new and vintage art and jewelry.

A cozy garden seating area on Bent Street offers a shady respite from the warm summer sun, and is adjacent to two of my favorite dog-friendly Taos establishments: the op. cit. (new and used) bookstore and Bent Street Cafe. I am disappointed that the cafe’s small patio is full, however the bright side is this prompts me to discover another favorite Taos eatery.

But first we walk in and around the plaza, where Juniper makes about a hundred new human friends…

And I do some window shopping, swooning over this covey of beautiful clay quails, made by a Taos Pueblo artist. I would love to have a collection of these.

During our September trip, we pick one up for our 7-year-old niece, who had requested “bring me something back from Mexico”. She doesn’t quite understand the difference between Mexico and New Mexico. This special piece gives us the opportunity to teach her about Taos’s original residents.

I dig this adobe and river rock house on Hwy 64 just north of the plaza. When we first visited Taos in August 2018, we had the opportunity to see the inside because an estate sale was being hosted there. I’m not sure what it’s being currently being used for – maybe a restaurant is under construction?

And oh those Taos gardens…

Taos Mesa Brewing

Time for lunch! I treat myself to a couple of birthday beers and a leisurely lunch on the patio at the awesome Taos Mesa Brewing downtown taproom. Juni enjoys a nap in the shade, and I enjoy the $10 lunch special – a crazy amount of food, all fresh and delicious.

The Sagebrush Inn

As promised, here are a few photos of the historic Sagebrush Inn, which (according to an employee) has been dog-friendly since it’s opening in 1931 as a 12-room hotel. For a year in the early 1930’s, Georgia O’Keeffe occupied and painted in the third-floor room, which is now called the Artist’s Loft. The hotel has hosted a number of celebrities over the years, and Taos resident Dennis Hopper was a frequent visitor to the bar. Visit the hotel’s history page to read more.

Onward to Orilla Verde Recreation Area in Rio Grande Del Norte National Monument!

See all of our New Mexico wanderings here.