Best Hiking Trails in Santa Fe
Santa Fe, New Mexico — updated August 22, 2026
Six trailheads and trail networks in Santa Fe, ranked by how well they hold up under scrutiny, from a 400-plus-review network above town to two quiet preserves with thin but promising records.
Listings verified
Santa Fe is unusual among Southwestern cities in that several of its best-known trailheads sit inside the city limits, reachable from Old Santa Fe Trail, Upper Canyon Road or Agua Fria Street rather than an hour's drive out. Ratings across the local trail listings run high, mostly 4.4 and above, but the review counts tell very different stories: one network has been rated hundreds of times, while two preserves have fewer than thirty ratings each. The list below is ordered accordingly, with the well-documented options first.
1. Dale Ball Trails
This is the most thoroughly reviewed hiking option in Santa Fe, holding a 4.7 average across 419 reviews, which makes it the closest thing here to a settled verdict rather than a promising early one. It is a connected trail network rather than a single out-and-back, so the distance is largely up to how you link the segments and where you park. Junctions are the thing to pay attention to: plan your turnaround before you start, since the branching layout makes it easy to walk farther out than you meant to. Note that the listing carries a Santa Fe 87501 address with no single street number, so confirm which trailhead you are aiming for before you drive.
2. Sun Mountain Trailhead
Sun Mountain earns the highest rating on this list, 4.8, and it does so across 140 reviews, enough volume to take that figure seriously rather than treat it as a small-sample fluke. The trailhead is on Old Santa Fe Trail, which puts it within easy reach of downtown and makes it a realistic option for a morning hike before the rest of the day starts. Parking at the roadside access is the practical constraint here, so earlier arrivals have the easier time of it. Bring more water than the short distance suggests; the route climbs, and shade is not something to count on.
3. Randall Davey Audubon Center & Sanctuary
Rated 4.8 across 131 reviews, this is the birding-oriented entry on the list, at the far end of Upper Canyon Road where the pavement runs out. The trails here are on sanctuary grounds rather than open public land, which means the visit works differently from a standard trailhead: hours and access are set by the center, so check them before making the drive up the canyon. It suits walkers who want a slower pace and a reason to stop and look, rather than anyone chasing elevation gain. The setting at the top of Canyon Road also makes it an easy pairing with a walk back down through the galleries.
4. Frenchy's Field/Santa Fe River Trail
The most-reviewed park on this list after Dale Ball, with 515 reviews behind a 4.4 average. That rating is the lowest here, but it is also the best-tested, and the gap likely reflects what this place is: a flat riverside path through town on Agua Fria Street, not a climb into the foothills. Take it on those terms and it is the most useful entry in the guide for a daily walk, a run, or a hike when the higher trails are snowed in or muddy. Its in-town location means it sees steady local traffic, so weekday mornings are quieter than weekend afternoons.
5. Santa Fe Canyon Preserve
A 4.8 rating, but from only 28 reviews, so treat it as promising rather than proven. What the small sample does suggest is consistency: nobody rating it seems to come away disappointed. It sits in the 87501 area near the Upper Canyon end of town, close enough to the Audubon Center that the two can be combined into one morning. The listed coordinates in place of a street address are a hint that navigation apps may not take you cleanly to the entrance, so look up the access point in advance. Expect a preserve pace, meaning quiet walking rather than a workout.
6. La Tierra Trailhead
La Tierra holds a 4.7 average, but across just 29 reviews, making it the least-tested entry alongside the Canyon Preserve. It is the outlier geographically as well, sitting in the 87506 area on the north side of town rather than in the foothills east of the plaza, which is why it tends to be quieter than the Dale Ball junctions. The listing gives no street address, so pin the trailhead before you leave. Worth it if the more central trailhead lots are full, or if you want open ground rather than a canyon.