The high desert town I'd send you to in the summer
Adobe architecture, art galleries, and mountain mesas at cooler temps.
Hey travelers,
Places like Sedona sit at the top of a lot of people’s desert wish lists, and for good reason: dramatic landscapes, vast sunsets, hikes that turn into something spiritual.
The red rock formations are spectacular in person. People come from all over just to stand at Cathedral Rock, feel the famous energy vortex, and take in the summit views. It’s every bit as beautiful as promised.
The catch is timing. Summer is usually when most people are looking to get away and reset, and that’s when Sedona can be hardest to enjoy at its best. Temps sit in the high 90s and sometimes climb past 100 degrees from June through August.
Santa Fe, New Mexico is where I send people next, or instead, depending on the time of year.
If what you loved about Sedona was the energy healing and the crystal shops and the sense that the desert was healing you, Santa Fe has that same current running through it, just braided in with a serious art scene and some of the best food in the country.
The capital city sits at an elevation of 7,000 feet, more than half a mile higher than Sedona, and that elevation is what keeps summer comfortable instead of one long hot stretch. Summer days usually top out in the mid-80s with nights that drop into the 50s, so it’s the kind of place where you actually want the patio table outside and can also enjoy your hotel’s fire pit after dinner.
Santa Fe has something for every kind of traveler: the outdoorsy, the artsy, the wellness-focused, and the foodies.
Walk the Plaza, where you’ll find turquoise and silver spread out on blankets by the artists who made them, and the smell of roasted green chile drifting out of almost every kitchen you pass.
For the hikers, Bandelier National Monument has Ancestral Pueblo cliff dwellings carved into volcanic rock, connected by trails and ladders you can climb, and high desert views the whole way up. Ghost Ranch, an hour north, lets you hike the same landscape that shaped Georgia O’Keeffe’s work.
The art scene spans from Canyon Road’s galleries showcasing traditional Southwestern and contemporary works, to the original Meow Wolf, an immersive, interactive space full of playful mind-bending designs built for touching and exploring.
Travel + Leisure just voted Santa Fe the #1 city in the U.S., citing exactly this mix: the Native American and Hispanic culture, the adobe architecture, the green chile, and the high desert scenery. It’s definitely not a secret, but the prices haven’t caught up to the accolades quite yet.
There’s no shortage of great places to stay in Santa Fe, whatever vibe you’re going for.
Bishop’s Lodge, an Auberge property, spreads across 317 acres of foothills outside town with subtle nods to the state’s ranching roots. You’ll find rooms and casitas with warm, contemporary design, a spa set into the hillside, horseback riding, and enough space to properly disappear for a few days.
Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi, in the heart of Santa Fe’s Plaza district, is an intimate, polished stay steps from the galleries and museums. Handcrafted furniture, fireplaces, and local art fill the rooms, and it’s backed by a Michelin Key award and an on-site restaurant worth planning a dinner around.
El Rey Court, a reinvented 1936 motor court on old Route 66, has become one of Santa Fe’s most stylish boutique stays. The original adobe-and-timber architecture remains intact, now dressed up in hip, colorful Southwestern design, plus a lively on-site bar with wood-fired pizza and live music by the pool.
Santa Fe is one of the few desert destinations that works for peak summer, but spring and fall are just as good.
What’s On My Radar
A place, opening, or experience worth knowing about.
Folegandros, one of the quieter islands left in the Cyclades. There’s no airport, so arrival is by ferry only, the whitewashed clifftop Chora is car-free, paths lead up to the sunset-lit Panagia church, and time slows over long, lazy lunches. Gundari opened there in 2024, the island’s first luxury hotel, with 27 suites and villas built into the cliffside, swim-up bar at the edge of the pool, and an organic farm on-site. The restaurant is run by Lefteris Lazarou, Greece’s first Michelin-starred chef, and the whole thing landed on Condé Nast Traveler’s 2025 Hot List within a year of opening.
Worth Packing
One thing that earns its spot in the bag.
Cowboy hats are having a real moment, and the only way that works for travel is if it survives the journey, preferably without wearing it on the plane. Monday Swimwear’s Exuma Hat is raffia with a wire brim, so it’s packable and holds its shape after being folded into a bag. It works at the beach, in the desert, or wherever summer takes you.
If a last minute summer trip is calling, I'd love to help you build it. Gold Dust Travel is where to start.
If someone came to mind while you were reading this, feel free to forward it their way.
— Kelsey, founder of Gold Dust Travel
Great stuff!