AzPicLady Loc: Behind the camera!

Just south of Santa Fe is an old hacienda called Hacienda de las Golondrinas. It's well worth the time. Ferrier, silversmith, baked goods in stone ovens, lots of paths to walk. I intended to stop for an hour and spent 4! Then there's the Turquoise Highway. It's the old road between Santa Fe and Albuquerque. Lots of old towns. Pretty neat and beautiful surroundings. The petroglyps and Acoma have already been mentioned. Acoma is about 30 miles west, just off I-40. Old town Albuquerque is busy, but worth a trip.

gunflint Loc: Rocky Mountain High, Colorado

I don't think anyone has mentioned Petroglyph National Monument just outside Albuguerque. Check out this link to the park https://www.nps.gov/petr/index.htm

Rich1939 Loc: Pike County Penna.

The OP for this thread was "daldds, I had asked what his interests were and haven't seen a response yet

williejoha

The Bosque del Apache, White Sands, Whitewater Draw in southern Arizona, DeNaZin Wilderness with the King of Wings, Antelope Cnyon in Page AZ, upper and lower, endless opportunities,just google what to shoot in the vicinity. Good luck and be save.
WJH

DWNJ Loc: Northern New Jersey

I would get some brochures from the different tour companys for that area. They generally hit all the sights worth seeing. The only problem with this method is my tour took us to an Indian Reservation which I found very interesting, but when I tried to do it on my own, it was a complete failure. The tour companies know where all the stuff is that you want to see and which homes have been opened for the public, etc. In any case this is a great area to visit. Albuquerque has a great festival.

JFCoupe Loc: Kent, Washington

The High Road to Taos from Santa Fe is a very nice 3-4 hour drive and then you can return and catch the Rio Grande River canyon on a different highway on return. A very good loop.

DanielB Loc: San Diego, Ca

The Carson National Forest is beautiful and Hwy 17 out of Chama you can find the Cumbres and Toltec Railroad - an old steam engine. It's a really nice drive all through there with varying scenes from colorful bluffs to forests.

Rich1939 Loc: Pike County Penna.

This message is to anyone staying in Albuquerque New Mexico for an extended visit. “Loop” day trips can take in a lot of very interesting places and photo opportunities. When we used to do this, most often the trips were in the 5 hour range. Today for those trips Google is your friend and I’m sure a whole lot more accurate than the road maps we used.
In addition here is a list of scenic NM byways that can take you to some incredible places.
https://www.newmexico.org/things-to-do/scenic-byways/

photonaut Loc: Albuquerque, New Mexico USA

There are so many places worth your time in New Mexico. First, while in Taos, don't miss the Rio Grande Gorge bridge.
Between Santa Fe and Albuquerque is the Tent Rocks area. Google it and you will find lots of information. West of Albuquerque about sixty miles is the Malpais lave flow areas including the sandstone bluffs view area and lava tubes you can descend into.
A bit further west is the El Morro (Inscription Rock) Monument. Also, as someone else mentioned, the Acoma (Sky City) pueblo is in that area.
A bit further north from Acoma is Chaco Canyon, a World Heritage site and renowned around the world.
And as has been mentioned, in the immediate Albuquerque area there is the Petroglyph Park, the Museum of Nuclear Science (worth the visit and is way more than about the atomic bomb, includes a plane exhibit) and the trip up the tram to Sandia Peak.
While the Bosque del Apache WR is beautiful any time of the year, for birds August is not a great time.
And White Sands and Carlsbad Caverns can be done in a two day driving trip.
Haven't even scratched the surface. NM is a wonderful place for a photographer.

bobchapman Loc: I currently reside in Texas

If in the area means northern Arizona and you have never been to Page, Az., then check it out. Lake Powell and Antilope Canyon are both magnificent. The Wave, Arizona ( not the wave rock) is hard to get to, with daily limited access on the Utah/Arizona border. If culture is your thing, Santa Fe, Los Alamos and Taos may be just enough.

Bridges Loc: Memphis, Charleston SC, now Nazareth PA

In December 1971 I was discharged from active duty from the Marine Corps. Driving east on I-40, I came to the top of a mountain range west of Albuquerque just at sunset. The view was so fantastic I had to pull over and enjoy it for several minutes despite the freezing temperature. As the sun sets to the west, the mountains on that side of the valley throw Albuquerque into night. The lights of the city looked like a bowl of diamonds. To the east behind the city were the Sangre de Cristo Mountains (The Blood of Christ in Spanish). Because they were taller than the mountains I was crossing, the top 1000 feet were bathed in a golden red from the setting sun. It has always been one of my favorite memories of traveling across the US. I've been from ocean to ocean and Canada to the gulf but that scene remains one of the most engraved in my memory.

maryo Loc: Santa fe

Spend time in Santa Fe. Go downtown to the Plaza, Canyon Rd. if you like to hike Tent Rocks is a great climb!
The gorge in Taos would be a great visit.

newsguygeorge Loc: Victoria, Texas

I do not mean to be critical of the suggestions. However, I don't think many of you appreciate the distances in the Great American southwest.

I think the original poster would be better served by contacting the New Mexico Department of Tourism, which puts out a very nice travel guide, or the American Automobile Association. There is much to do within a reasonable driving distance of Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taos.

Suggestions such as Colorado Springs The Garden of the Gods, Sedona come of the Great Sand Dunes and elsewhere are not realistic for reasonable driving distances and less the original poster has much more time on his hands.

Don't get me wrong, a lot of those places are wonderful, but reasonable driving makes more sense to me.

10MPlayer Loc: California

If you like museums they have a National Museum of Nuclear Science and History. There are exhibits showing examples of just about every nuclear weapon ever used in the US inventory. There's everything from shoulder launched weapons to replicas of the Nagasaki and Hiroshima bombs. If warfare isn't your thing there are also exhibits about nuclear medicine, patent medicines from the past with radium in them, you name it. If it's nuclear related they have something for you. And it's part of the national museum complex so you know it's well done. Best of all it's right in Albuquerque. You don't have to drive 2 hours to get there. Colorado? Really? 378 miles from Albuquerque.

You'd need a private jet to get to some of the places mentioned here and back. Even Santa Fe is an hour and a half one way. https://www.nuclearmuseum.org/

The Gadget - Manhattan Project

(Download)

"Physics Core" of Trinity device

(Download)

Rich1939 Loc: Pike County Penna.

For what it is worth, the OP said he would be interested in flying to places two,or more, days away. Denver is about 6 hours to Santa Fe. Colorado Springs an hour less. If going to Taos first, subtract an hour. While distances in the west are vast in comparison to the east, travel is usually far less stressful and quicker.
Travel from Phoenix or Tucson is longer but can be done in one day with out a lot of stress . Taking two days makes it a enjoyable trip.