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El Santuario de Chimayó

Pilgrimage Experience 

October 9th - 12th, 2025

About This Trip

Enjoy prayer and recreation time, unparalleled natural beauty, and fun with your fellow “peregrinos” (pilgrims) as you make the trek to El Santuario de Chimayó.

Creatio’s experienced guides will lead you on this pilgrimage both in nature and in spirit. Our guides have been on this route many times; in fact, we helped create it!

Registration Deadline: 9/9/2025

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Price:  $644

Location:  New Mexico

Date:  October 9th - 12th, 2025

Type:  Pilgrimage

This pilgrimage is physically demanding.  The terrain is rugged, weather conditions can vary wildly, and if you are not physically active you should start putting some miles underfoot now to prepare.

Includes:

  • All lodging
  • Transportation to/from New Mexico (from Denver only)
  • Breakfast, lunch and dinner every day
  • Spiritual talks, reflection and silence
  • Creatio guides
 

Excludes:

  • Personal Gear (available to rent)
  • Transportation to Denver

YOUR GUIDES

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is Chimayó? El Santuario de Chimayó is a sacred location in Northern New Mexico. People have made pilgrimages to the site for more than 200 years, even since Bernardo Abeyeta, a local resident, miraculously discovered a holy cross in the hillside of the Chimayó Valley. In time, a chapel was built on the area where the cross was found, and the cross was placed in the sanctuary. Today, thousands of people make pilgrimages to the Santuario de Chimayó every year.
What is a Walking Pilgrimage?

During a walking pilgrimage, each step makes us conscious of the direction of our lives, of where we are going. As we walk we see how our lives are like a voyage filled with joy, effort, beauty, suffering, surprises, goals, adventure, love and expectation. But our life is not only “like” a pilgrimage, it is in fact a pilgrimage from birth to death; in this world we are only “strangers and sojourners” (1 Pe. 2:11). “For we brought nothing into the world, just as we shall not be able to take anything out of it.” (1 Tim 6:7) We are all pilgrims, and this life, this passage, is the time we are given to reach the eternal goal.

Pilgrimages have enjoyed a resurgence in recent years, perhaps as a counterbalance to modern-day culture.  They offer a mindful escape from the frenetic pace of modern life and promise a space for silence and reflection that a standard “vacation” does not typically have.  One of these pilgrimages is the “camino” to El Santuario de Chimayó.

Where will I be sleeping?

One of the best parts of pilgrimage is living a simple life for a week. That being said, you will stay with some of the most hospitable people in all of New Mexico! Our hosts show us how good it is to be received as a pilgrim.

Because this is a pilgrimage, conditions may not exactly be 5 star, but there will always be a safe shelter to rest your head for the night. Typically, we stay on church floors and big parish halls so make sure to bring your own sleeping pad and bag!

Do I need to train for this trip?

We highly advise training as much as you can before this pilgrimage! Also advised is training in the same shoes you will wear while walking to Chimayo, this allows your feet to become accustomed to your shoes and not get blisters.

All Creatio Guides are trained Wilderness First Responders.

Is there an age limit for this trip?

In general, we do not have an official age limit on our Creatio trips, rather an ability limit, especially depending on the trip.We have an expectation that all participants are able to maintain a walking pace that will allow them to finish the 15+ mile day trek in a timely manner.

We're walking anywhere from 7-10 hours a day and if someone falls too far behind, it can be a safety problem. We've had many people over the age of 50 join our trips and are very successful, but ability is up to the individual's discernment.

packing list

  • Sleeping Bag and Sleeping Pad
  • Good Hiking Shoes
  • Appropriate Hiking Clothing
  • Water Bladder or Bottles
  • Rest Shoes For Not Walking (Sandals) 
  • Toiletries
  • Backpacking Pack
  • Sunglasses and Sun Hat
  • Sunscreen
  • Toilet Paper (Small Quantity) 
  • Prayer Materials

    *A full list will be included in your participant guide. 

itinerary

Day 1: Depart Denver for Taos, NM in the evening

Day 2: Walk from Taos to Peñasco, through the Carson National Forest.  Approximately 18 miles.*

Day 3: Walk from Peñasco through the sleepy New Mexican village of Las Trampas and arrive in Truchas for the night.  Approximately 17 miles.*

Day 4: Depart Truchas for Chimayó, walking with breathtaking desert views as we approach the ancient village of Chimayó! Approximately 9 miles. Sunday Mass will be offered at Chimayó. Visit Saint Joseph’s staircase at the Loretto Chapel in Sante Fe. Return to Denver.

*Distances are approximate and subject to revision

This itinerary is subject to change.

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