David,We love the Sante Fe area and did think of retiring to that area but
when we went house hunting in January, we were caught in a snow storm and for
a while it was a bit hairy. We couldn't see the trail we were driving on.
 But as our realtor said, if it snows in the morning it is gone by
The high desert between Santa Fe and Taos is beautiful, even in winter,
especially if you take the scenic drive. You will need a 4 wheel drive to
be sure of the roads round Taos in January. I personally prefer Taos to
Santa Fe.
https://santafe.org/Visiting_Santa_Fe/
https://taos.org/
We
David, I think you’re thinking of the Navajo. The vast (71,000 sq. km) Navajo
Reservation is mostly in northeastern Arizona and also extends into New Mexico
and into bits of Colorado and Utah. Major cities nearby are Flagstaff (to the
west) and Phoenix, Arizona (to the southwest, and a bit
David et al
As a tourist to the US - the place that we enjoyed, which will also give you
a little warmth after January in NY, is Arizona and the Grand Canyon. We
rented a car in Phoenix and drove up to the Canyon, stopping at a few places
to see the sights on the way - Painted Desert etc.