re: Santa Fe & Red River

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When in Santa Fe, I take it that I should stay as close to the Plaza as possible? Is SF dangerous to walk around in at night? I love exploring different neighborhoods, but I can honestly say I don't know much about Santa Fe neighborhoods and crime.

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So Santa Fe is a weird mixture. It has a huge wealth disparity. There are some of the wealthiest people in America there (or at least, they have homes or visit it frequently), and there are also some of the poorest. You can absolutely walk around safely at night anywhere in the Railyard, Plaza, or Canyon Road. When you start to head out to the areas outside of that, things can get dicier. One of the BIG things as far as crime to watch out for is theft and car burglary. No one is going to hold you up, most likely, but you can definitely have shite stolen out of your car, especially if it's parked in a hotel parking lot (a friend of mine had his bike stolen overnight at a parking lot off his truck...bike theft is really bad). Also, most trailheads will have signs warning that they're "high prowl" areas. People will break into cars at trailheads for hiking and biking. Never happened to me, but it definitely can happen.

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Is spending a day or two in Red River, Taos, or Pecos worth it? I'd like to get a mountain cabin for a day or two, but I want to make sure it'll be "worth it" to leave SF. When hiking, should we worry/take any extra precautions - mountain lions, bears, snakes, etc? We're coming from South Carolina and this will definitely be a new territory for us I take it locals are friendly and welcoming to tourists?

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You could happily stay there the entire time, but getting out into nature is also great in the area. There are snakes, and my son and I saw two bears over the summer while on a bike trail (Windsor Trail). Nothing is anymore dangerous than any other camping/hiking out west, though. Carry lots of water.