A beautiful lake and campground. Quiet. Turquoise blue waters. Able to see deer and eagles on your…read moredrive up here. Just wish that the lake levels haven't been so low the past few years to the point where it was impossible to use the boat ramp. Also, having water close to Albuquerque is a necessity and makes the 6 hour roundtrip day trip worth it

This is a nice place to go hiking and kayaking/canoeing. There are several campgrounds in the area…read morebut most of them are closed due to Covid. The hiking and water activities is worth the trip!

Now this was my by far favorite hike/picnic in New Mexico…read more On the way from Valles Caldera to Santa Fe, we noticed few cars parked on the side off NM State Highway 4. I read about this trailhead but was also sure we'll probably miss it since location was not very detailed. There are two smaller parking areas (both on the left side of the road if you're driving to Santa Fe) and they fill out fast. This trailhead provides access to the East Fork Jemez River and views of lush meadows, gorgeous wildflowers and animals on the way. The trail is rated as easy for the first 2 miles and than moderate for the rest of the way to the East Fork Trailhead ( 5 miles). We only walked 1.5 miles, took some food with us and had a lunch on the banks of the East Fork Jemez River. It was mesmerizing. I wish we had more time to walk the whole trail, maybe some other time.

Easiest day trip everrrrr. We left Albuquerque around 7am, and pulled in around 8:10ish. We spent…read moreabout 2 hours fishing at the lake, and then drove up a few miles and found a great chill spot to fish the river the rest of the day. This is a fishing only lake, no swimming or boating, no campfires or camping allowed. Fishing licenses are required for anyone 12 years or older (if you're fishing, of course), no license required to chill. They are open 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset, and there are portable toilets on site. Owned by the Benedictine monastery, public access is leased from the monastery by the NM Dept of Game and Fish through the Open Gate Program. There is a small dirt trail around the lake, and the lake itself covers six acres and is appx. 20 feet deep. The pond is regularly stocked, and provides good handicap access. It's a nice little spot, it wasn't crowded, even the day before 4th of July, and it was truly an enjoyable morning spent.

What a fun day to go fishing or for some outdoor enrichment! If you are in the Albuquerque or the…read moresurrounding area and interested in fishing or walking around the great outdoors, Monestary Lake is a nice day trip to go check out. The the best of catch spots but serene nonetheless. Of course there is no liquor or glass items but you can bring your dog for an on leash trail walking or food for a picnic. The lake itself is small and there is a larger crowd but enough space to have some privacy but you will hear the joy from others when they catch a fish! Located in the Pecos, as you continue from Monestary Lake there are other fishing opportunities. If you are day tripping or hitting up different fishing spots to your destination, check out Monestary Lakes!

My partner and I often tried to find different outdoor places to go for a walk..especially during…read morethis COVID time. I'm glad we found this open space along Alameda road..and based on how many cars we saw parking spots in the few times that we had been there, it seemed some locals also agreed with how great this place was as well. I loved that you could take a walk after finding yourself a parking spot in a lot. And even though it seemed there were many cars in the parking spaces...when we went for our walk, we barely ran into or had to interact with anyone at all. The walk was a leisurely relatively flat level walk..and you can pretty much feel safe walking around as the roads were quite well paved..and there were homes..heck even horse farms nearby! I loved that you could pretty much do whatever activities you desired there. For instance, we saw a couple of people taking their horses for a ride along the paved road, some people running along a small river stream, families and dogs just walking for exercises and even some people on a bike/going for a run, too. Overall, I enjoyed getting a fresh air away from my home area..and liked that the place wasn't too crowded despite what it's parking spaces may suggest. It's a good place to get your own exercise in and have good, private conversations with those you go with without worrying about people eavesdropping onto your conversations or disrupting the peace from whatever activities you try to do.

I really love this access point, awesome for a morning stroll. Whether you're walking solo, with a…read morecrew, staging a photography shoot, walking the dogs, hopping on your bicycle to Tingley Beach and back, or beyond, or just looking to throw a fishing line in, have a picnic, or jump on a raft and float the day away, this is such an effortless spot to do so. Little places like this bring such a smile to my face, it's the simple pleasures in life dahlings, and we're blessed to have so many in our neck o' the woods.

Nice to walk along the frozen Santa Fe River and see so many unique art installations. The earthy…read morecarved wooden images of an oversized fish and Native Americans make a sharp contrast with the very modern Brickface HOPE linking past and present together.

Take a walk, y'all! What a joy to take this easy stroll across the primo Santa Fe pedestrian…read moredistrict. A sweet little path abuts the sweet little canal, with lovely trees and seating areas, and seamless transition to Plaza window-shopping. Parking opportunities line the walk (at least where we were), some by the plaza, metered, but others farther off are free. Honestly, it was a delightful way to spend 4 miles and a leisurely Tuesday afternoon in Santa Fe. You should take a walk too!

Beautiful place for a hike! We did the moderate level…read moreChamisa trail. It had elevation and rocky sections. Definitely not for beginners. If doing this trail, ensure you are wearing hiking shoes/boots and bring plenty of water.

(September 27):…read more What a great drive! I've always wanted to see the Fall Foliage in Santa Fe. I absolutely loved the breathtakingly refreshing views and crisp air. Every turn was better then the first and there are a few pull outs, nice to take pictures. Can't wait to go back.

Walked in after driving by to drop my wife at the Capitol building. They had a great selection of…read moregear and flies and are knowledgeable about all the local waters. Make sure you pay some attention to the shop dogs, they love good pets.

Great business setting in a small and compact location packed full of everything an angler needs…read morefor fly fishing. Staff were helpful and friendly. Norm is one of their professional guides with his own channel on YouTube! Check out his guide input on N. New Mexico waters. https://youtube.com/c/NMaktimaFlyFishing

Visiting is a little more complicated than some other parks/monuments, but if you just read the…read morewebsite you'll get it figured out! The key is that reservations are required, both from the NPS and from the Cochiti Pueblo. Get the NPS reservation first, and only then get the Cochiti Pueblo one (link to that is on the NPS site!). Don't drive to the trailhead, drive to the Cochiti Pueblo visitor center first, check in there, then follow the guide car (runs pretty much continuously all day) to the NPS entrance. The trailhead has multiple pit toilets, all of which were well maintained. The hike through the slot canyon and up onto the ridge is absolutely stunning. There really aren't words to do justice, nor do the pictures really convey things either. The hike into and through the slot canyon isn't steep, although there are some pretty big steps required to clamber over some rocks here and there, and it can be narrow and is often sandy. There's not a lot of elevation change though until you get through the slot canyon, then you just switchback straight up a couple hundred feet onto the ridge. That section isn't terribly long though, and the views from the top are well worth it. The first third of the hike and the last third are pretty exposed to the sun, so make sure you apply that sunscreen and bring plenty of water!

Incredible. Reservation was easy. Gov Rec Ticket and Cochiti Tribal Pass, so two tickets. Worth…read moreevery penny. We got our tickets about 5 days out from visit. Check in at Visitor Center on arrival to check off your name on the list. Visitor centre has good restrooms, snacks and a few gifts and some very pleasant staff. Next Line up behind the white pilot vehicle and he will guide you in for a few miles where they will check your pass. After that its another few miles to a small carpark with restrooms and then off your go. We did slot canyon. Half a mile walk through amazing scenery/narrow passages through the stone and some climbing over rocks. I found it quite easy but do go before the sun comes out. We started at 9.30 am. After this section, which took us about 40 minutes due to lots of photo ops you will see another sign saying 1 mile to overlook. We almost gave up as the first climb looked hard - its not, just go on. We are in our 60's with dicky knees and it was not issue, just use your bottom when you have to. A light pair of garden gloves would be handy for when your hands scrape the boulders. All practical stuff here, the views speak for themselves. it's stunning and because of the limited access you meet few people along the way. As always with State Parks, check the website for any passes required or closures.

This waterfall blew my mind! I didn't know that such a large waterfall existed in NM! I'm so glad…read morewe hiked it, and I'll be back! The water was pretty frigid, but still fun!

Stupid ranger Lady got mad because we drove over the speed bump at 10mph and would let us in. We…read moredrove 3 hours just to have this stupid bitch turn us away because she was on a power trip, i also think it had something to do with my caucasian ethnicity! She treated me less than because of my ethnicity! someone need to take this ladies job immediately!

Great group of guides! Even served a nice fruit snack after we got out of the water. It was a bit…read moremore work than I expected but had a great time

Nathan, our guide, was wonderful! Very knowledgeable and fun. Loved the views and seeing so many…read moreotters along the way.