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.

Without a doubt one of the best national parks or monuments I've ever been to! Highly, highly…read morerecommended if you are in the Santa Fe area. A couple notes: 1. Parking looks like it might get tough on busy weekends, mid-week we didn't have an issue early, and but when we left in the early afternoon, the main lot was pretty full. 2. The main Pueblo Loop trail was well maintained and quite accessible up to and just past the Big Kiva and Tyuonyi. The top-back part of the loop was a little more broken up, but still a pretty easy stroll. 3. The trail out to the Alcove House was absolutely beautiful! It's not paved, but it's a well maintained gravel. The ladders to the alcove itself are an interesting experience. If you don't love heights, there are some benches at the bottom of the ladder to sit on and relax. 4. Helpfully, there is a well-maintained pit toilet about halfway out, in case you need it. 5. The restaurant at the visitor center might not be the most efficient place, but the food was much better than you would expect!

I have been fascinated by Native American cliff-dwelling habitats since studying them in grade…read moreschool, but I never had, nor took the opportunity to explore them, until daytripping to Bandelier. The visitors' center and the grounds were everything. The paths were clear and an easy hike. Looking off, beyond the paths was the gem. You could viscerally feel as though you were on the otherside of the looking glass, into time forgotten. There was almost a sacred quality to the excursion, which could've been because it was a weekday and there weren't many other tourists. Or, it could've been because the Pueblo people who lived there from 1150 to 1550 were still there, peacefully watching over the place. Haunted is different than sacred. I guess the best way to describe it is: It was a place of a more natural, more wild west and awareness. It's a well-known place to New Mexicans as well as people studied in the culture of the area. As a layperson, I was both surprised and captivated. If you are mesmerized by history and want to step into a different culture, a different time, this is a place you must explore.

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!

The staff here is rude and act like they are doing you a favor by letting you pay them $20 to see a…read morefalls, the view of which is ruined by the dam, clearly built above it. I do not recommend.

Read below before going!…read more 1. Make sure your car can travel through the terrain. We took our minivan (thankfully it was a dry week) and made it through. It was a bit rocky. 2. Load the trail on your phone on All Trails (download it) because the service is rough. 3. Bring your towel and water shoes, the rocks can be rocky when going from pool to pool. 4. The earlier the better in the summer. And apparently it can get busy. (It did for us) 5. Everyone is friendly, make sure you're friendly too! Seriously one of the coolest things in nature. My kids loved it, we could have spent hours here. If I didn't have a train to catch (literally) we would have been here longer.

Relaxing 5 mile hike, although with a 4 x 4 vehicle that has decent clearance, you can drive about…read more4ish miles and hike the rest. Even in November the water was perfect, like a nice hot bath *not scorching* and with plenty of steam to compliment the light chill in the air. We went on an "off peak time", a monday morning which meant little traffic and that was exactly what we were hoping for. Beeeeautiful scenery, relaxing pools, tall trees and a mountain breeze....que mas queres?? This was an exceptional day, my batteries are officially recharged. Is it possible that you might come across some old naked dudes smokin a doob and sippin a brew in the hot springs? I suppose it's possible. But we didn't come across any. I bet if you went on a weekend you'd run across a lot more hikers and have less of a private experience.

I'll never get tired of the view towards the Rio Grande River from Overlook Park in White Rock. On…read moreevery trip to Northern New Mexico (however far apart), you'll find me here (hot or not) admiring the scenery. Last week was but one experience that I hope to repeat.

We came back in May and it's just not as nice. No waterfall. It's hotter. The sunlight is so bright…read moreand air is drier so there's less color saturation/contrast in the area. Sept and October are the months to visit.

Quiet. Wild. Magnificent. Bring sunscreen, hat, walking…read morepole and water. It will capture you. I didn't want to leave, but explore each new bend.

Perfect for scrambling and hiking through the rocks. It's beautiful, a little gem. just 10…read moreminutes from the car park and then we walked along the dry river bed and climbed up for photos ops. Just a few people around, a beautiful sunny day in December - perfect. To get there go through the Dar Al Islam wood archway, no permit needed to cross.

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.

Rio Grande Del Norte is vast-there are many different areas to explore and various corners of this…read morenational monument that range from moderately trafficked to fairly remote. Taos.org has a great summary page of the different areas. https://taos.org/explore/landmarks/rio-grande-del-norte-national-monument/ I had done some further research after this overview and opted to visit the Wild Rivers area in the morning and the Rio Grande Gorge area later in the day after lunch back in Taos. Wild Rivers is about 50 minutes from Taos but a scenic drive. Once you are in the public lands, the scenery gets more and more amazing. In the Wild Rivers area, there's a visitor center (currently only open on weekends), a scenic byway with overlooks, campgrounds and hiking trails that take you down to the river. I opted to do the trail to Big Arsenic Springs. The byway was very well signed and there's day use parking that does have a self paid fee. Since it's a BLM administered park (federal) you can instead display your America the Beautiful National Parks pass. Amazing scenery of the river and surrounding canyons along the petroglyphs towards the end of the Big Arsenic trail. The hike I opted for was short (2.5 miles but with an 800 ft elevation gain on the way back up from the river.) The park does an amazing job maintaining the trails and the well graded switchbacks made it a pleasant hike. On the drive out, after my hike, I stopped at other scenic view points. Later in the day, I visited another section of the park, closer to Taos where you can walk across and take in vistas of the Rio Grande Gorge bridge. If you're visiting Taos and love the outdoors, a visit to this park is a must. It's quieter than your typical national parks with fewer amenities but still an awe inspiring outdoor adventure (without the crowds!)

We took an hour walk on the West Rim Trail that's part of Rio Grande del Norte National Monument…read morewhile visiting the Rio Grande bridge in late May 2023. The trail starts right at the parking lot and it's beautiful. Gorgeous views of the river too. Many bunnies that day.

Ghost Ranch is very cool. It's not just about Georgia O'Keefe, the history of the area is very…read moreinteresting. There are some good hikes and two wonderful museums. We plan to return and stay in the campground soon.

TERRIBLE accommodations. We walked in our room and right back out…read more The staff have no idea what is going on, none of the messaging is aligned and there was no manager onsite. The guests in front of us waiting to cancel our reservation, were also upset with their room. There were also guests behind us in line to complain about their room. I was shocked at how popular Ghost Ranch is and the ZERO attention to any sort of normalcy, let alone detail. Unbelievable conditions. Try Albique Inn instead. It was charming and we enjoyed an amazing lunch and walk around the grounds.

Ten years later, Gayle and I revisited the Valles Caldera as we took the long way back to…read moreAlbuquerque from Santa Fe (via Los Alamos). It was a big winding from Los Alamos, but finally the stunning view of the Valle came into full display. Wonderful stuff, with my only regret not driving a bit into it to take in the Visitor Center. Next time.

What an absolutely stunning oasis in the middle of the Jemez Mountains! We saw quite a few…read morecreatures on our trip today! A Groundhog, prairie dogs, Chipmunks, Elk and a coyote all in the span of about an hour! Truly a stunning place to visit with amazing views and kind National Park workers!