Today, we went to one of the two Visitor Centers at the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. Located on US Rte 68 south of Taos, it Is the Rio Grande Gorge Visitor Center and open year-round.
This area (245,000 acres of public land) was designated as a National Monument in 2013. The Rio Grande Gorge is the most visited part of the monument. The Rio Grande del Norte was designated a national monument with four objectives to preserve: the geologic past of NM (the Rio Grande Rift, one of the world’s major tectonic plates); cultural and historic artifacts of human habitation (including petroglyphs; ecological diversity; and, wildlife (cutthroat trout, river otter, Rocky Mountain elk, pronghorn, Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, and even prairie dogs). It is also part of the Central Migratory Flyway, providing critical food and a place to rest for migrating birds.
From the Visitor Center we headed north on Rte 570 (that follows the Rio Grande) to Taos Junction Bridge.
And, I always like to snap photos of flowers and plants we see in various parts of the country. I am not sure what the fruit on the tree is, but maybe cherries? And the cactus plants are so spiky and yet lovely!
We found the parking area for the La Vista Verde Trail (about .5 miles beyond the Taos Junction Bridge) with no problem. The trail is 1.25 miles each way on the mesa near the Rio Grande Gorge. There are lots more cacti in this area along with sagebrush.
Basalt (volcanic rock) is everywhere. And, more beautiful flowers in the arid environment.
These handsome bighorn sheep were not at all concerned about our presence. They stood their ground (near the trail) while we detoured to respect their space. Mostly they kept their eyes on our doggie, Sadie (who was, thankfully, very well behaved).
Continuing along the trail we came to an overlook of the Rio Grande. Can you see Sadie in the first photo…she is well camouflaged! As we enjoyed the view of the of the river, we spotted two kayakers far below.
I just love the pale green of the sagebrush plains in conjunction with the dark black basalt.
As we continued on the mesa, John spotted this 6-7” caterpillar-thing…not exactly sure what it is but, wow!
Spectacular views of the Rio Grande River and Gorge awaited us at the end of the trail. Sadie seemed to enjoy them as much as we did!
The roar of the rapids could be heard where we were, high above the river. Melting snow in the Rocky Mountains continues to flow into the Rio Grande. We ate a snack while enjoying the beauty of this place.
As we made the return hike, Sadie found shade everywhere she could as it was very hot! We felt the same, but we had plenty of water for all.
These two female bighorn sheep were grazing in the prairie and casually glanced our way.
Even though this is a popular trail in the monument, we did not see anyone during our hike. We hopped in the car and stopped briefly at the Taos Junction Bridge.
Rafters were floating down the river and a boat launch is located near the bridge.
We really enjoyed this trail and would highly recommend it to others. The views of the gorge are just incredible. There is a campground (with shelters) very close to the Taos Junction Bridge.
For additional information about the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, go to www.blm.gov/riograndedelnorte.
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