Nature in Santa Fe

The second largest kiva....

Aztec Ruins National Monument is just 2 miles from the center of the bustling town of Aztec.

What remains today is a walled village with almost 400 rooms on 3 levels, over a dozen kivas (circular ceremonial areas), and which since excavation and limited reconstruction may be toured in a very good state of preservation.

The Majestic Rio Grande

The Rio Grande flows through a sizeable gorge for the first 78 miles of its journey through New Mexico, from the Colorado border as far as Velarde, southwest of Taos, where the cliffs recede. more information

SANTA FE CANYON PRESERVE

Once the center of Santa Fe’Äôs hydroelectric activity, Santa Fe Canyon Preserve is today a peaceful nature preserve brimming with wildflowers, willows, ponderosa pine, songbirds, deer, bear and even a beaver or two.

This 190-acres of open space, only a few miles from Santa Fe's bustling historic Plaza, offers a thriving bosque of cottonwood and willow trees, a pond, the ruins of an historic Victorian-era dam, hiking trails, more than 140 species of birds and the original route of the Santa Fe River.

Within the preserve are the ruins of Old Stone Dam, built in 1881. This was the city’Äôs first official attempt to harness the Santa Fe River to supply local residents with water. A flood in 1904 filled the dam with silt.

Angel Peak National Park

At 6,988 feet, Angel Peak is peaceful, desolate and empty, well worth visiting for a few hours or staying overnight. Angel Peak has an excellent free campsite on a promontory above the badlands. more information

Bandelier National Monument

Bandelier National Monument is an unexpected delight, with some of the most unusual and interesting ancient ruins in the Southwest. You'll experience steep narrow canyons with plentiful wildlife, mountains rising to 10,000 feet, many acres of unspoilt backcountry and a colorful section of the Rio Grande river valley. more information