With one day remaining of our Labor Day weekend getaway to Taos, we headed out of town to the west. Today, instead of climbing to the highest point, we would be descending to the lowest elevation area in the Taos Valley region: the gorge cut by the Rio Grande. Actually, we’d be descending and then ascending and then doing it all over again… first by car and then on foot as we made our way through Rio Grande del Norte National Monument.
This isn’t a well-known national monument, likely because it’s relatively new and also because it’s administered by the Bureau of Land Management rather than the National Park Service. It’s a long skinny monument, running along the Rio Grande from just west of Taos all the way up to the Colorado border. I actually didn’t know the Rio Grande flowed through Colorado at all, but some research reveals that its headwaters is in the southern part of the state. It also happens to be the third longest river in North America. The more you know.
We began our tour of the monument at the southern end at Rio Grande Gorge Visitor Center near the town of Pilar. It’s a very tiny town originally settled by the Spanish, but located on the native land of the Ute and Jicarilla Apache. From here, we drove into the monument on a narrow, winding road and caught our first glimpse of the Rio Grande. This area of the monument is also called the Orilla (or-ee-ya) Verde Recreation Area.
The road parallels the river for a while before crossing it, turning to dirt, and beginning to climb up out of the gorge. It was steep and curvy but our Subaru had no issues. I think most cars would be able to make it.
At this point, we temporarily exited the monument as we followed the highway north. Upon intersecting with Highway 64 – the main route west out of Taos – we found ourselves back within the monument boundary and at the main attraction: the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. Rising nearly 600 feet (183 m) above the river, this is one of the highest bridges in the US.
There’s a large parking area with viewpoints, and sidewalks run along the bridge so you can actually walk all the way across it and stop at a few viewing platforms. We decided to do so, and it was a somewhat frightening experience. I’m not afraid of heights… but standing in the middle of the bridge, looking 600 feet down to the river, and feeling the concrete vibrate beneath your feet as cars drive by is a little (okay, a lot) unnerving.
It was difficult to capture just how disorienting it was to look down at the river from up here, but I tried.
After walking back across the bridge on foot, we drove across it and continued our northward journey. There are many dirt roads that cut through areas of the monument, but no paved roads connect the northern and southern sections. It’s about a 45 minute drive out and around to reach the north entrance. Our first stop, upon reaching the northern half of the monument (also called Wild Rivers Recreation Area), was the Wild Rivers Visitor Center to get some information on hiking options.
Due to road construction, the La Junta Trail down to the confluence of the Red River and the Rio Grande was inaccessible. However, the confluence can also be reached by descending the Little Arsenic Springs Trail into the gorge, turning onto the River Trail, and following it to the confluence.
When we reached the confluence, we decided to take off our shoes and soak our feet in the Rio Grande. The cold water felt amazing on such a hot day, and although my feet didn’t enjoy being shoved back into my hiking boots afterwards, overall I felt refreshed.
It ended up being about a 5 mile (8 km) hike with 1200 feet (365 m) of elevation gain, which isn’t all that much longer than the La Junta Trail would have been. Some of the gain was gentle undulations as we walked along the river, but about 700 feet (210 m) of it was at the very end of the hike when we climbed back up from the river to the rim of the gorge.
There are also pullouts along the road in this section of the monument, and a few short trails out to the rim. We stopped at all of them, and even enjoyed our lunch on a bench at the edge with no one around. Most people don’t visit the northern portion of the monument.
If I visited this monument again, I would flip flop our itinerary and start in the northern section. Climbing up out of the gorge in the hot midday sun was not ideal, and the lighting when we visited the bridge wasn’t great either. Hiking in the morning when it’s cooler and visiting the bridge in the afternoon when the sun is higher in the sky would have been much better. But despite the hot temperatures and subpar lighting, we enjoyed our visit to this lesser-known national monument and would recommend it for anyone who is in the area!
The Important Stuff:
- Getting there: the southern entrance is located at Pilar off NM 68 about 20 mins southwest of Taos, the bridge is on US Highway 64 about 15 mins west of Taos, and the northern section can be reached by turning onto NM 358 in Cerro, about 35 mins north of Taos
- Fees and passes: $3 per day for visits longer than 30 minutes, or hang your interagency pass from your rearview mirror
- Hiking: there are many hikes in the monument; here is a list. We chose the Little Arsenic-La Junta hike to the Rio Grande and Red River confluence; it was about 4.8 miles (7.7 km) with 1200 feet (365 m) of elevation gain round trip (most of the gain was at the end)
- Where to stay: there are a handful of small campgrounds in both the north and south portions of the monument, as well as backcountry campsites along the river; no reservations are accepted
- Maps & information: the monument is administered by the BLM and I don’t find their website to be as user-friendly as the NPS website; here is the information for the southern Orilla Verde section of the monument and here is the info for the northern Wild Rivers section
- Other: this is a long skinny monument that isn’t well connected; many 4WD roads traverse it but no paved roads connect the northern and southern sections; it’s about a 45 minute drive out and around from the bridge to the northern section
Handstands Around the World 
I feel like I’ve seen that bridge from a distance when we were in Taos many, many years ago, but I don’t recall crossing it. I don’t like shaky bridges, either. For all I know it’s a signal that it’s structurally sound and shaking is probably what it’s supposed to do, but that doesn’t make it any more pleasant. Crossing the gorge looks like a fun adventure. I think you should hike the Grand Canyon rim to rim next. Clearly this monument was practice for that. 😉
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We could see Taos from there so that makes sense. I would love to do the Grand Canyon rim to rim hike. It sounds brutally exhausting, but what what an adventure!
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Agreed.
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Seeing you do that handstand on the bridge gives me the chills. I don’t think I’ve ever been on a bridge that high. I can imagine it’s frightening looking down, but what a cool experience. I love the scenery along the River Trail and I could feel your pleasure of dipping your feet in that cold water on a hot day.
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Frightening but cool is a good way to describe the bridge! We were very surprised by the river scenery; I don’t think I was expecting it to be so green.
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I imagine the quiet serenity of the desert mountains. I’ve been on that bridge and can attest to feeling a little queasy looking down. Loved the handstand!
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Ooh quiet serenity. That’s such a great way to describe the desert!
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I’m amazed that you were able to do a handstand even though you could feel all the vibrations from the passing cars!
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Haha well I waited until there were no cars on the bridge… made it a little less scary
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yassss!! So cool right????
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I thought I was going to fall over the ledge on that bridge….and when the big trucks drive over and shake the bridge, makes that feeling even worse!
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Yeah, the vibrations were really weird and scary. I’m glad we were there early enough in the day to have some gaps in the traffic so the bridge wasn’t always shaking.
And yes, this place was so neat! I wish we’d camped where you did, it looked like such a great campground.
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That bridge is nuts, you have no clue what your driving over until you pull into the visitor parking lot! Yeah, id like to go back and spend a couple days. Not sure I can fit it in before we move!
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Right? I was expecting to be able to see it from a distance so I was really confused why there weren’t bridge towers sticking up and such
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Beautiful pictures!! Almost looks like you had the whole place to yourself. Very impressed you can do a handstand on that bridge (and everywhere of course) 🙂
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Thank you 😊
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I have a Colorado friend who just went camping in a place called Wild Rivers Backcountry Byway. It sounds like you were in a nearby place (and the river scenes look similar) … I had never heard of either of them, but the whole area looks like a great stop on the way from CO to Santa Fe!
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Pam, right? I remember reading her post about it and commenting. We were in fact in the same place, although not quite at the same time! There are a few small campgrounds in the northern part of the Monument, which is where she stayed.
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Yep, it was Pam! I had never heard of that area and as I read, your description sounded very much like hers!
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Nope, you won’t catch me walking over that VERY high bridge (let alone doing a hand stand)! But you surely had some spectacular views! And those smooth rocks – that is pretty unique!
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So beautiful again Diana….and those rocks look so unique – almost like stingrays or something!!! 🙂
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Interesting! I hadn’t seen them that way. It’s so funny how we can all look at the same scene and see something different.
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I did chuckle a little at you saying the bridge was unnerving and then there suddenly being a photo of a handstand on that very bridge haha.
Looks like a beautiful place to explore, not sure I’d have got on too well with that bridge though!
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Fortunately there was a gap in the traffic, so I was able to do a handstand when there were no vibrations.
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Surprised the river was that wide at that point. Not much smaller then the Rio Grande was at Big Bend. I have not been down to “The Valley” yet as it gets nearer to it’s mouth but it has to get wider there. I guess the canyons keep it consistent in width.
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Oh really? It seemed pretty small to me, I always pictured it being much bigger in Texas. Of course, this was Sept so I’m sure earlier in the year there is a lot more water flowing down it.
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A beautiful building and an impressive canyon. The stones polished by the water are really special. Perfect handstand too 🙂
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Thank you!
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Beautiful images. I was especially fascinated with the photo of the smooth rocks. How large is that one in the picture?
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It was large enough for one person to sit on.
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You are correct about walking across the Rio Grande Bridge. We took a side trip so we could see it and the bridge and canyon are very impressive. The vibrations while walking across are memorable as were the wind gusts and looking into the Canyon. I can’t believe you had the fortitude to do a handstand given those factors.
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We were lucky to have a calm day and a short period with no cars, so the bridge wasn’t vibrating when I did the handstand. If it had been windy, I probably wouldn’t have done it. I imagine that was a scary feeling to be on that bridge in the wind.
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What an impressive part of New Mexico! I’m surprised at how verdant the Rio Grande del Norte is, as it goes to show that New Mexico isn’t all desert! I would love to take a photo of the dramatic Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, and to walk across it; looks like you went when no one was around, so you had the place all to yourself. 🙂
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We actually didn’t, there were probably 40 cars in the parking lot. But most people didn’t actually walk all the way across the bridge (it’s 1/4 mile long if I recall correctly), so we found ourselves away from the crowds. And there was a moment where no cars were coming, so that’s when I did the handstand!
I too was surprised at the greenery of it. The southern part of the monument is called Orilla Verde which means Green Bank, so I’m guessing it’s commonly fairly green around the river.
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