A New National Monument

On our way out of Colorado, we passed a sign warning of a horse crossing.  Really?  But to my surprise, there they were.

However, in reference to my title, Ron and I noticed a new national monument on the map and just had to see it.  Rio Grande del Norte National Monument in northern New Mexico was established in 2013.  The 242,455 acre monument includes two BLM recreation areas, and sections of the Rio Grande and the Red River, each of which are designated as a Wild and Scenic River.

We stayed on the mesa between the two rivers.  There are several campgrounds on the rim, each with just a few really nice sites.  Here's our table.

And our view over the edge into the Rio Grande Gorge.

Oh, look, somebody left us a maze for entertainment.

The view out the front of the RV includes the mesa with mountains in the distance.  The Red River Gorge lies between.

What a beautiful spot!

The next day we hiked to the point of the mesa which overlooks the confluence of the two rivers.

Although it's hard to see even with a zoomed view, the Red River comes in on the lower left to join the Rio Grande on the right.

There are three different trails down to the river including one at this point.  Ron and I don't like hikes that end with a big uphill climb, especially at 7500 feet, so we didn't go down very far.

We also stopped at a couple of overlooks.  This one was on the Rio Grande side.

And this was the Red River side.

We were very impressed with this monument and plan to return another year.  The pictures certainly don't do it justice.