Explore Beyond Santa Fe with an Idyllic One-Day Road Trip to Abiquiú, New Mexico

While there’s much more to see and do in the picturesque city of Santa Fe, it feels like it’s time to take you on a road-trip to one of New Mexico’s quaint, off the beaten path towns a bit further north.

The Brilliant Randall M Chavez’s Abstract Art

One of my favorites to explore is Abiquiú (pronounced ab - IH - q). If you’ve been following the last several blogposts about my New Mexico sabbatical, you’ll recall I met up with artist @Randallmchavez and discovered his stunning abstract paintings near Santa Fe’s Loretto Chapel at Water St and the Old Santa Fe Trail. He’s there every weekend. Check out his art!

Randall is the local who shared with me that Abiquiú is a special, must visit area, which was seconded by a friend who’d spent time conducting research in the area pre-Covid. Read to the end of this blogpost for more on that inspirational story..

Abiquiú is an easy 1 hour drive north of Santa Fe. There’s so much to experience, be sure to start early so you have time to fully explore.

Reco 1: Make your first stop the Santa Rosa de Lima church ruins. It’s on the right side of the road as you travel north on US-84 toward Abiquiú.

It’s simple. Just the shell of an old adobe church now missing its roof. Whether you are into churches or not, this is a great stop to explore for half an hour and take in the views.

Santa Rosa de Lima was a Spanish settlement in this area in the early 1700’s. This church was a fixture in the community which ultimately became nearby Abiquiú.

I loved the rustic sign that welcomes visitors to this sacred site. Over time, visitors have left pennies and other small coins tucked into the wood framing to pay homage.

There’s a beautiful simple white cross reaching over this holy site. Check out the photo to the right for a close up of a stray Christmas ornament hanging from the cross beam!

The views from the open air church window overlooking the Chama Valley and Chama river are spectacular, as shown in the very first photo in this blogpost.

This is a beautiful, peaceful, no-cost stop along the way. Check it out.

Reco 2: Drive 20 minutes north of the Santa Rosa de Lima ruins, continuing on US-84 to find Echo Amphitheater.

Park the car and walk a quarter of a mile to the Amphitheater. I spoke to some locals before heading out who mentioned the gate to the Amphitheater parking lot may be closed with signage saying the Amphitheater itself is closed for maintenance (or Covid, or some other reason). Park and walk in, it’s not really closed.

Echo Amphitheater is part of Carson National Forest which dominates this area with miles and miles of hiking and stunning scenic views.

Colorful Sandstone Cliffs Surrounding Echo Canyon

This is another great half hour stop to take in the majesty of the sandstone cliffs and feel the echoes vibrate through you as you speak.

Legend has it that this was once the location of several murders, with the blood of settlers and Navajo killed at the top running down the canyon walls, permanently staining the sandstone with drips of a brownish color. The echoes heard are thought to be the voices of those “murdered” here.

As legends go, this is an interesting one. The vertical streaks that resemble blood dripping are made of a mineral varnish that interrupts the otherwise consistent horizontal layers of colored sandstone.

There’s a $2 entrance fee, but if you have an America the Beautiful National Parks pass (which I highly recommend purchasing), it’s free.

Reco 3: If you’re up for a hike to a beautiful mesa, check out a local favorite, the Rim Vista trail.

Turn around and drive US-84 south from Echo Amphitheater (back the way you came) for about 10 minutes and go right on Forest Service Road 151 to find the Rim Vista #15 Trailhead.

It’s a little bumpy and off the grid so some may feel like a 4 WD vehicle is needed to access this. This is probably wise advice if it’s raining and muddy. Otherwise, a regular car, driven carefully will do the trick.

This is a 5.8 mile (round trip) out and back hike with 1279 of vertical gain. You will definitely get some cardio benefit from attempting this climb. To trek the entire distance will take the average, reasonably in shape group 3 hours from the trailhead.

If you don’t have that much time (or energy), hike as far in as you like and turn around. I went about a mile and back (total 1 hour) and experienced some of the most scenic views of my entire New Mexico trip. Check out @travelistaliz for more scenic views from the trail.

Because it’s a local favorite, there were few to no people on the trail. Take the time to breathe in the peace and serenity of this picture-perfect landscape.

Besides the picturesque landscape, nature provided some other stunning details I’d normally walk right by without paying much attention. First of all, there’s a ton of twisty-branched juniper trees along the trail at 6,000 - 7,000 feet elevation.

Where I grew up in the Midwest, junipers were bushes that were the fixture of most front yard landscaping. In this climate, junipers grow into trees.

Did you know there are male and female juniper trees? Scientifically this is called dioecious. In a common desert variety (the One-seed Juniper) only female trees bear the purply-blue berries which mature in one year.

There are always male and female trees near each other so the male tree can spread pollen for the female to create the berry-like seed cones that propagate the plant.

This common desert plant is non-toxic. Its berries, bark, and leaves have been used by Native Americans for centuries. There are other interesting varieties you’ll come across like the Alligator juniper which you will recognize instantly from its bark that looks like, you guessed it, alligator skin.

While we are learning fun facts about the simple, often missed gifts of nature, how much do you know about lichen? Lichen is commonly found decorating rocks and trees all over the world and the southwest is no exception.

It’s really two organisms, algae and fungi that benefit from living together. When it is dry, lichen feel crusty to the touch. In rainy months, lichen have a soft moss-like feel. Depending on the type of fungus and alga, different colors and shapes of lichen emerge. The fringed gray-green foliose lichen is common. I love how artistically and organically grown, the edges remind me of an abstract painting.

Lichen grows slowly, typically less than 1mm per year on rocks. These hardy beings live for 30-60 years. The bigger and more ornate the shape of the lichen, the older its story is.

Lichen have been around for 400 million years. They serve the purpose of breaking down rocks to produce soil in the desert. Their color used for natural dye-making and their anti-bacterial/anti-viral properties for medicinal purposes, these often-overlooked plant-animal “beings” have much to share with us.

Reco 4: After your exploratory tour of the Rim Vista trail, head toward today’s crown jewel, the Plaza Blanca.

Leave at least two hours to explore The White Place aka Plaza Blanca!

Head back to US-84 from the trailhead. From the intersection of US-84/FS 151, it’s about 35 minutes of drive time to Plaza Blanca. Cell service is almost non-existent out here so get directions downloaded before you head out.

Plaza Blanca is confusingly not well marked. Type in the destination Dar Al Islam in Abiquiú.

If the gate to Dar Al Islam is closed, park on the side of the road and walk the driveway the remaining quarter mile to this breathtaking site.

Plaza Blanca is a national treasure located on private property. Be respectful of the land so its owners will continue to share it with us.

As you walk through the gate, Plaza Blanca is straight ahead and the Mosque an additional quarter mile to the left. The paths between the two sites diverge and in case you’re interested (as I was), the Mosque is not open for tours or visitors during Covid. Just follow the driveway and stay to the right.

Plaza Blanca was made famous by Georgia O’Keeffe and her series of paintings from the 1940s entitled The White Place.

Once the stunning cliffs appear ahead, there’s a half mile or so flat loop trail through The White Place that lets you explore these cliffs up close. On the left side, as you enter, is the area known Cathedrals. The mud-stone structures look vaguely like Cathedral spires and the whole area has an almost architectural feel to it.

This formation is 20-25 million years old and made mostly of volcanic debris known as tuffaceous sandstone, pebbly sandstone, and siltstone. It’s very fragile which is why as the wind and weather erode the tuff, we are left with incredibly detailed sculptures in the mudstone.

Close-up of Plaza Blanca’s fragile mudstone

If you were to (don’t do it!) touch the mudstone, it would easily crumble in your hand like dried dirt. It fascinates me to see these stunning cliffs that are both strong and mighty as well as soft and fragile.

Pro Tip: As New Mexico fully re-opens post-Covid (hopefully later in 2021), consider extending your stay with an overnight in Abiquiú at Ghost Ranch or Christ in the Desert Monastery.

Ghost Ranch is a quiet contemplative place with retreats, workshops and quiet places to help you zen-out and reconnect with your inner spirit. Georgia O’Keeffe spent 50 years at Ghost Ranch and was inspired to create many of her stunning paintings in this area.

There are 21 acres of hiking trails, a landscape tour showing the areas that inspired O’Keeffe’s art, a history tour, and a trail ride. Ghost Ranch is slowly re-opening and now available for day visits but no overnight visitors.

A few miles away, Christ in the Desert Monastery is another gem. Run by Benedictine monks, there are opportunities to spend time touring and in quiet contemplation here. It remains closed at the moment (May 2021) to protect the elderly monks on-site so don’t waste time driving up the lengthy bumpy road only to be turned away. There are signs at the roadway entrance explaining the monks are not yet ready for visitors.

An interesting little-known fact is the Abbey Brewing company is run by these monks using 1500 years old monastic brewing traditions from Europe. If you like craft beer, look for some at Bode’s General Store in “downtown” Abiquiú.

Also in town are Georgia O’Keeffe’s Abiquiú home, a studio tour, and a museum sharing more of her story and the art she created. This also remains closed at the moment but keep checking.

I absolutely love this part of New Mexico. Abiquiú is special. I’ll be back for an overnight stay and more exploring when the Monastery and Ghost Ranch fully reopen.

Before I end this blogpost, I want to share the story of my good friend, old soul storyteller, and skilled photographer Daniel Epstein who is publishing a coffee table book this Fall that examines faith, spirituality and healing from a broad perspective.

It’s called Portraits in Faith. You can check out their Instagram profile PortraitsnFaith for more info..

Until the end of May, there’s a Kickstarter campaign underway that enables pre-orders of the book. Please join me in supporting this important project! Check out the link here to learn more.

If this blogpost inspired you and you’re interested in more info on New Mexico and beyond, check out @travelistaliz for more photos and highlights.