La Vista Verde Trail

Dogs Leashed

Features Birding · River/Creek · Views · Wildlife

This is an awesome short hike in the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. The trail runs through a plain high above the Rio Grande River, which you'll sometimes be able to hear traveling through the gorge below, but the canyon walls still tower several hundred feet above you on either side.

There is an overlook of the confluence of the Rio Grande and Rio Pueblo de Taos rivers a few hundred feet into the trail. There is another great view up the Rio Grande Canyon at the end of the trail.

The trail starts with a couple of stairs, and then you've got a climb and a bit of a tricky descent on a narrow trail filled with two-three inch river rocks. Look for the first overlook at the crest of this climb. Then you'll drop down into a meadow of sagebrush. There were several bighorn sheep in this meadow when I was there. In the meadow, the trail becomes a narrow ribbon of hardpacked dirt.

Near the end of the trail, there is a mudflat that will be difficult to traverse if it is not super dry, unless you have four hooves. The trail runs to the side of the flats through some small boulders but the hiking is generally easy.

Enjoy the vista from the overlook at the end of the trail, and then make you way back the way you came.