Santa Fe Skies RV Park
Santa Fe, NM
August 28, 2026
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| NM-16 entering the Cochito Reservation |
About 30 miles from Santa Fe Skies is the Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument. Take I-25 south, exit at #264 NM-16 and you find yourself entering the Cochiti Reservation. At a little over 8 miles make a left turn onto NM-22. You will see the Pueblo de Cochiti Visitor Center.
Reservations are checked at the VC upon arrival and a pilot car leads you to the entrance kiosk where you are greeted with a big smile and given a map, instructions for parking, and any questions you have are answered. It might seem complicated, but it is for the protection of a gorgeous and unique piece of our country and well worth the effort.
Being early birds, we were up and on our way and the first ones to arrive at the VC. This made parking easy and close to the trailhead.
There are two trails located in the designated monument parking area. The Canyon Trail is a 1.5 mile one-way (moderate/difficult) trek into a narrow slot canyon with a steep climb to the mesa. The Cave Loop Trail is 1.2 mile easy hike.
We chose the Canyon Trail...
It is 0.5 miles from the parking lot to the Canyon trailhead which counts as part of the 1.5 one way. There are kiosks along the way telling about this Geological Treasure from its fiery past which began approximately 6.8 million years ago to its final stage which is all up to the weather and ongoing.
It took a few minutes to check out this giant Ponderosa pine tree. The roots have been exposed from years of rushing water. But with great determination, it sends its life line, the tap root, up to 36 feet deep. That's deep enough for them to grow 300 to 600 years before succumbing to natural decay or environmental stressors.
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| The front of the tree entering the canyon |
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| and the back of the same tree exiting the canyon. |
From here to the end of the slot canyon, it was one WOW after another...looking up, looking ahead, and looking down.
We have always enjoyed our walks in slot canyons and Tent Rocks is no exception. To say it is beautiful is an understatement. The photos do not do it justice. I am not sure if it is the time of day we were there or the season, but it was a perfect morning with only a few folks. It's nice to take your time...stopping to ooooh and aaaah, and take a kazillion pictures with just the canyon walls, the gorgeous blue sky, the giant ponderosas, and my honey!
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| Keresan is the native language of the Pueblo de Chochiti people in New Mexico. Kasha-Katuwe translates to "white-cliffs" in their language. |
After our walk, we took the 3 mile (one way) dirt/gravel road up to an overlook. It's a twisty road that leads to the overlook, a short hike (which we did not do), a picnic area (where we had a snack), and a Veterans's Memorial.
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| The "tents" or hoodoos have "caps" called differential weathering and erosion. This hard resistant rock acts as a protective shield for the softer rock beneath it. The wonders of nature at work! |
What a wonderful morning! Even if you are not a walker, there are several picnic areas, and very short walks that will get you close enough to see the tent rocks and cliff walls. The drive to the scenic lookout is vehicle friendly with no special requirements needed. I rarely ever make recommendations, but I hope if you are ever in the area, you will add Tent Rocks to your "to do" list.
Back at the Belle...
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| Santa Fe lights |
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| Full Sturgeon Moon and art along the walking path...our patio view. |
Until next time,
HAPPY TRAILS
and SWEET DREAMS !
Stay tuned! Up next...
I've enjoyed your blog for several years now and want to let you know that I was my late husband's full-time caregiver for almost 30 years. We were mostly house-bound and I began reading RV blogs to vicariously enjoy everyone's travels, experiences, and pictures to entertain myself. You can't know how much you've helped me maintain my sanity over all those years. He passed back on July 27, 2026 and now I'm too old to pursue what I had to forfeit. So, please keep posting your wonderful blogs and I'll keep vicariously enjoying your travels and experiences, and ear scritches for Lucy, I enjoy her too. Vivian from Texas
ReplyDeleteHi Vivian. I am so touched by your comment and so happy you have enjoyed our blog through the years. I do think that every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit makes our soul nobler and stronger. Thirty years is a long time. We were caregivers for my mother in law for 15 years and she passed away peacefully in our home. God Bless you!
DeleteI forgot…Lucy says thank you too!
DeleteHi. I'm a new follower. On our travels in 2019 we planned to stop in Santa Fe. But a family emergency caused us to hurry home. I'm really enjoying your time in the area.
ReplyDeleteHi Elva. And thank you for following along! I’m sorry you missed your trip to Santa Fe…especially for a family emergency. If you ever get another chance to come to Santa Fe, it is so worth it! We have been busy…a fun busy…and the days have just flown by! I am thinking we will have to return and maybe enjoy our time at a slower pace next time!
DeleteNew follower here. I have never, ever wanted to go out west, but after looking at your pictures, I am rethinking this decision. I am not sure I would be able to make the trails, but I sure would try. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteGood morning Barbara. So happy to have you following along. I was born, grew up in, married, worked and raised 4 children in Georgia. We never ventured past the Mississippi River until we retired. It was love at first sight for me! And after traveling for 9 years in our MH, we settled in a little community southwest of Tucson. We still use our MH for vacations. The Southwest is beautifiul! Stay tuned…
DeleteOh Gay!! What an amazing place--on my list if we ever get back that way! Your photos are great and I liked how you and Joe added perspective to how narrow the canyon was. What is the red stuff with what looks like seeds??--it looks like the bear poop we are seeing now. Love that Santa Fe lights photo and of course the "sweet dreams" one! Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteGood morning Janna. The slot canyon was the prettiest slot canyon we have ever walked. You are right…the red stuff with seeds was from prickly pear I think and yes, it was scat from a large animal. I’m guessing elk. It was fresh, but no foot prints. This is a great rv park if you do get back this way. Lucy is having a good time…Santa Fe is very puppy friendly and she crashes when we get home! Hope you have a great week too!
DeleteWhat a beautiful place to hike. Love the slot canyons and the formations. We'd love to go on a hike like that with you someday.
ReplyDeleteGood morning guys! We would love that too! Canyon Trail is so pretty and we should try to make it happen!
DeleteI thought I left a comment already, but I must have deleted it instead of publish! We visited Kasha-Katuwe in 2016 and didn't have to jump through any of the hoops you did. No permit, etc., just drive to the trail parking lot and head in. I remember it being mesmerizing and my eye caught many of the same views yours did. I love slot canyons and this place is the cream of the crop!
ReplyDeleteWe just love that whole area, so much to see and do and eat! This year we were planning a couple week visit but have decided to save it for next time and head home in a few days......So, your posts will sustain me til next year!
Hi Sue…that slot canyon is the cream of the crop. Absolutely amazing! Hope everything is ok with you three. We sure have enjoyed Santa Fe and I am so far behind on posts. We leave in the morning headed to Dolores. Hugs !
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