Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, NM #18
Christmas Day we left Taos, NM and decided to visit one of the newer National Monuments on our way home. As you're driving north on the highway out of Taos one notices that there are mountain ranges on either side of the high valley floor (7,000 ft.) where the highway runs. What you would never notice unless you venture towards the center of the valley floor is the Rio Grande River and the Gorge. The Rio Grande River is responsible for the 800 foot deep gorge you will witnes