Taos Area  Photos:  Recent | Best | Popular Lat, Long:  36.4059, -105.574 Map Page Views:  349,877. Good page? (12 likes)    Administrators:  Mike Howard, Aaron Hobson, Jason Halladay, Anthony Stout, LeeAB, Tom Erickson Submitted By:  Jfoley on Oct 4, 2006 Make this area a Favorite What's New Guidebooks (1)  Printer View Add Area  Add Photo  Add Comment  Add Event  Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun 90° | 50° 90° | 52° 90° | 52° 88° | 46° 91° | 50°

Bat Cave finish.
Andrewburr.com Photography

Town of Taos and Surrounding Area 

Taos, "the Place of the Red Willow" in the native Tiwa of the Pueblo Indians, has long been the rendezvous of the Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains and of the various cultures that call this region home. The Spanish referred to it as "Remote Beyond Compare" and it is for that reason it has remained to this day, unspoiled. Artists since have gathered at the foot of the Sangre De Cristo to take advantage of the high desert light and how it plays along the peaks and down into the Rio Grande Rift valley. The Taos Society of Artists, as well as Georgia O'Keefe, Ansel Adams, Paul Strand, and Dorthea Lange had an affection for the "Taos Light" and the extraordinary diversity of landforms and cultures in northern New Mexico.

Taosenos enjoy a diverse topography spanning from the basalt crags of the Rio Grande Gorge (John Dunn Bridge Area, Dead Cholla Wall, Miner's Crag, Utopian Vistas, Vista Verde Crag, Wild and Scenic, from about 5500 to 7000 ft) to the pristine granite of Tres Piedras or Questa Dome, the metamorphic rocks of Comales Canyon (up to 10,000 ft.) and the cobble conglomerate of El Rito all within a reasonable drive from one of the oldest continually inhabited communities in the U.S. Bring your sense of adventure and independence (as well as your rack, rod, boat, bike and skis/board) and get lost in the expanse. Gradual development and expansion of local crags has added a variety of new sport and trad pitches in the area surrounding Taos.

The geology of the Rio Grande Box is largely volcanic. Olivine tholeiite basalt forms the three main layers of the Servilleta Basalt. The middle basalt unit is separated from the upper and lower tiers by layers of sediment forming the benches. These horizontal basalt layers of dark-gray, pahoehoe (ropey), vesicular (air pocketed) lava compose the main climbing walls in the gorge (Vista Verde, Utopian Vistas, Dead Cholla, John Dunn area, Horse Thief, etc.). The rock we climb in the upper Box area of the Wild and Scenic is more dense, can be red to light brown and was not from the lateral Servilleta flow. These remnants of volcanic plugs are more appropriately termed dacite, and it may contain crystal inclusions known as phenocrysts. The middle box or La Junta section has several examples of swirled volcanic rock from old low relief dacite volcanos. Miners' crag is a nice example. The wall across from Miners' is also a remnant.

Season: Year-round. Hit the sunny, sheltered Rio Grande Gorge on winter mornings (most cliffs face east) or on afternoons in the warmer months. In high summer, find cooler temps at Tres Piedras, Questa Dome, El Rito, and Comales Canyon

Disclaimer: As Lew Wallace once said: "Every calculation based on experience elsewhere, fails in New Mexico", and that may be doubly true for Taos. (Therefore climbing is dangerous, BETA is just that, use your own judgment, blah, blah ...). Oh, and if you are wondering, "Taos" rhymes with "house".

Jay Foley working "Letting Go" 12c in the Bat Cave, Vista Verde near Taos Submitted By: Mike Howard on Jun 12, 2009

Local Climbing Resources 

Guide Service - Mountain Skills climbingschoolusa.com/index.html
Shops- Mudd N Flood 134 Bent Street Taos, NM 87571 (505)751-9100
Guidebook: Taos Rock: Climbs and Boulders of Northern New Mexico. Author:Jay Foley Publisher: Sharp End Publishing, 2005
and/or Rock Climbing New Mexico (Regional Rock Climbing Series) by Dennis Jackson

Climbing Magazine Article:UTOPIAN VISTAS
By Matt Samet from Climbing Magazine No. 278 - September 2009
Photos by Andrew Burr / AndrewBurr.com

www.taosvacationguide.com/
www.taospueblo.com/

Cycling Resources

View from south on Rift Valley MTB trail. Vista Verde, Dead Cholla and Utopian Vistas along dirt road climbing west side of gorge from the Taos Junction Bridge. Submitted By: Mike Howard on Jul 25, 2010

Getting to Taos 

From Albuquerque: I-25 to Santa Fe; exit on 599 north to by-pass Santa Fe; Hwy. 285 to Hwy. 68 to Taos.
From Arizona: I-40 WEST to Albuquerque; I-25 to Santa Fe; Hwy. 285 to Hwy. 68 to Taos.
From Denver: I-25 to Colorado Springs to Walsenburg; Hwy. 160 to Fort Garland; Hwy. 159 and Hwy. 522 to Taos.
From Texas: I-40 EAST to Albuquerque; I-25 to Santa Fe; Hwy. 285 to Hwy. 68 to Taos.

Driving Distances / Approximate Times to Taos

Albuquerque 135 mi. / 2:15
Amarillo 302 mi / 5:00
Dallas 682 mi / 11:00
Denver 300 mi / 5:00
Durango 208 mi / 3:30
Phoenix 568 mi / 8:30
Santa Fe 72 mi / 1:15






Ernest Blumensheim, founder of the Taos Society of Artists documented his own love of the topography

The Classics

Featured Route For Taos Area

Better Red Than Dead 5.10b PG13  NM : Taos Area : ... : Mosaic Rock

Quintessential TP climbing with the crux moves above your gear make "Better Red Than Dead" a bit intimidating. My first time I was a bit spooked, a couple more recent times, it didn't seem as bad. One of the more rewarding 5.10s here.Face climb up to right-angling crack. Step onto the slab above to clip the 1st bolt, slab up and right to the 2nd bolt. From here, sneak up 5.10 slab/face straight up to a seam (no pro there), then a thank-god left-angling finger crack. You probably don't want ...[more]   Browse More Classics in NM

Photos of Taos Area Slideshow

Add Photo

Andrew Burr Photography	Taos Pueblo Photo courtesy of andrewburr.com. All...	TAOS. FoleyPhoto
cowboy art