New Mexico: Las Conchas

One of my favorite places to go to since I moved to New Mexico is Las Conchas, in the Jemez Valley Area. This place is about an hour and a half from Santa Fe, or thirty minutes from Los Alamos. Driving there is an awesome experience, since you can see the landscape change from the classical super dry desert from New Mexico to a much fresher, greener, and moist environment. Whenever someone comes visit me I bring them there.


- In the summer:

This is my favorite rock climbing place in New Mexico

Click the link to see more pictures! 

By New Mexico standards: this is me swimming in a huge river. 

Made it alive

This place is great for doing all sorts of things. I usually go there to rock climb, hike, or I've even gone there to do a picnic! There is a cute creek that flows right next to the hiking path. Just hearing the flow of water is so refreshing after spending months without seeing any water outside of your bathroom/kitchen (New Mexico is literally all desert. But I'm sure you already knew that).


- In the fall:

Evergreens and Birches

Valle Grande in the fall: A golden sea

Preparing for a bit of monkeying 

Trying to make music with my climbing gear. Too excited, as always

I'm up there!

I can NEVER get a bad picture of this one. 

Taking a break! 

Another one of my favorite parts of this place is that to get there you have to drive by the Valle Grande (great valley) from the Valles Caldera National Preserve. This is technically the mouth of one of only six known supervolcanoes in the world. When this valley comes into view it takes your breath away. It is a huge flat piece of flat land covered only in what looks like long grass. It looks like a sea.


- In the winter:

Valle Grande in the winter: A sea of snow

My sister writing her name in the snow to be remembered by future generations

This is me and my sister standing on the same bridge that I jumped off of on picture #3

I've only been there once this spring, and I don't have many pictures from it. However, it looks a lot like the summer since there aren't too many flowers around.

Last year, some of the area burnt down with the Las Conchas Fire. But luckily my favorite part, including the hiking trail and the Valle Grande weren't touched by the fire.


These are all pictures from the many trips I've made to this place. Especially if you are living in New Mexico, and miss seeing green and water, this is the place to go.