Abiquiu and Plaza Blanca
Around Santa Fe and Albuquerque - New Mexico
Note: On dirt roads, road conditions can change constantly. Therefore, we strongly recommend that everyone check the road conditions before each trip. We do not recommend driving on unpaved roads before, during or shortly after rain or snowfall.
Our visits: So far 1 visit in October 2014
Abiquiu
Description: Georgia O'Keeffe, one of my absolute favorite painters, lived a large part of her life here in Abiquiu. Her house can be visited as part of a guided tour. During our visit, photography was prohibited on the grounds of the house, so unfortunately there are no photos of it. The fact that this has changed in the meantime gives us a reason to come back again.
The tours start in a side building of the Abiquiu Inn. First you watch a movie and then a shuttle takes you to the house. The house is still in the same condition as Georgia O'Keeffe left it when she moved to Santa Fe in 1984.
There are several tours that are offered at different times. These tours must be pre-booked online. Tours are offered Tues-Sat from March to November. The standard tour lasts 75 minutes and costs $60/person.
On the official homepage you can find all important information.
Our rating: For Georgia O'Keeffe fans, this is an absolute must see. It was just great and inspiring to walk in the footsteps of my favorite painter.
Balanced Rock Road
Description: Before you get to Plaza Blanca, there is a small detour into a side canyon where you can admire some nice hoodoos. The drive is the same as to Plaza Blanca, except that before you get there you turn left onto Balanced Rock Rd (junction 2 at the top of the map). Coordinate: Latitude 36.211725, Longitude -106.330671.
Our rating: Anyway, this little side canyon is worth a side trip if you are already in the area. Especially in autumn, the landscape is also garnished with a few colorful spots. Unfortunately, during our visit in October 2014, the weather was somewhat suboptimal.
Plaza Blanca - The White Place
Description: The drive, from Abiquiu, to Plaza Blanca is about 5mi long. 3.7mi of them lead over a dirt road. The road was quite ok to drive. As so often on dirt roads, a little ground clearance is quite useful.
The landscape of Plaza Blanca consists of white rock towers that rise into the sky in bizarre shapes. This unusual area inspired Georgia O'Keefffe to some of her paintings.
There are no fixed paths here, you can walk freely everywhere and explore the landscape. Hiking is easy, because everything is relatively flat. Altitude feet gather only when you climb on the rocks.
Our rating: One of the reasons to visit this area was to see the places that Georgia O'Keeffe inspired for a lot of her paintings. We loved this place, especially with the colorful trees as decoration. You're pretty much on your own here, which always adds to the appeal of such places, for us.
