5/3/2023 Abiquiu Lake Campground, NM

I had driven past this lake and Corps of Engineering campground several times in the past, but had never been able to get a reservation here.  The last time was two years ago, when it was closed because of COVID.  So, this time, I was able to make my reservation a long time in advance.  

Also, I have just recently learned how to pronounce the name of this lake and the tiny village near here.  The first part was pretty easy, but the last four letters had me stumped, so I was pronouncing it "ab-i-qu-i-u" with five syllables.  Actually, the correct pronunciation is "ab-i-que" with only three syllables--MUCH easier!!  

Almost everyone is familiar with Georgia O'Keeffe, the painter who is best known for painting flowers, skyscrapers, and scenery from the Southwest.  She spent a lot of her life in Chicago and New York City, but in 1929, she visited Taos, NM, and ended up spending time in this state hiking and traveling, while working as an illustrator in many other places.  She ended up with several homes in New Mexico, including one in the village of Abiquiu and two in the nearby Ghost Ranch, which I will discuss in the next posting.  Unfortunately, her home in Abiquiu is open to the public only a few days each month, and I missed that time.

However, the lake and campground between Ghost Ranch and Abiquiu has turned out to be one of the most scenic places I have stayed in.  It is a long way from anywhere, and not near any of the freeways or major tourist areas in NM, so there are no grocery stores or gas stations, other than a larger than usual grocery store and gas station owned by the same family in Abiquiu.  Most importantly, it is in the far north of the state and at a high elevation of over 6,000', so it does not get warm enough to visit until May, so this is not a place for winter snowbirds, and it does not get a lot of summer visitors, either.  

I came for my two-week stay with a loaded refrigerator and clean clothes!  The drive was not an easy one because I came through a secondary road from the southwest.  It would have been longer, but easier to drive all the way to Santa Fe, and then drive north on a better road. 

This is the last few miles of my drive when the road got better.  Not a whole lot of traffic.  I am driving across the earthen dam here, but you can see the lake in the upper left corner.

Entrance to the campground. 

And my campsite.  Sites are paved with large gravel surrounding them, so it was clean and well-maintained, as are all Corps of Engineers campgrounds.  Best part of that for seniors, my site with water and electric hookups was only $8 per day!  Very friendly and helpful camphosts and neighbors, as well. 

 

 

Nice view of the lake from my site.  I like campground that are high so the view is good. 

A couple more photos of the lake and the distant mountains and bluffs. 

 

 

 

 

The peak in the distance is Pedernal Peak.  While the campground is at about 6,000' in elevation, but Pedernal is 13,161' tall.   It had snow on it most of the time I was there, as did the high mountains about 20 miles east of here.  As the snow melted, the Rio Chama river that dumps into the lake and empties through the dam was overflowing its banks and adding about a foot of water to the lake every day.  

The Rio Chama flows southward , joining up with the Rio Grande just north of the towns of Santa Cruz and Espanola, about 30 miles south of Abiquiu.  (I drove there one day to restock my groceries, pick up some hardware items, and do some laundry.)

 

 

It was mostly in the 70s while I was here, but it is still early spring, so there are not too many wildflowers in bloom.  This one and the dozens of squabbling black-chinned hummingbirds, brightened up my campsite, anyway. 

 

 

The lake's color was grayish, due to all the snow melt and mud coming into it.  

 

 

 

This is the dam, though it is very hard to tell--no good viewing areas, unfortunately.