Riana Campground at Abiquiu Lake, New Mexico: June 2007

This Corps of Engineers campground is a mile off U.S. Hwy 84 in northcentral New Mexico 30 miles north of Espanola.

This campground is on a knoll overlooking Abiquiu Lake. All campsites have a view of the large sprawling lake and the mountains to the west. The views were superb and the sunsets beautiful. My bet is if the wind kicks up campers are rocking and rolling but during our visit all was calm.

There is no lake access from the campground. The closest town is Abiquiu which has a small store selling everything including great lunch sandwiches to go. There is a post office and the main and only attraction in Abiquiu is the home of Georgia O'Keeffe. Tours are available if you call months in advance (check at the Abiquiu Inn). A little north of the campground is Ghost Ranch with its astounding natural beauty, some nice hikes, and a great place to picnic.

We did not return to Santa Fe the way we came to the campsite. Instead we did a huge 200 mile loop to the west, dropped south, then headed east to Bernallio where we caught I25 north to Santa Fe. This long ride gave us an appreciation of the western side of the Jemez Mountains. The trip is remembered for the changing colors of the mountains and mesas -- white, yellow, red -- and the huge blue sky all around us.

We would definitely return to this campground.