Plaza Blanca Hike – 3/15/2017 - Hiking in New Mexico (NMHiking.com)

On the spur of a moment, Pat & I headed off to Abiquiú for a couple of days. We had flown over it out of Santa Fe a year ago, so now to see the area on the ground. Our first stop was Plaza Blanca, an area of white rock formations owned by the Dar al Islam organization, but open to the public. Although not widely publicized (as far as we can find) this is an amazing place.

The Hike

Plaza Blanca.Pat.2017-03-15

Approaching the Plaza, at first it doesn’t appear to be very exciting. But as we skirted the eastern perimeter and entered into the first ravine (or small canyon?), the forms and shapes of the formations, and the patterns created by erosion, and the variety of rocks – we were fascinated by it all. Working our way back to the main wash and heading west, we encountered more and different formations, all the way to the end where the wash became a short box canyon. We enjoyed our mid-hike repast, then headed back to the car. This is a place we look forward to visiting again.

Statistics

Total Distance: 2.75 miles
Elevation: start 6,107 ft, maximum 6,256 ft, minimum 6,054 ft
Gross gain: 202 ft. Aggregate ascending 628 ft, descending: 629 ft
Maximum slope: 55% ascending, 53% descending, 7% average
Duration: 3:05