Nambe Falls, Nambe Reservoir-Santa Fe Road

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Santa Fe, NM, US

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Route Overview

We Ride 4

Nonprofit addressing child obesity and healthy lifestyles by getting more kids riding bikes

55 mi.

3,306 ft.

Take a ride through one of the oldest settled areas in the United States. This route starts in the historic plaza area in downtown Santa Fe, takes you through 3 of the oldest pueblo settlements in New Mexico and brings you into the unique wilderness area of Nambe Falls Recreation Area where you can get off your bike and take a quick hike up a trail to a spectacular waterfall vista. This little known route in Santa Fe is truly a hidden gem.

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Route Details

This ride starts and ends at the histric plaza in Downtown Santa Fe. After a couple blocks of working your way out of the downtown area, the route starts a 2.5 mile climb up Bishop Lodge Road. Once you top out, you will have a nice descent into @poi[Tesuque Village](134812276). Founded in 1740, the village is dotted with numerous buildings that date back to the mid 1800's. The most notable is the @photo[Tesuque Village Market](16384787) which is both a restaurant and a grocery store. You can stop in and fill water bottles or grab a snack and use the restrooms. You will come back through here on the way back into downtown Santa Fe. Plan to stop here and have lunch on one of your passes through the area.

Continuing through the village, the route takes a much more gradual downhill grade for the next 11 miles as you wind your way through @photo[Tesuque Pueblo](16384859) (See below). At approximately mile 11, you will come upon @photo[Camel Rock](16384781) (See below). After taking a few photos at Camel Rock continue on the route as it makes its way to @point[Pojoaque Pueblo](d,27829.49) (See below). At mile 14, the route takes a left off the frontage road briefly to follow the @photo[Tesuque Rio](16384782). At mile 15.5 the route returns you to the frontage road. Right before @photo[Pojoaque Pueblo](16407074), there is a @poi[Kicks 66 Travel Center](134884187) where you can fill water bottles, grab a snack and use their restrooms. As soon as you enter the Pueblo around mile 17, there are signs asking visitors to refrain from taking photos in the area. At approximately mile 19, you will exit Pojoaque Pueblo and enter Nambe Pueblo (See below). Continue following the route through tree-lined streets until @slice[mile 20-21.5](d,32433.7,34412.9) where you will encounter a @photo[short stretch of gravel road](16384790) (For approx 1 1/2 miles). The gravel here is smooth and the grade is flat. At the end of the gravel section at the @poi[intersection with Poechunu Poe](134812275) you have 2 choices. Turn right to ride out to @photo[Nambe Falls Recreation Area](16384783), or turn left to start making your way back to downtown Santa Fe for a shorter 44 mile option.

If you turn right, you will follow a gentle 2% average grade up to the ranger station at the entrance to @point[Nambe Falls Recreation Area](d,40276.59). There is a day use fee to enter the recreation area. However, on the day we rode it, they let us in for free since we were just touring the area briefly on bikes. At the ranger staion, turn right to make your way down to the @poi[Nambe Falls Trailhead](134812014). There are restrooms near the trailhead and a @photo[short 1/4 mile trail](16384791) that leads to the upper overlook for the @photo[Nambe Falls](16384784).Bikes are not allowed on the trails so if you want to do the short hike, you will need to stash them somewhere out of sight or have someone watch them for you.

From this point, turn around and ride back to the Ranger Station. At the Ranger Station, turn right and start @photo[a short climb](16384854) of just over 1 mile to the high point in the Recreation Area for a @photo[panoramic view](16384785) of @photo[Nambe Lake](16407073), the Sangre de Cristos and Nambe Pueblo.

Once you reach the top of the climb, take a few photos, then turn around and backtrack following the route downhill for approximately 10 miles until you reach Hwy 285. Go under the Hwy and follow the route to the frontage road that will take you back the way you came from downtown Santa Fe. (Note: At approx mile 33.5 you will come to a left hand turn onto local Hwy 503. You will be on 503 for approx 3 miles but there is a good shoulder and we didn't see much traffic the day we rode it.).

Once you start making your way back to Santa Fe, you will have a long, gentle uphill grade for a little over 15 miles back through Tesuque Pueblo and Tesuque Village. We strongly recommend filling water bottles and grabbing a snack when you pass by the @poi[Kicks 66 Travel Center](134884187) again at mile 38.5.

At mile 48.5 you will be back in Tesuque Village and the village market. From here you have @photo[one final push for 3.5 miles to the top of the climb](16384789). The grade only averages 2.5% but it will feel a little steeper after the first 11.5 miles since you left Pojoaque Pueblo. Once you finish the climb enjoy a nice 2.5 mile descent back to the plaza in downtown Santa Fe.

**Santa Fe, New Mexico** was founded in 1610 and is the oldest capital city in the U.S. It's also a city where Indigenous, Spanish, Mexican, and American cultures come together. Under Mexican rule (1821–1846), Santa Fe became an important stop on the Santa Fe Trail, linking it to American territories and fostering trade and cultural exchange. After the U.S. annexation of New Mexico in 1848, the city played a central role in the American Westward Expansion, yet it retained its unique blend of cultures.

Today, Santa Fe is celebrated for its adobe architecture, vibrant arts scene, and deep historical roots. Landmarks like the Palace of the Governors, built in 1610, and the San Miguel Chapel, one of the oldest churches in the U.S., serve as enduring symbols of its rich and layered past.

**The Pueblos of New Mexico** represent some of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in North America, with a rich history stretching back thousands of years. Among the 19 federally recognized pueblos, ***Tesuque***, ***Pojoaque***, and ***Nambé*** are located in the northern part of the state, near Santa Fe. The Pueblo peoples, descendants of the Ancestral Puebloans, developed complex societies characterized by adobe structures, irrigation farming, and vibrant cultural traditions. By the 16th century, Spanish colonization introduced new challenges, including forced religious conversions and land displacement. The Pueblo Revolt of 1680, led by various pueblos including Tesuque, stands as a significant moment in U.S. history. It marked the first successful indigenous uprising against European colonizers, temporarily expelling the Spanish and preserving Pueblo autonomy and traditions.

**Tesuque Pueblo** traces its origins back over 700 years. During the 19th and 20th centuries Tesuque became known for its rich cultural traditions, including pottery, farming, and ceremonial dances, many of which persist today. Today, the Tesuque Pueblo is a thriving community of about 500 members. It is the smallest of the eight pueblos in Northern New Mexico. The Pueblo of Tesuque played a key role in the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, the most successful Indian revolt in North American history. The Revolt was a revolution against Spanish religious, economic, and political institutions imposed upon the Pueblos. The successful revolt kept the Spanish out of New Mexico for 12 years, and established a different power dynamic upon their return. The Pueblo Revolt holds great historical significance because it helped ensure the survival of Pueblo cultural traditions, lands, languages, religions, and sovereignty.

**Camel Rock**  is a striking natural sandstone formation resembling a camel’s silhouette. It was created millions of years ago through the processes of erosion and weathering, which sculpted the region’s sedimentary rock into unique shapes. The residents of the Tesuque Pueblo hold the land and surrounding area sacred.It is part of a landscape deeply connected to their cultural and spiritual practices.

**Pojoaque Pueblo** has been inhabited since at least 500 AD, with the population peaking in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Spanish arrived in the area in 1598, and their influence destroyed the Pueblo's society. The Spanish demanded religious conversion and a labor economy, and treated the Pueblo as a source of farm workers. The Pueblo was abandoned multiple times, including after a smallpox epidemic in 1900 and again in the early 20th century. The Pueblo was reoccupied in 1932 and became a federally recognized Indian reservation in 1936. Today, Pojoaque Pueblo is a major employer in the region, operating three casinos, a resort, golf course, spa, and RV park.

**Nambé Pueblo** history dates back to the 1300s, when it played a pivotal role as a center of culture and religion. Because of its importance as a social and economic hub, the Spanish conquerors that began arriving in the late 16th century tried to destroy it and nearly succeeded. Today, Nambé is known for traditional micaceous pottery, jewelry and sculpture and also for its beautiful location in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains where a spectacular double-drop waterfall, a lake, and a campground make up the popular Nambé Pueblo Recreation Area. The Rio Nambé, whose headwaters begin high in the mountains and flows through the Pueblo, eventually feeds into the Rio Grande.

@photo[**Nambé Falls Recreation Area**](16384783), located within the scenic Nambé Pueblo in northern New Mexico, is a stunning destination renowned for its natural beauty and cultural significance. The area features two picturesque waterfalls nestled in a rugged canyon at the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Visitors can enjoy hiking trails that lead to breathtaking views of the falls, as well as opportunities for picnicking, swimming, and fishing in the surrounding area. Operated by Nambé Pueblo, the site is also a cultural landmark, emphasizing the pueblo’s deep connection to the land. The recreation area offers a tranquil retreat and a glimpse into the region's natural and cultural heritage.

Nambe Falls, Nambe Reservoir-Santa Fe Road

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