WatsonsWander
  • Travel Journal
  • Our Airstream
  • Live Infographic
  • About Us
  • RV Resources
  • Contact

WatsonsWander

  • Travel Journal
  • Our Airstream
  • Live Infographic
  • About Us
  • RV Resources
  • Contact

Cochiti Lake & Tent Rocks

written by Amanda May 30, 2014
Cochiti Lake

All ready for a picnic at Cochiti Lake

Before I tell you about our week, I have to mention that this is blog post number 250! Since today marks 716 days on the road, that means we’ve published a blog post on average every 3 days. Not too bad. Okay…onto the lake. This week we’re staying at Cochiti Lake.

Cochiti Lake

Cochiti Lake dam control tower

This lake, like so many others that we’ve found here in New Mexicio, is the result of a dam on the Rio Grande River. Originally the dam was constructed as a mechanism for flood and sediment control only, but the state said if you’re gonna build a dam why not give us a permanent area of water for fish, wildlife, and people to enjoy? By some miracle the government listened to this logic, and between 1965 and ’75 the dam and two recreation areas on either side of the lake were constructed.

Cochiti Lake

The Rio Grande as it leaves the dam

The 5.5 mile long dam is one of the ten largest earthfill dams in the U.S. While you can no longer drive on the road that traverses across the dam, you can walk or bike it. Which we did on Monday afternoon. We biked the entire length of the dam, and even though the water disappeared not long after mile two, we found some really nice views of the surrounding landscape.

cochiti lake

Bike riding on the dam

There are two campgrounds at Cochiti Lake. Tetilla Peak on the east side, and Cochiti on the west side. For no particular reason we chose to stay at the Cochiti Campground. The campground, like the dam, is run by the Army Corps of Engineers. This is only our second time staying at an ACE campground. Not because we don’t like them, but because we tend to seek out other public camping opportunities such as state parks, national forests and BLM areas first. I suspect we will end up utilizing a lot more ACE campgrounds when we travel through the middle and eastern part of the country where national forest and BLM campgrounds tend to be less prevalent.

Cochiti Lake

Our site at Cochiti Lake

When we arrived on Monday we pretty much had the choice of any site we wanted. We must have timed it just right because the camp host told us that all 300 sites on both sides of the lake were full over the holiday weekend. Which is exactly why we decided to stay put in Santa Fe until the masses cleared out. Cochiti has a few loops with electric and water hookups, a few without, and some sites with views of the lake. We first had our eye on a site in the no hook-ups loop closest to the water, but there were some larger groups of campers down there that looked like the rowdy, run the generator 8 times a day types, so we bypassed that area in favor of the much quieter Elk Run loop. With the exception of a few overnight tent campers, we’ve had the entire loop to ourselves all week.

Cochiti Lake

Lots of empty sites, We pulled into the pull-thru backwards so we could enjoy the view, Our view of the lake

That’s not to say the campground has been empty, but every other RV in the park is in the nearby loop with electric and water hook-ups. Given a choice we almost always choose the dry camping sites.  For the most part they tend to be nicer, quieter, and less expensive. Since we get all the power we need from our solar panels, and can easily go a week without a water hook-up provided we utilize the campground showers, there’s really no reason not to choose a dry site. Well, there is one reason. The one thing our solar panels (or generator) cannot power is the air conditioner. We really prefer not to use the AC, and try our hardest to stay away from temps that necessitate its use. But sometimes the heat just sneaks up on us. Like this past Tuesday when it climbed into the high 90s (which means it’s at least 10 degrees hotter in the Airstream) and while we sweated our you-know-what’s off, we wondered out loud why we hadn’t payed the extra six bucks per night for a site with electric. Thankfully the heat only lasted a few days and right now it’s a perfect 80 degrees with a light breeze.

Cochiti Lake

What can I say, we like to be different

The main reason we wanted to stay at Cochiti Lake was to visit a very cool rocky landscape called Tent Rocks. I know, I know…another geologic wonder in New Mexico. Will it ever stop? Will we ever run out of crazy rocks and caves and sinkholes and gigantic swaths of sand to explore? I beginning to think the answer is no. This state is just full of surprises.

Tent Rocks

Large cone shaped rocks dominate the landscape

The tent rocks are cone-shaped rock formations that formed 6 to 7 million years ago as the result of volcanic explosions. Pumice, Ash and Tuff rained down on the area during the explosions leaving behind a 1,000-foot thick layer. Over the years the layers have eroded into amazing cone and spires, some with balanced rocks on top.

Tent Rocks

tent rocks

Tent Rocks

In the slot canyon

There are several ways to explore the rocks, including two hiking trails and a drive to an overlook. We chose the 3-mile round trip Canyon Trail hike that took us through a slot canyon and up to the top of the mesa where we had views for miles. The slot canyon was a short but impressive jaunt through layered and sculptured rocks, and when we exited on the other side we found ourselves in the middle of strange world filled with gigantic rock cones and spires. The hike itself wasn’t too difficult, although there is a steep scramble at the end to reach the top of the mesa. The view was more than worth the exertion, and we even caught a glimpse of Cochiti Lake far off in the distance.

Tent Rocks

On the trail

Tent Rocks

Near the top of the mesa

Cochiti Lake

View from the top – if you look closely at the top photo you can see Cochiti Lake in the distance

Another New Mexico must see checked off the list! Up next we visit Bandelier National Monument to view the cliff dwellings, and then onto Taos in search of some cooler mountain temperatures.

19 comments
0
Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest
Amanda

previous post
Good Times in Santa Fe
next post
This Week in an Instagram / May 25-31

You may also like

Bandelier National Monument

June 2, 2014

This Week in an Instagram / April 27-May...

May 4, 2014

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta – Part 1

October 8, 2014

Day 2 at Georgetown Lake

August 23, 2012

Summersville Lake & The New River Gorge

October 13, 2015

Weekend at Stockton Lake

May 22, 2017

City of Rocks State Park

March 20, 2014

This is real life…

July 26, 2012

Back at the Santa Fe Skies RV Park

October 2, 2014

This Week in an Instagram/ June 8-14

June 15, 2014

19 comments

Karen from NM May 30, 2014 - 11:34 pm

Glad you got to see Tent Rocks. NM is full of amazing geology! That’s why we call it the Land of Enchantment. Hope you drive through Jemez Mountains to get to Bandelier. The red rocks and Valles Caldera are amazing sites along the way.

Reply
Amanda May 31, 2014 - 10:02 am

Yup, the Land of Enchantment really does describe this state! The only road I could find that goes through the mountains from here to Bandelier was dirt (unless we went way, way around). So I think we’ll have to go the other way towards Santa Fe this time.

Reply
Hector May 30, 2014 - 11:40 pm

Love those tent rocks! Sorta like the hoodoos at Bryce, but not … love your blog guys. Hope to cross paths soon!

Hector

Reply
Amanda May 31, 2014 - 10:03 am

The pamphlet did call them hoodoos, so I guess they probably are similar. We still need to make it to Bryce someday. We hope to run into you two again someday as well :)

Reply
Laurel May 31, 2014 - 8:39 am

Tent Rocks looks beautiful — it’s been on our radar for a while, but haven’t yet made it. Our solar or generator won’t power our A/C either — like you, we try to stay out of temps that require A/C because it’s so annoying to be cooped up inside with the windows closed and the darned thing running.

Reply
Amanda May 31, 2014 - 10:06 am

I am so glad that we made it over here to see the rocks. And the nice campground on the lake was like icing on the cake! I agree about the AC. I can’t stand sitting inside with that thing on. Sometimes it’s a necessary evil though.

Reply
Wheelingit May 31, 2014 - 10:11 am

Lovely pics! We missed Tent Rocks in NM (if I recall it was because they don’t allow dogs), so it’s great to see your pics of the area. One to go back for!
Nina

Reply
Amanda June 1, 2014 - 3:24 pm

You’re right they don’t allow dogs. Which seems silly because dogs like rocks too! Definitely a spot worth going back to the area for.

Reply
Marshall May 31, 2014 - 3:56 pm

I hear you on the dry camping choice when you can. This is my first week stretch of dry camping and everything is working as it is supposed to. And I have no one around me. Not that there are a lot of people here at El Vado, but those that are here are up in the electric and water hookup sites. Love the peace and quite of the site I scored. The view…

Reply
Amanda June 1, 2014 - 3:27 pm

Yup, the dry camping areas are almost always less crowded, and often have bigger, more private sites.

Reply
Jim and Gayle May 31, 2014 - 8:55 pm

We liked Cochiti Lake and Tent Rocks. New Mexico has a lot of surprises.
By the way, we tried to find your boondock site in Bend, OR today. The coordinates took us into a subdivision and we drove around by the mountain bike trailhead but didn’t find anything suitable. Do you happen to remember exactly how you got there? Luckily the motorhome was parked in SIsters and we were just out scouting in the Subaru.
Gayle

Reply
Tim June 1, 2014 - 3:12 pm

We have heard through the grapevine that the Bend boondocking spot may now be off limits.

You were on the right track when you got to the mountain biking trail head. The road goes downhill to the left where a gate it. This gate may now be blocking it off.
Once past the gate you take the first gravel road on the right after the bog open area. That road then opens into a another big open area. Our spot was in there.

Reply
Jim and Gayle June 2, 2014 - 11:03 pm

Just wanted to follow up. Jim called the FS office today and spoke with a ranger. He said they are discouraging camping in the area where you guys stayed because it is so busy with mountain bikers. BUT, he said it was not forbidden. So we had to go to Bend again today and drove past Phil’s Trail head. The gate was closed and locked! So it’s not forbidden but you can’t get there. Anyway, we did find a couple other places near Bend but they aren’t near as close to town.
Gayle

Reply
Amanda June 3, 2014 - 9:01 am

Thanks for the update. We put a little note on our blog post about Bend so others are warned that you can no longer camp there. It’s too bad because it really was the perfect spot. We also found a couple of other spots, but none as nice or convenient to town.

Reply
Brenda June 2, 2014 - 12:28 am

Love the tent rocks and slot canyon, you are covering a lot of ground in New Mexico.
Brenda

Reply
LuAnn June 2, 2014 - 6:37 am

We didn’t even begin to scratch the surface of things to do when we were in NM. The weather was cold and we had an ice storm come through, coupled with some RV issues. Your blog is giving us all sorts of reason to go back through at a much slower pace. Thanks for the great posts! :)

Reply
Amanda June 2, 2014 - 6:24 pm

We’ve been surprised by how many cool spots we’ve found in NM. I think it’s a hard state to time as far as weather goes because right now we’re verging on too hot! Still enjoying ourselves though.

Reply
Mad Queen Linda June 5, 2014 - 6:50 pm

I’m finally getting back to the ABQ Balloon Festival this October and have a couple days afterward to get outside in the glorious western U.S. The NPS site for Bandelier was rather discouraging, and the tent rocks weren’t exactly played up either. Then I thought, “The Watsons! They’ve been in New Mexico!” (Is this getting too scary, like I’m a stalker? I’m not a stalker, though I admit to a certain degree of madness and desperation at not being on the road at this very moment.) And there were all your incredible photos of Bandelier and the tent rocks. Thank you, thank you. Watch for me at the balloon festival — I’ll be the one with the blindingly happy grin.

Reply
Amanda June 7, 2014 - 9:00 am

The NPS doesn’t seem to be very good at promoting the lesser known places that don’t pull in millions of visitors every year. I guess that means more room for the rest of us to explore. I would highly recommend both Bandelier & Tent Rocks. We’ll look for you at the Balloon Fest!

Reply

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

days on the road

About The Watsons

About The Watsons

This is the story of Tim & Amanda. Since 2012, we have traveled the U.S. while living and working from our renovated 25-foot Airstream. Follow us on our crazy journey in search of beautiful scenery, fun adventures, interesting people, tasty foods, and more…

Keep in touch

Facebook Instagram Pinterest Email

Subscribe by Email

* indicates required

Wandering Threads Embroidery

Wandering Threads Embroidery
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Email

@2017 - PenciDesign. All Right Reserved. Designed and Developed by PenciDesign


Back To Top