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Nambe Falls Recreation Area, Santa Fe, NM
Sport & OutdoorOutdoor AdventureLocal Gem

Nambe Falls Recreation Area

544 Poechunu Poe · Santa Fe, NM

Why you should go…

Nambe Falls Recreation Area sits in the Sangre de Cristo Mountain foothills above Nambe Pueblo, about 20 miles north of Santa Fe. Two quarter-mile trails lead to a double-drop waterfall, and the lake below offers fishing, kayak rentals and both basic and hookup campsites. The area is open to the public at the Pueblo's discretion and charges a day-use fee per vehicle.

  • #waterfall
  • #hiking
  • #fishing
  • #camping
  • #native american

Good to know

General sport & outdoor guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Weather calls the shots

    Check the forecast the morning of and keep an indoor backup in your pocket for the day it turns.

  • Shoes, water, sun cover

    The three things that decide whether you last the whole outing or cut it short after an hour.

  • Parking and launches fill early

    On a nice weekend, lots and trailheads are often full by mid-morning.

  • Daylight shrinks in shoulder season

    Spring and fall visits need an earlier start than the same trip in July.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Nambe Falls Recreation Area, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Theatre & Events
    Date Night

    Santa Fe Opera

    $25–$50

    See summer opera in an open-sided hilltop theater where the stage looks west to the New Mexico sunset.

    9.2 mi awaySwitch it up: Theatre & Events

  • Museums
    History Buff

    Georgia O'Keeffe Museum

    Under $25

    The largest collection of Georgia O'Keeffe's work anywhere, steps from the plaza that inspired much of it.

    14 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Museums
    History Buff

    Palace of the Governors

    Under $25

    The oldest continuously used public building in the United States, now a museum of New Mexico history.

    15 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Sport & Outdoor
    History Buff

    Bandelier National Monument

    Under $25

    Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings you can climb into, tucked in a canyon below the Jemez Mountains.

    19 mi awayMore like this

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument

    $25–$50

    Hike among cone-shaped tent rocks up to 90 feet tall on a slot canyon trail and a cave loop on Cochiti Pueblo land.

    30 mi awayMore like this

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Iconic

    Sandia Peak Tramway

    $25–$50

    One of the world's longest aerial trams, lifting riders 4,000 feet to a summit overlooking five states.

    55 mi awayMore like this