USA > Southwest > New Mexico
Abiquiu Lake, located near Abiquiu off of NM Highway 96, is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer. Abiquiu Lake offers recreation areas and a campground. Recreational activities include boating, swimming, kayaking, hiking, camping, fishing, canoeing, water skiing and more.
Surrounded by Pine, Juniper, and Sage, as well as red sandstone cliffs and mesas, Abiquiu Lake was constructed by impounding the Chama River, tributary of the legendary Rio Grande, in 1963 as a project of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Measuring 1,540 feet long and rising 321 feet above the riverbed, Abiquiu Dam, an earthen filled dam is the second of three dams constructed on the Chama River watershed.
Fishing is a popular pastime at Abiquiu Lake. Visitors with a New Mexico fishing license can cast in their line for catfish, crappie, largemouth and small mouth bass, walleye and rainbow trout. Geocaching, the treasure hunting game using a GPS to hide and seek containers with other participants, is also allowed at Abiquiu Lake, but only with prior authorization from the lake manger.
Visitors who want to relax and enjoy the like will have a great time at the Riana Campground, located on a 150 foot rock bluff overlooking Abiquiu Lake. Open for April 1-Oct 15, visitors have access to 54 campsites as well as a playground, showers, dump station, visitor center, and fishing areas.
When not in the water, lake visitors may enjoy nearby attractions including the Georgia O'Keefe Museum, Ghost Ranch, and Chaco Canyon. Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, opened in 1997 dedicated to the internationally-known artist who the museum is named after. Georgia O'Keeffe lived in Abiquiu as well as Ghost Ranch. The 21,000 acres of Ghost Ranch, formally called Piedra Lumbre (shining rock), was part of a land grant to Pedro Martin Serrano for the King of Spain in 1766. Now owned by the Presbyterian Church visitors can enjoy a number of activities, including a guided tour centered around Georgia O'Keeffe and the Ghost Ranch Landscape. Finally, visitors may enjoy the Chaco Canyon which contains the largest stone ruins in the US, including Pueblo Bonito, Chettro Ketl, and Casa Rinconada.
The beautiful rugged terrain of Abiquiu Lake, offers a fun and exciting retreat from civilization. Whether you are up to water- skiing or you just want to take in the sights, there is something for everyone at Abiquiu Lake.
Abiquiu Lake: Messaging Forums
New Mexico Game and Fish (Posted by Sarah Enquist [senquist])
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Posted by Sarah Enquist [senquist])
This lake was last edited by Sarah Enquist (senquist) on 6/11/08.
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