Paintout - Pilar & Rio Grande - SW of Taos

Pilar and the Rio Grande

SW of Taos

Photo by Patrice Walker

A day along the Rio Grande river painting your choice of the river, grasses, canyon walls, or old buildings. Meet  at the Pilar "Yacht Club"  (the coffee shop), (west side of the Highway just as you turn into Pilar). Bring lunch to picnic along the river.
There are lovely views along the river, with canyon walls and cottonwood trees, or in Pilar you will find charming adobe homes. You might also want to go further up the road into the Rio Grande Gorge for painting. There are six campgrounds up the river along with many turnouts with great views of the canyon. At the top is an old bridge.
Pilar was originally known as Cieneguilla, and was settled in 1795 by 25 families who were granted land along this stretch of the Rio Grande. Both the village of Pilar and the Orilla Verde Recreation Area along the Rio Grande are on the west side of the highway. The Bureau of Land Management's Rio Grande Gorge Visitors Center is on the east side. The Visitors Center has restroom facilities (closed Monday thru Thursday, in the winter). There are also six campgrounds along the river with shelters and restroom facilities. There is a day use fee of $3 per vehicle for the campgrounds.
From Santa Fe or Albuquerque:
   1.  Take I-25 north, 599 (Relief Road) around Santa Fe, then 285 North to Espanola, then follow 68 North of Espanola towards Taos.                                                            2. Take NM Highway 68 to the village of Pilar.                  3. At Pilar, go west on NM 570.                                     4.Follow the road along the river to one of the BLM campgrounds or pull-offs which offer scenic views.

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