2020-09-05: The Santa Fe River valley in the Sangre de Cristo Mtns
From Santa Fe Lake the Santa Fe River winds its way through pine and aspen covered mountains and hills. After reaching the City of Santa Fe (7,000 ft, 2,040 m) the river continues through the Rio Grande Valley, down La Bajada, eventually merging with the Rio Grande. To protect the environment the valley shown here and the entire river watershed are not accessible to the public without special permits. On the far left are the Cerrillos Hills, famous for their turquoise, and the Sandia Mtn which dominates Albuquerque some seventy miles away.