At the north and west edge of the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge sits the San Lorenzo Canyon. Located 1 1/2 hours south of Albuquerque just west of Interstate 25, this remote canyon is a hidden gem to be explored. It’s a primitive area that is lined on both sides of a dirt road with tall sandstone formations, the narrow slots and a cave. It is a wonderous sight to see and hard not to be lured into the slot canyons along the way. We had an amazing day enjoying the warm sun and cool tunnels. We arrived around 10 am with only one other car in sight. We wandered around for 2 – 3 hours exploring the canyon and finding a trail that would end at a dry spring Hopefully they will see some rainfall soon allowing the spring to fill, however a long hot Summer is predicted with drought throughout the season. We took a picnic lunch and enjoyed the view while munching on sliced ham and cheese with crackers and fresh fruit. We are looking forward to the next hike to check off our list in our “60 Hikes within 60 miles” guidebook which can’t come soon enough!
In the San Lorenzo Canyon you never know where a crack in the rocks will lead to. This path led us through a slot canyon to an isolated spot where you could only see the sky by looking straight up.
When we were in the path of the sun it was warm but we instantly felt cooler when we were in a shaded spot.
The sculpted rock formations were very interesting, it’s amazing that they are all clustered in this one area.
Here we are in a little room surrounded by sculpted boulders. The only way to get in is crawl through the tiny space below or climb over and around the boulder on the left.
We were surrounded and could only see the sky by looking straight up.
Coming back out of the slot, the sun was just at the right angle to see this prism of light.
Coming out into full sunlight.
Walking along the road seeing the formations.
Up close you can see the layers and also the changes in color.
From a distance you can see two formations connected with a picture window to look through.
We found a cave that you can see from the dirt road. We climbed up to get a closer look.
The spring trail did not go through the rock structures but was an easy pathway with some fascinating trees along the way.
I love trees with character!
Hope you enjoyed tagging along through the San Lorenzo Canyon!
An Inspired Cook 
6 thoughts on “San Lorenzo Canyon”
Roz
All of your photos of this beautiful SW environment brings back wonderful memories of the little treks that I took with my small children when we lived in Arizona. I love the blue sky that you captured with the rock formations. New Mexico is such a beautiful, beautiful state. It’s been far too long since I’ve visited. I love Taos! Santa Fe is lovely too. Thanks for the armchair travel Jan!
Ciao,
Roz
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NativeNM
I had no idea you lived in Arizona but that gives you an idea of the landscape that we so enjoy in the Southwest. I feel so fortunate that we moved back to New Mexico after so many years. We have so many places to explore and enjoy. Hope you come back to visit one day!
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Pam
Awesome! I love your neck of the woods, so different from here in Chicago area, lots of corn fields, etc. Arizona is great, the rock formations and colors amaze me! Interesting post!
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NativeNM
Hi Pam, yes it is quite different than the Midwest! We lived in the Kansas City area for 25 years and it was a great place to raise my boys but I so enjoy being back where my roots are. Hope you come visit one day, I know you would love it!
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mjskitchen
Another New Mexico jewel! I have to admit that I’ve never been there, but now wish I had. I’ve walk through many a slot canyons in Utah and they are just amazing places. Great pictures and details of your hike. Thanks so much for sharing a bit of New Mexico.
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NativeNM
This canyon is small compared to the ones in Utah but still stunning! We visited Utah in 2017 and I found it a lot like NM on a bigger scale. I love exploring our beautiful state, it really does have some hidden gems to be discovered.
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