This page in our free multimedia library features photos of the Rio Grande Gorge, near Taos, N.M.
The Rio Grande Gorge, a striking canyon of volcanic basalt up to 800 feet deep, is part of the larger Rio Grande Rift, which extends into southern Colorado. The Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, completed in 1965, spans the canyon near Taos and is one of the nation’s tallest bridges. There is controversy over the bridge’s exact height above the Rio Grande, with sources ranging from 565 to 650 feet.
In 2013, President Barack Obama used the Antiquities Act to create the 242,555-acre Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, which includes the Rio Grande Gorge and other public lands in Taos County. The monument, which is managed by the Bureau of Land Management, includes a portion of the Rio Grande that has been protected as a Wild and Scenic River.
Our multimedia library also has drone-based photos and videos of the gorge and bridge on this page.
| Date | June 24, 2024 |
| Location | Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, near Taos, N.M. (map) |
| Credit | Mitch Tobin/The Water Desk |
| Rights | Free to reuse under Creative Commons license. |
Selected images from the gallery
Click to enlarge
To use these images
Please read and consent to the terms and license below for access to the download page.
To help us continue to offer this free material, we ask that you please:
- Credit the original photographer and the Water Desk as the source
- Email us a link to the published story at waterdesk@colorado.edu
- Consider sending The Water Desk your ideas for future content that we could add to the library
- Keep supporting professional photojournalists by hiring them for assignments
