The Rio Grande Del Norte National Monument is a swath of more than 240,000 acres of protected public land in Taos County, in north central New Mexico. Much of the land abuts about 50 miles of its eponymous river. The high desert here hosts a variety of habitats, from sagebrush plains to pine-forested mountains; it’s dotted by several steep volcanic cones (including Ute Mountain, at 10,093 feet) and anchored by the awe-inspiring Rio Grande Gorge, and 800 foot deep rent in the rugged terrain. The Monuments’ two main rivers – the Rio Grande and the Red – were among the first eight rivers Congress designated as National Wild and Scenic Rivers.