Gently sloping approximately six miles northeast to southwest, La Bajada Mesa intersects with Interstate 25 about 10 miles southwest of Santa Fe. The beauty of the view from the mesa top, however, is well worth the effort. Only the best prepared, and most adventurous, modern-day trekkers will want to take on the black basalt backcountry of La Bajada. They chose the most difficult route of El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro to enter or depart the New Mexico capital of Santa Fe.īecause of its remote and rugged locale, La Bajada Mesa is among the best preserved and historically significant sections of El Camino Real today, with well-worn tracks, swales and other reminders of travelers past etched permanently into the landscape.
The travelers who braved wind and other weather to climb and cross the formidable mesa between the 17th and 19th centuries were equally determined. Historic postcard of the 'Automobile Road on La Bajada Hill.' Public DomainĪ frigid wind powers across the juniper-studded grassland plain of La Bajada Mesa, fiercely determined to make its final destination.
