Cochiti Lake, Recreational lake and residential area in Sandoval County, United States
The artificial reservoir spans across a desert landscape with juniper and pinon trees, surrounded by the Jemez Mountains foothills at 5,343 feet elevation.
The Cochiti Dam construction in the early 1970s created this water body, which became one of the ten largest earth-fill dams in the United States.
The name originates from the Cochiti Pueblo, a Native American community whose reservation borders encompass the recreational areas of the lake.
Visitors can access four camping loops with various amenities, including electric hookups, water facilities, and concrete boat ramps available throughout the year.
Four osprey nesting platforms positioned around the lake provide opportunities to observe these birds in their natural habitat near the water.
Location: Sandoval County
GPS coordinates: 35.64780,-106.34200
Latest update: March 3, 2025 04:16
The southwestern United States encompasses desert landscapes, sandstone formations and archaeological sites from several pre-Columbian cultures. The region spans Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado, featuring geological structures shaped over millions of years by wind and water erosion. National parks such as Canyonlands and Capitol Reef display canyons, mesas and rock spires in shades of red, orange and ochre. The area preserves evidence of the Ancestral Puebloans, who built cliff dwellings and communal structures between the 12th and 14th centuries. Sites like Bandelier National Monument and Gila Cliff Dwellings provide access to these habitations. Chaco Culture National Historical Park documents a pre-Hispanic trading center with multistory stone complexes. Petroglyphs at locations such as Three Rivers and the petrified trees of Petrified Forest National Park offer additional historical records. The Navajo Nation administers Monument Valley and the Navajo Zoo, while Hubbell Trading Post operates as a functioning 19th-century trading post. Volcanic features mark Sunset Crater and El Malpais, while White Sands covers more than 275 square miles (700 square kilometers) of gypsum dunes. Glen Canyon and the man-made Lake Cochiti provide water access in this largely arid region. Elevation differences range from the Organ Pipe Cactus Desert to Great Basin National Park with its ridges above 13,000 feet (3,900 meters).
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