Caja del Rio

Caja del Rio is a dissected plateau, of volcanic origin, which covers approximately 84,000 acres of land in northern Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States. The region is also known as the Caja, Caja del Rio Plateau, and Cerros del Rio. The center of the area is approximately 15 miles west of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Most of the Caja is owned by the United States Forest Service and managed by the Santa Fe National Forest. Access is through New Mexico Highway 599, Santa Fe County Road 62, and Forest Service Road 24.GeographyThe landscape of the Caja del Rio Plateau is generally flat to rolling terrain, with numerous steep cones rising up to 800 feet above the plains. The highest points in the immediate area are Cerro Micho (7,326 feet), Montoso Peak (7,315 feet), Ortiz Mountain (7,188 feet), and Cerro Rito (7,296 feet) The entire plateau is within the watershed of the Rio Grande, although portions of the Caja drain into the larger river through two tributaries: the Santa Fe River and Cañada Ancha. Virtually the entire perimeter of the Caja is ringed by cliffs or escarpments. White Rock Canyon forms the northwestern edge of the plateau. This canyon, through which the Rio Grande flows, has a maximum depth of over 1000 feet. Bandelier National Monument lies directly across the river to the west of the plateau. Along the eastern edge is Canada Ancha, an ephemeral stream that flows northward into the Rio Grande near Buckman. Another deep canyon (approximately 400 feet in depth) runs along the southern edge of the Caja, and is cut by the Santa Fe River. The canyon of the Santa Fe River separates the Caja from another land grant to the south: the Mesita de Juana Lopez Grant.