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Camel Rock.
Camel Rock when it still had all of its nose.

Camel Rock

Field review by the editors.

Santa Fe, New Mexico

If only every tourist boulder, formation, or outcropping was as visitor-friendly as Camel Rock. Many are at the end of some wilderness trail; Camel Rock is right off a highway exit ramp. It merits its own parking area and walking path. And Camel Rock visually evokes a hump-back desert animal, resting on its legs at the end of a long hot day in New Mexico's Espanola badlands (For a brief time imported camels roamed the Southwest).

Camel Rock is a big chunk of weathered, pinkish-tan sandstone, about 40 feet high and 100 feet long. Historical markers by the road describe the nearby Tesuque Pueblo, known for figurative pottery, but make no mention of Camel Rock. Perhaps it was deemed unnecessary. Camel Rock needs no sign for you to see what it resembles.

In late January or early February 2017 the end of Camel's nose fell off, but local news reports were unsure if tourists would notice the difference, since what remains still looks like a camel.

Camel Rock

Address:
Camel Rock Rd, Santa Fe, NM
Directions:
US Hwy 285 exit 175. Turn west, then drive north about a hundred yards along the frontage road. There's a little parking area and a trail that quickly leads to the rock.
Admission:
Free
Save to My Sights

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In the region:
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