Discover Costilla

When planning a trip to Costilla, a range of interests may shape your plans: fishing in three bodies of water, camping in designated areas of Rio Costilla, or visiting the Sagrado Corazón church in Costilla. Nature experiences and architectural history offer different focuses that you can weigh according to your personal interests.

Fishing and Camping

Fishing for native trout is possible at Latir Lakes, Little Blue Lake, and Costilla Creek. The three fishing options differ by type of water: Latir Lakes and Little Blue Lake are lakes, while Costilla Creek is a flowing waterway. The practical difference between these options is therefore the type of water, while fishing for native trout is possible at all three. You can use the type of water to guide your choice.

A day permit entitles visitors to camp in designated areas of Rio Costilla. Take this area restriction into account when planning; seasonal arrangements may change, so check the latest official visitor information in advance. At Costilla Creek, camping and fishing are regulated by different organizations: camping is overseen by the RCCLA, and fishing by the New Mexico Department of Game & Fish. Check the relevant regulations again before each activity.

Church Architecture in Costilla

The Sagrado Corazón church in Costilla was built around 1890. It is made of adobe and has a cruciform floor plan. Its approximate date, construction method, and shape offer different architectural points of interest: the floor plan describes the building’s shape, while adobe describes its construction method. This gives travelers interested in church architecture more to explore than just when it was built. The feast day of Sagrado Corazón is the first Friday in July. If you would like to plan your trip around this occasion, confirm the current celebration locally.

Landscape and History in the Rio Costilla Area

In the Rio Costilla area, Big Costilla Peak is one of the most prominent peaks. Old log cabins once used by miners and early settlers, as well as gold mine ruins, are part of the history of the Rio Costilla area. You can consider a prominent peak and traces of history as different interests when planning your trip.

Scale matters when getting oriented geographically. Sagrado Corazón is located in Costilla; Big Costilla Peak and the historical sites are in the Rio Costilla area. Rio Costilla lies in the communities of Costilla and Amalia in northern Taos County, New Mexico. This places a specific building and broader landscape and mining topics at different levels. It helps you distinguish local church architecture from the area’s nature and history, and decide which interests matter most to you before your trip.

Discover more destinations: Valdez, Taos, Arroyo Hondo, Ranchos De Taos, El Prado, Questa, Taos Ski Valley, Red River

Go to the main travel overview: Taos.