El Rito New Mexico Map
Explore El Rito, New Mexico, with this interactive street and satellite map.
This page also offers TOPO MAPS — the official USGS topographic sheets — plus USGS aerial imagery, a labelled USNG grid overlay, a distance and bearing tool, and a GPS grid-reference readout. See How to Use This Map below.
Interactive Map of El Rito, New Mexico
How to Use This El Rito, New Mexico Map
This interactive map shows the street layout and satellite imagery for El Rito, New Mexico. Use the Map and Satellite buttons above to switch between street map and aerial imagery views. Use the + and − buttons to zoom in or out, or scroll your mouse wheel while holding the Control key to zoom. On a touchscreen, use a two-finger pinch gesture. Drag the map to pan to any area of New Mexico or beyond.
Click ⛶ Fullscreen to expand the map to fill your screen. To return to the normal page view, press the Escape key, click the ✕ Exit Fullscreen button that appears above the map, or on a mobile device tap the back button (Android) or the close icon (iOS).
TOPO MAPS — NEW. Click the green 🔍 Search Maps button below the map to open a second map with a Base map row offering three choices. OSM is the standard OpenStreetMap street map. Topo shows the official USGS topographic maps from The National Map — contours, hydrography, land cover and shaded relief, the same mapping used for hiking, hunting and back-country navigation in the Adirondacks, the Catskills and the Finger Lakes. Imagery shows USGS aerial photography, mostly 1-metre NAIP. The search box finds any US town, county or landmark by name, so you are not limited to El Rito.
Reading the map like a paper quad. Click Grid to overlay the U.S. National Grid (USNG), labelled along the edges exactly as a printed topographic sheet is — at normal zoom the squares are one kilometre across, so you can read a six-figure grid reference by eye and judge distance directly off the map. Click Measure, then tap two points, to get the distance between them together with the grid bearing in degrees and mils, the true bearing, and the magnetic bearing to set on a compass.
Click 📍 My position to take a single GPS reading from your device. It marks where you are and reports your position as a USNG grid reference as well as plain latitude and longitude — USNG being the format FEMA and US search and rescue teams work from — with a Copy position button so you can paste it straight into a text message. It takes one reading and stops, rather than tracking continuously, to conserve your battery. Note that map tiles need cell coverage, but a GPS reading does not — your coordinates stay correct even where the map itself cannot load.
| City | El Rito |
| State | New Mexico (NM) |
| County | Rio Arriba County |
| Country | United States of America |
| Timezone | Mountain Time (America/Denver) |
| Latitude | 36.332589 |
| Longitude | -106.174147 |
| Population | 749 |
| Density | 70.4 /km² |
| Incorporated | N/A |
| ZIP Codes | 87026, 87556, 87530 |
| Area Code | 505 |
| County Seat | Tierra Amarilla |
| School District | Mesa Vista Consolidated Schools |
About El Rito, New Mexico
El Rito is a locality in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States. It is a small community with a population of 749. The population density is 70.4 people per km². El Rito is located at 36.3326°N, 106.1741°W. It observes the Mountain Time (America/Denver) timezone. ZIP codes: 87026, 87556, 87530.El Rito occupies a quiet, sun-drenched expanse where the earth reveals itself in layers of ochre, burnt sienna, and sage. It lies 25.1 miles north-northwest of Española, NM (from Española, NM: bearing 346°T), and is situated 32.1 miles north-northeast of Los Alamos. The El Rito runs through the landscape with a persistent, cooling presence, carving a path that sustains the local greenery against the high desert expanse. To the east, the distant, jagged silhouette of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains defines the horizon, their peaks often catching the last violet light of day long after the valley floor has fallen into shadow. Nearby, the rugged terrain of Angel Canyon offers a stark contrast to the verdant reach of the Carson National Forest, which blankets the surrounding hills. A mile from the center, the still waters of Alemanes Tank reflect the expansive sky, while the hidden Petrero Waterfall provides a fleeting, rhythmic sound in the quieter corners of the terrain.
El Rito maintains a legacy rooted in deep cultural patience, where the traditions of Hispano settlement remain visible in the enduring adobe architecture and the slow, deliberate pace of daily life. The economy here is tied to the land and the hands of its people, favoring small-scale agriculture, artisan crafts, and the stewardship of the neighboring Carson National Forest. Residents often travel the Valle Grande Truck Trail when venturing further into the wilder reaches of the high country, maintaining a connection to the geography that has shaped their ancestors for generations. The air carries a distinct, dry clarity, and during the autumn months, the scent of roasting chile drifts through the streets, anchoring the community to the seasonal cycles of the harvest. Here, the passage of time is measured not by the clock, but by the way the light shifts across the hillsides and the steady, reliable flow of the water that gives El Rito its name.
Nearby Outdoor Places
- Carson National Forest (National Forest) — 0.2 mi, 222° SW · 1.4M acres
- Ojo Caliente Area of Critical Environmental Concern (Area of Critical Environmental Concern) — 0.7 mi, 074° E
- Delgado Hall Historic Site (Attraction) — 1.2 mi, 314° NW
- Reservoir Site No.5, S.O. Water Reserve Withdrawal (National Conservation Area) — 5.5 mi, 349° N · 195 acres
- Posi Pueblo (Historic Ruins) — 7.0 mi, 109° E
- Ojo Caliente Historical Marker (Monument) — 7.4 mi, 106° E
- Santa Fe National Forest (National Forest) — 9.5 mi, 208° SW · 1.5M acres
- Abiquiu Historical Marker (Monument) — 11.7 mi, 224° SW
- Georgia O'keefe museum and home (Museum) — 11.8 mi, 223° SW
- John Bosehard Tribal & Traditional Arts (Gallery) — 11.8 mi, 223° SW
- Pink Flamingo (Public Artwork) — 11.8 mi, 224° SW
- 1625 Gallery Cacahuate Local Art (Gallery) — 11.8 mi, 223° SW
- Old Spanish Trail Historical Marker (Monument) — 11.9 mi, 223° SW
- Lower Gorge Area of Critical Environmental Concern (Area of Critical Environmental Concern) — 13.7 mi, 130° SE
- Classical Gas Museum (Museum) — 15.0 mi, 125° SE
- Chimney Rock Viewpoint (Viewpoint) — 17.2 mi, 271° W
- Canjilon Mountain Lookout Cabin Historic Site (Attraction) — 17.9 mi, 305° NW
- Rio Grande National Wild and Scenic River (Wild & Scenic River) — 18.3 mi, 114° SE · 19k acres
- Tsi-p'in-owinge' Pueblo Ruins (Historic Ruins) — 18.5 mi, 233° SW
- Tsi’pin Ruins trailhead (permit required via Coyote Ranger Station) (Attraction) — 18.8 mi, 230° SW
- Echo Amphitheater (Attraction) — 19.8 mi, 276° W
- Chama River Canyon Wilderness (Wilderness Area) — 20.2 mi, 268° W · 47k acres
- Río Grande Del Norte National Monument (National Monument) — 21.6 mi, 096° E · 311k acres
- Rio Chama National Wild and Scenic River (Wild & Scenic River) — 22.5 mi, 267° W · 9,568 acres
- Bond House Museum (Museum) — 24.1 mi, 168° S
- Espanola Valley Fiber Arts Center (Arts Centre) — 24.2 mi, 167° S
- Aldo Leopold House (Museum) — 24.9 mi, 027° NE
- Valles Caldera National Preserve (National Conservation Area) — 27.0 mi, 214° SW · 89k acres
- Pecos Wilderness (Wilderness Area) — 31.5 mi, 147° SE · 222k acres
- Bandelier National Monument (National Monument) — 32.1 mi, 183° S · 34k acres
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About This El Rito Map Page
This page provides an embedded street and satellite map of El Rito, New Mexico. Coordinates: 36.332589, -106.174147. Live weather conditions are sourced directly from the National Weather Service. Real-time local and world news feeds keep the page current.
Detailed location data for El Rito includes the ZIP code (87026, 87556, 87530), telephone area code (505), county seat of Rio Arriba County (Tierra Amarilla), and school district assignment (Mesa Vista Consolidated Schools).
Search Maps opens a second, independent map. It searches OpenStreetMap for any US town, county or landmark by name; offers USGS topographic maps and USGS aerial imagery as base layers; overlays a labelled U.S. National Grid (USNG) so the map can be read like a printed topographic quad; measures distance and grid, true and magnetic bearings between any two points; and takes a single GPS fix reporting your position as a USNG grid reference and as latitude and longitude. Map tiles require cell coverage, but a GPS position does not, so the coordinates remain correct even where the map cannot load.
Location data is drawn from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and cross-verified against 2020 US Census records by coordinate proximity. Population figures are sourced from the 2020 US Census.
| Page generated | September 2026 |
| Location data | SimpleMaps US Cities Database; coordinates matched to USGS GNIS definitive data |
| Map layers | Google Maps; © OpenStreetMap contributors; USGS The National Map topographic and aerial imagery (public domain); magnetic declination from NOAA NCEI (World Magnetic Model) |
| Wikipedia validation | Article content matched to USGS GNIS coordinates via Wikipedia geosearch API. |
