Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
View all trips
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States New Mexico Abiquiu Echo Amphitheater

Echo Amphitheater

Natural sonic phenomenon comes with a grisly legend of murder and blood.

Abiquiu, New Mexico

Added By
owenkatherine7216
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Echo Amphitheatre   Granger Meador
The “blood stains.”   Wikipedia
Echo Amphitheater   jlsnyder / Atlas Obscura User
  juliemw80 / Atlas Obscura User
Echo Amphitheater   jlsnyder / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Located among the sandstone cliffs of New Mexico, the Echo Amphitheater is now known for its unique echoing auditory properties, but also supposedly carries the stains of wild west killings. 

According to legend the curved stone cliff wall now known as Echo Amphitheater was the site where a group of Navajo executed a family of settlers. As the story goes, the victims were brought to the top of the cliff and killed, their blood running down the cliff wall and permanently staining it. Possibly in response to this legend another story says that years later a number of Navajo were in turn murdered in the same spot, once again staining the cliff wall with their draining blood. Now the natural echoing caused by the site's geography is often ascribed to the voices of the unquiet dead. 

There seems to be little truth to the tales, but the colorful sandstone itself may have inspired the myths. Running in red vertical stripes down the otherwise horizontally stratified cliff wall are streaks of mineral varnish that resemble blood. This colorful geological feature combined with its unusual auditory properties no doubt fed the myth associated with the Echo Amphitheater.

Regardless of the legend, the Echo Amphitheater sees a steady stream of campers coming to throw their voices off the cliff wall to listen to them bounce and fade like the voices of the long forgotten dead.  

Related Tags

Geology Geological Oddities Sounds

Know Before You Go

The entrance is about 17 miles west of Abiquiú and about four miles) up the road from Ghost Ranch. Echo Amphitheatre is part of the Carson National Forest Recreation Area. There are camping and restroom facilities. There is an entrance fee of $2.00 per car.

Community Contributors

Added By

owenkatherine7216

Edited By

hzoi, CorpseLady84, ehowardroth, EricGrundhauser...

  • hzoi
  • CorpseLady84
  • ehowardroth
  • EricGrundhauser
  • jlsnyder
  • juliemw80

Published

February 25, 2014

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://newmexicooutdoor.com/Echo_Amphitheater.html
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echo_amphitheatre
  • http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/carson/recreation/hiking/recarea/?recid=44462&actid=50
Echo Amphitheater
US-84
Abiquiu, New Mexico, 87510
United States
36.358923, -106.522975
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Ghost Ranch

Abiquiu, New Mexico

miles away

Cerro Pedernal

Cañones, New Mexico

miles away

Penitente Morada of Abiquiú

Abiquiu, New Mexico

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Abiquiu

Abiquiu

New Mexico

Places 3

Nearby Places

Ghost Ranch

Abiquiu, New Mexico

miles away

Cerro Pedernal

Cañones, New Mexico

miles away

Penitente Morada of Abiquiú

Abiquiu, New Mexico

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Abiquiu

Abiquiu

New Mexico

Places 3

Related Places

  • Syracuse, Italy

    Ear of Dionysius

    Italian cave with exceptional acoustics and an unsavory history.

  • Badain Jaran Desert

    Alxa, China

    Booming Dunes of Badain Jaran Desert

    The tallest stationary dunes on Earth also happen to sing.

  • An aerial photo of Sand Mountain

    Fallon, Nevada

    Sand Mountain

    Singing sand that stands as the final remains of an ancient lake.

  • Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania

    The Sonorous Stones of Ringing Rocks Park

    Mysterious rocks that ring musically when struck.

  • Whitehall, Montana

    Ringing Rocks of Montana

    The rocks of a certain area of Butte, Montana give off a musical ring when hit.

  • Dunes of Liwa. Courtesy of Sammy Dallal

    Mezairaa, United Arab Emirates

    Singing Sand Dunes of Liwa

    Over the dunes of the Empty Quarter, the mysterious music of the desert.

  • Kaohsiung City, Taiwan

    Tianliao Moon World

    Visit Taiwan’s badlands, which allows visitors to feel like they’re walking on the moon.

  • Russia

    Ulakhan-Sis Range

    A remote Arctic mountain range is home to "granite cities" found almost nowhere else.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.