Hello to the many followers of Hiking in New Mexico. You may notice the new URL for this blog. It now has it’s own domain: NMHiking.com. Thanks for following, and Happy Hiking around New Mexico and beyond.
Hiking has become a favorite activity for me since moving to New Mexico. I’ve explored most of the trails in the nearby Sandia Mountains and have extended the range to the Jemez Mountains, the Rio Puerco Valley, and the Manzano Mountains. In the process I’ve enjoyed some absolutely beautiful scenic views, visited a few ruins of the Pueblo Indians dating as far back as 1000 BC, and maintained a level of physical fitness far better than in many of the years since graduating from the Air Force Academy.
In this web site, I intend to share information about the trails and the hikes I’ve taken with Pat and with friends. For some I will offer personal observations (as best that I can remember them), photographs, screenshots of GPS tracks on GoogleEarth, and other sources of information. And for those who wish to vicariously repeat the hike I will publish “.kml” files that you can use to render the tracks on GoogleEarth for yourself and take with you on your favorite GPS app. I hope that you will explore with these “.kml” files.
I’ve benefited greatly from others who have shared their hiking experiences on the web. I hope you find my publication entertaining and helpful.
George Young, Albuquerque, NM
April 2016, and still going in 2023
A Request: Do you like what you find here in Hiking in New Mexico? Is it helpful to you as you explore New Mexico? If so, please add your comments at the end of each post, or send comments or suggestions via eMail; we will appreciate the feedback.
A Note About “Recent Posts”: I’ve been hiking here in New Mexico since shortly after moving to Albuquerque in 2010, but I just started this BLOG in 2016. I will update it with posts for recent hikes as we make them, but I will also be backtracking to document many of the hikes from the past. So in the “Recent Posts” you will sometimes see the most recent post, not necessarily the most recent hike. Please go to the Tables of Hikes for easy access to the most recent ones, or the Map of Locations to find a hike where you might choose to go.
PS: A handful of people have added immeasurably to my enjoyment of this activity and I must recognize them: my wife, Pat; together we made our first forays into hiking, exploring nearby trails in the Sandia Mountains; a great friend, Jay: we have pushed each other to more challenging trails; and another friend, Vince: he taught me to look more closely at things literally under our feet.
Hi George. I really enjoyed our hikes a few years ago when Jan and lived in New Mexico. It looks like you and Pat are having a good time and going on some great hikes in Oaxaca.
Good afternoon, Vince. Yes, we are enjoying very much our hiking, in Oaxaca, here in New Mexico, and sometimes elsewhere. I have a couple more posts to do from Oaxaca (coming soon), and I plan on publishing a more complete report about the trip; we had such a good time again this year.
I too remember outings with you. Especially important was our visit to Cerro de Guadalupe where you drew my attention to looking with curiosity at thing around me. I think “thank you, Vince” on every one of my hikes.
Great site. It would be great if you would post the actual GPS coordinates for each site rather that going to Google Earth I personally hate google and the Earth is very slow because of my internet connection.
Thank you, David, for the suggestion. What coordinates would be most useful for you?
george
Thanks very much for creating this website. My buddy and I do a lot of exploring, but age has caught up with us and has limited our hiking.
Because of that I’d like the actual GPS coordinates for the hike titled Cliff Ruins Expedition-08/20/2018. We tried to find it a few months ago unsuccessfully so coordinates would be greatly appreciated to reduce our hiking.
Thanks
David
Good evening, David,
Thank you for the kind words. NMHiking is a work of great satisfaction for me.
Coordinates are 35 33 43 N 107 30 12 W
But … download the .kml (or .gpx) files into GoogleEarth (or your favorite GPS application). The “..Driveabout..” will show you our track (including where we wandered about in the coal mines; you can skip that).
cheers,
george
Hi George- we spoke on the phone a few days ago about Oaxaca and you gave me the blog address. My lovely bride and I have been poring it this evening and really enjoying it! Thank you.
Good evening, Steve,
I’m pleased that you are perusing my BLOG. I hope it is giving you some insight into activities in Oaxaca, and that it assists in planning for your trip. Pat & I, too, are going through our memories, photos, etc., beginning to make plans for our visit there in January.
Hi George! I met you and Pat hiking in the Sandias last summer. You gave me your card which I saved and threw into my desk drawer. The result being it got mixed in with a lot of junk. Today I discovered it and here I am at your website. Wow! I’m so happy I found your card. What a wonderful site! And a great resource! Sure glad I found your card again. Wish you and Pat happy winter walks!
George,
I came across your website some time ago and refer to it whenever I am in an adventure planning mood. As an East Coast native traveling to NM and the greater Southwest for over 30 years, I am counting the months until I relocate to Placitas. Meanwhile, I return as often as possible to visit my tried and true favorites as well as new experiences, thanks to you and a few other sources.
I noticed on your Bear Canyon blog that you were seeking a way into San Antonio Canyon from FR 144. If you haven’t already found it, I did and enjoyed a pleasant hike there with my brother last year. The coordinates are N35° 57.684′ W106° 38.185′. The trail winds down an old logging road to the head of San Antonio canyon, and it’s about 1.5 miles from trailhead to the hot springs. I hope this helps if it has eluded you. It would be nice to cross paths some day. Thanks for sharing your adventures in the meantime…. Luke
Good evening, Luke,
Thank you for the comments. And thanks for the pointer to an entrance into San Antonio Canyon. From the coordinates you gave, I see that Jay and I discovered that old logging road, but we went north along the western edge of the Valle, climbing back onto the “uplands”. (“Valles Caldera – San Antonio Canyon North Hike, 11/12/2017“) I’ve had in mind going south from the logging road towards the Springs, but we’ve been hiking elsewhere in recent times.
Welcome you to the Land of Enchantment as a resident. You already know much about it, and Placitas is quite nice; Jay lives in Placitas.
cheers,
george
Hello George, recently discovered your website and I really like it. It is a good source for hikes in New Mexico! Thanks for making the KML files available!