Middle Fork Lake Trail Hike – 08/19/2020

This month we returned to Red River for a week of camping in our R-Pod (see the post of our previous hike). We had reserved a campsite at the Elephant Rock Campground and planned to make returns to the Middle Fork Trail near the town of Red River and the Williams Lake Trail out of the Santa Fe Ski Basin. And we had tickets to attend Michael Martin Murphey’s “Rockin’ 3M Chuckwagon Supper and Show“.

The Drive In

The drive in to the trailhead is via NM 578, south of Red River, to the end of pavement. Then a Class 4 tw0-track to the right (FR 58) for a bit more than a mile to a large parking area. The road is a bit rough, but a vehicle with normal clearance should be able to get through (I don’t think a Prius could make it).

The Hike

Middle Fork Lake Trail Hike.Pat.2020-08-19

The hike begins with .2 mile walk, continuing on the two-track, to the trailhead – a bridge across the Middle Fork of the Red River. From there the ascent is gradual (10% average slope) with some switchbacks, particularly at the 0.6 miles. At about 1.2 miles the slope increases a bit (13.2% average) with more switchbacks until reaching the ridge and the first view of the lake. About 1.25 miles into the hike we crossed the Middle Fork on logs conveniently placed there for “us”. Upon reaching the lake, we walked around the north side for our mid-hike break/lunch and enjoyed the view across the lake to Frazier Mountain.

Highlight

The view from our table – social distancing being practiced.

As mentioned above, again this year we bought tickets to Michael Martin Murphey’s “Rockin’ 3M Chuckwagon Supper and Show“. The drive to the Ranch is on a dirt road which is a times a bit rough but passable for anything that isn’t a low-rider. The setting at the ranch is beautiful .. seating for the amphitheater is across s picturesque lake and the mountain beyond. We enjoyed a great chuckwagon meal of brisket, beans, and coleslaw (what else?) served (in these times of Covid 19) as a box supper .. it was excellent. And as always, Murphey’s music and storytelling were most entertaining.

Statistics

Total Distance:  4.86 miles
Elevation: start  9,637 ft, maximum  10,877 ft,  minimum  9,633 ft
Gross gain: 1,240 ft.  Aggregate ascending 1,757 ft, descending 1,758 ft
Maximum slope: 45% ascending, 38% descending, 11% average
Duration: 5:06

If you haven’t explored these hiking tracks with Google Earth, I urge you to try it. With the virtual 3-dimensional presentation, achieved by panning and tilting the view, you can get a much better idea of the hikes and terrain than you can get from the screenshot above. For some ideas, check out  Using Google Earth Track Files.

References and Resources:

Previous Post: Middle Fork Lake Trail Hike – 8/23/2019
USDA Forest Service: Elephant Rock Campground
                                         Middle Fork/West Fork Road Trail 487
Recreation.gov: Elephant Rock Campground
AllTrails: Middle Fork Lake Trail
RedRiver.org: Red River Hiking Trails (PDF)
Tripasvisor: Middlefork Lake
Michael Martin Murphey
     Rocking 3M Chuckwagon Show
     Michael Martin  Murphey’s deram come true (Taos News)
     Rockin’ 3M Amphitheater (Tripadvisor)