Our first full day on a camping trip to Bandelier National Monument. Wanting a trail with some elevation gain, we chose the Frey Trail for a few hundred feet up and back down again.
The Drive In
The trailhead is down in Frijoles Canyon, so the drive in is to go to the Bandelier Visitor Center.
The Hike
Bandelier-Frey Trail Hike.Pat.2022-04-25
Notes about the Google Earth screenshot: the graph at the bottom shows elevation of the track (pink area) and speed (the blue line).
We sought a hike with some elevation gain – Frey Trail offered some – 541 ft up from Frijoles Canyon. The trailhead is 400 yards from the Bandelier Visitors Center, on the right bit past the Tyuonyi Ruins. It is a well used trail up the canyon wall topping out on the mesa top. We continued another quarter mile continuing on the Frey Trail, then turned back and down into Frijoles Canyon.
Back on the canyon floor, we turned right onto the Alcove House Trail for 1/3rd of a mile, then crossed over Rio de los Frijoles to the Long Trail. From there we returned to the visitors center, having gotten -some- elevation gain.
Statistics
Total Distance: 3.05 miles Elevation: start 6,089 ft, maximum 6,619 ft, minimum 6,078 ft Gross gain: 541 ft. Aggregate ascending 852 ft, descending 853 ft Maximum slope: 53% ascending, 53% descending, 8.6% average Duration: 3:16
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.
During a trip to Chama with Pat, I met Jay near Abuquiu for lunch and a short hike to visit the Poshuouingue Ruins.
The Drive In
Poshuouingue Ruins are 3 miles east of Abuquiu on US 84.
The Hike
Poshuouingue Trail Hike.Jay.2021-08-11
There is ample parking just off of the highway, and signs point clearly to the trail, which climbs 100 feet to a plateau which offers a view of the layout of the Pueblo below. The trail then climbs another 250 feet to the top of a plateau which affords a great view of the Rio Chama valley. And there are signs that give one information about the P’oshu’owingeh people, and their Pueblo.
Statistics
Total Distance: 1.06 miles Elevation: start 5,960 ft, maximum 6,194 ft, minimum 5,960 ft Gross gain: 234 ft. Aggregate ascending 279 ft, descending 290 ft Maximum slope: 35% ascending, 37% descending, 9.0% average Duration: 0:54
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.
This 2-night camping trip with Jay and Nancy was planned so we could visit the Three Rivers Petroglyph Site. The Petroglyph Trail is just under a mile in length, so we chose to tour the Petroglyphs in the morning, then take a full hike after lunch. Visiting the Site in the cooler air of the morning was a good choice; later in the day it would become quite hot – there is no shade from the sun in New Mexico’s invariably clear blue skies.
The Drive In
We drove from Albuquerque the day before: I-25 to Moriarty, NM 41 to Willard, NM 42 to Corona, US 54 south to Carrizozo, then 13 miles further on US 54 to the Three Rivers Trading Post. Turn left onto Three Rivers Road, 15 miles to the campground which is tucked up against the Sierra Blanca mountains (total: 4 hours with the R-Pod, 192 miles). On the way to the campground, we passed the Petroglyph Site about 3 miles from the highway
The Walkabout
Three Rivers Petroglyph Trail Walkabout.PatJayNancy.2021-04-24
Parking next to the Visitors Center (closed these days), we started up a well-worn trail towards the ridge where there are some 21,000 petroglyphs. And only a few yards on we saw the first of them.
[Double-click on a photo to enlarge, use browsers <Back One Page to return to this page.>
From there the trail became a bit rocky, but we soon saw more and more of the petroglyphs. In some places we climbed off-trail to get a better look closer to them.
There are so many images among the petroglypy. We picked up a Visitors Guide which offered explanations for many of the images as well as a sketch of the history of the Site.
All of this while having a marvelous view across the Tularosa Basin to the San Andres Mountains 45 miles to the west.
Statistics
Total Distance: 1.16 miles Elevation: start 4,988 ft, maximum 5,097 ft, minimum 4,981 ft Gross gain: 116 ft. Aggregate ascending 201 ft, descending 205 ft Maximum slope: 27% ascending, 22% descending, 5.8% average Duration: 1:31
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.
We had no advance plan, but we needed to get out into nature this week. Weather was a bit iffy, forecast to be chilly and windy. We decided to visit an old friend, Goblin Colony, up Paliza Canyon in the Jemez Mountains.
The Drive In
Driving towards the Jemez Mountains is always pleasant. The scenery heading west on US 550 gets better as White Mesa comes into view on the left, and the red cliffs of Mesa Cuchilla west of San Ysidro and the Jemez River come into view. Then the drive north on NM 4 adds more scenery as one passes through the Jemez Pueblo (Obey the Speed Limits – the Pueblo police “give no quarter”.)
No more than half a mile from leaving the Pueblo, turn right onto NM 290, continue pasts the Ponderosa Valley Vineyards and Winery, through the sparse village of Ponderosa, past the lake providing irrigation water to the Pueblo, and onto FR 10 (where the road changes to gravel). In another 2.5 miles or so is the Paliza Camptround (not open yet, but a really nice campground). Turn left across the bridge over Paliza Creek and park at the junction of FR 10, FR 266, and FR 271.
The Hike
‘Goblin Mesa’ & Goblin Colony Hike.Pat.2021-04-07
Goblin Colony is a great, short hike to some fascinating rock formations. The hike to goes up FR 271 (a two-track), then bears to the left. ‘Tis about 1.7 miles from parking with only a couple hundred feet elevation gain. For part of the way on the two-track, water was running in Paliza Creek and was filled with watercress. About .8 miles on, bear to the left and continue up a wash (bearing to the right, through a gate across the two-track, and up Paliza Creek makes for a great alternative, or an extension for some more hiking distance).
Normally, we’ve taken the wash to the Colony. But today – we diverted to explore potential camping sites, looking for level ground on the hillside above the wash. So we climbed 50′ to to the first area, then 150′ to another; and then without a real plan we continued climbing up the side of this small mesa (I can’t find a name for it, so I’m dubbing it “Goblin Mesa”, in honor of the Colony). And we continued climbing.
As we neared the top, of course it became more and more steep, until the last 100′ we were scrambling up a rock and gravel slope, about 45°. But we gained the top of Goblin Mesa. We found ourselves on flat & level rock surface that forms the end of the mesa, with an edge that was -vertical-, dropping precipitously a few 10s of feet. From this vantage point, where we paused for a snack, we took in the marvelous views of the canyons and mesas of this part of the Jemez Mountains.
We gave only momentary thought to descending the way we came up. After checking the topo map (on USTopo, the GPS app on my phone), we decided to take our chances that there would be a easier descent (& safer!) at the other end of the mesa. The hiking along the mesa was easy with some rocky areas and a fair amount of deadfall in some areas (it appeared to be wind-blown where the mesa narrowed, exposing the trees to the strongest winds).
From visits to various sites of Pueblo ruins, I suspected there might be a Pueblo ruin of some sort on this mesa; I was on the lookout for any sign of a ruin. And I did spot a mound with lots of rocks strewn across it, which did not look like something Mother Nature would have formed. I’m convinced it is a small (15’x15′) ruin site. Hiking north for about half a mile, we found ourselves looking down upon Goblin Colony. And as hoped, we enjoyed a reasonable descent from the mesa top into the Colony.
Entering from this direction introduced us to somewhat different formations – quite interesting. We descended to the lower portion of the Colony, stopped in a nook out of the wind for our usual lunch (Trader Joe’s Ramen, PB&J sandwich, apple slices, and carrot sticks) and admired the Goblins around us. Then we hiked down the wash and Paliza Creek, back to the Tacoma.
Statistics
Total Distance: 4.07 miles Elevation: start 6,854 ft, maximum 7,519 ft, minimum 6,847 ft Gross gain: 671 ft. Aggregate ascending 1,019 ft, descending 1,027 ft Maximum slope: 48% ascending, 44% descending, 7.8% average Duration: 5:30
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.
Sticking to our plan for a weekly “outing”, and facing uncertain weather, we chose to visit Gran Quivira, one of the Pueblo ruins in the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument. We’ve visited the other two, Abó and Quarai (which is quite near our cabin at Manzano), but had not ventured the 27 miles south from Mountainair to visit Gran Quivira.
The Drive In
‘Tis easy to get there: go south on SR 55 (there are a couple of jogs to the east) for 27 miles. Approaching the 4th jog, continue ahead into Gran Quivira.
The “Expedition”
Allow me to begin by recommending that you visit the web site for the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument. It is an outstanding site, and provides a superb introduction to the 3 units of the Monument; particularly good is the section on Gran Quivira. (Oh, and I recommend that you visit the Visitor’s Center in Mountainair, when it is again open for visitors.)
‘Tho the Visitor’s Center at Gran Quivira was closed on the day of our visit (Covid-19), the signs throughout the area provide good descriptions of the features, often with historical information (and in English and Spanish). The trails throughout the ruins are very easy to navigate, and provide excellent views of the various features, from ancient kivas to the more recent churches.
References and Resources – there are many .. here are some interesting ones
This time of year, we avoid going north, into the Jemez, Sangre de Cristo, or other mountains – it is winter – cold, likely snowy, etc. Going west is better ‘tho it can be cold because places thereabouts are at a higher elevation. I had read about this hike some months ago (see References below) and thought it would be a good destination for our hike this week.
The Drive In
From Albuquerque, west on I-40 (68 miles), then south on NM 117 along the east edge of the Malpais. You will pass La Ventana (10 miles from I-40) then drive through the Narrows (there is a nice trail here, the Narrows Rim Trail that starts at the south end of the Narrows and goes north to a nice overlook of La Ventana). Continue on NM 117 for 16 miles, turn left onto Pie Town Road (also identified as Rd 41), a Class 3 road (New Mexico Pavement – graded and sanded). Another 3 miles, turn left onto Armijo Canyon Road, a Class 4 road. Park at the gate 1.5 miles from Pie Town Road, the boundary of the El Malpais National Conservation Area (NCA),.
The Hike
Armijo Canyon-Dittert Site Hike.Pat.2020-12-12
The Armijo Canyon Trail proceeds from the gate up the bottom of Armijo Canyon. We left the gate on a well-used trail, heading northeast on a well used trail; 125 yards on we were faced with a deep arroyo with the typical vertical sides. But from this trail we could enter the arroyo and … climb out the other side. Back on level ground, the trail we anticipated was nowhere to be found. But … I had downloaded the track from ASCHG to USTopo on my phone/GPS, so off we went towards the features of our interest.
The surface was a bit challenging – tufts/mounds of grass interspersed with soft soil – a trail would be nice to have. Our first point of interest was the Dittert Site, ruins dating from the 1000-1200 era. Situated on a mound, well constructed rock walls have been excavated including a circular enclosure, presumably a kiva. To the north of the exposed walls was more mound suggesting that only a small part of the ruins have been exposed. A few yards further to the northwest is another mound which would appear to be another ruins site.
From there we set out on a heading of 95° for the remnants of a ranchstead. About 2/3 of the way there, we encountered another of those deep, steep sided arroyos. In this case, we found a cattle (or game) trail, an easy down and back up onto the other side. Soon we came upon signs of occupancy nearby – pieces of rusted metal, even a tin can. A short distance further along was a collapsed structure of poles (juniper tree trunks) and a rock walled room – it must be a building of the ranchstead along with what appeared to be a fireplace (notice the large rock behind what must have been the hearth). Also interesting – there was a prominent mound adjacent to the building, suggesting that this might be another site of ancient ruins.
From the ranchstead, we struck out for “Igor”, a name given to the site of petroglyphs. From this point we had a gradual climb for the half mile to the rock outcrops identified on the ASCHG track as the site of Igor. About half way along, we paused to look at the large kiva, a depression in the terrain some 30 feet in diameter.
Approaching a rock outcrop that forms the end of a ridge, we started looking for signs of Igor. From the base of a steep, rocky incline, our first take was an image that looked like a face. On further inspection, it was … only lichen on the rock face. Continuing to work our way around the rocks, we spotted .. Igor. Climbing closer to the rock we found that there are other petroglyphs, some quite clear, others a bit washed out.
The weather, tho’ sunny, was a bit chilly with a light breeze blowing. Failing to find a spot out of the breeze and in sunshine for a warm spot to have our lunch, we headed back to the truck where we enjoyed hot drinks and our PB&J lunch.
Heading home, as we reached the intersection with Pie Town Road we decided .. let’s take the longer way home – to Pie Town, then to Socorro and I-25 ( and avoid the heavy truck traffic on I-40). Pie Town Road is a Class 3 (in some places 3.5 – it would be soft when wet) and passes through 3 or 4 ranches and 2 or 3 residential developments. The latter are very remote from anything, a different place to live.
As we approached US 60, we encountered a small heard of elk – the first we’ve seen up close as they crossed the road in front of us. A great treat to end our visit to these parts. Then it was eastbound on US 60, through Pie Town (didn’t stop for a pie), across the Plains of San Agustin and the VLA (Very Large Array).
Statistics
Total Distance: 2.85 miles
Elevation: start 7,257 ft, maximum 7,552 ft, minimum 7,253 ft
Gross gain: 299 ft. Aggregate ascending 388 ft, descending 387 ft
Maximum slope: 31% ascending, 21% descending, 4.7% average
Duration: 2:20
I urge you to explore our hiking tracks with Google Earth. 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 2-dimensional screenshot above. For assistance: Using Google Earth Track Files.
This is the 2nd of 2 short hikes on a day trip to the area once inhabited by the Gallinas culture. The area is north of Cuba some 28 miles on NM 96>NM 112. In years past I’ve read about the Gallina people who occupied this area until about 1275 when they suddenly vanished. There are various explanations that make for interesting reading (see References below). But this site and the other one that we visited this trip provide a glimpse into the history of these parts.
The Drive In
To get to this area from Albuquerque, travel west on US 550 to Cuba. Continue on through Cuba for 3.6 miles, turn right (north) on NM 96. Continue for 13 miles where NM 96 turns right (east); continue north on NM 112 for 13 miles (we turned here to visit the Nogales Cliff House). Continue another 6.9 miles, turn left on NM 390 for 0.2 miles, then right onto the road to parking for Rattlesnake Ridge. There are ancient signs point the way from NM 112; the roads are Class 5, deeply rutted but Ok if one stays on the ridges.
This was more of a walk than a hike – not very long and on well groomed, gravel paths. But the paths took us on a tour of a half dozen kivas or tower bases on the ridgetop/promontory.
Statistics
Total Distance: 1.17 miles Elevation: start 7,396 ft, maximum 7,484 ft, minimum 7,392 ft Gross gain: 92 ft. Aggregate ascending 163 ft, descending 166 ft Maximum slope: 21% ascending, 17.5% descending, 05.0% average Duration: 1:20
I urge you to explore our hiking tracks with Google Earth. 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 2-dimensional screenshot above. For assistance: Using Google Earth Track Files.
This hike is the first of two short hikes on a day trip to the area once inhabited by the Gallinas culture. The area is north of Cuba some 28 miles on NM 96>NM 112. In years past I’ve read about the Gallina people who occupied this area until about 1275 when they suddenly vanished. There are various explanations that make for interesting reading (see References below). But this site and the other one that we visited this trip provide a glimpse into the history of these parts.
The Drive In
To get to this area from Albuquerque, travel west on US 550 to Cuba. Continue on through Cuba for 3.6 miles, turn right (north) on NM 96. Continue for 13 miles where NM 96 turns right (east); continue north on NM 112 for 13 miles. Our first try to get to Nogales Cliff House (3 years ago and again this trip) was to turn onto a dirt road a half mile further – that didn’t work – recent snow had melted but not dried – even if dry it is a road for high-clearance vehicles. Rather, turn left at that 13 miles point onto Forest Road 313. This is a good Class 4 dirt road (courtesy the oil industry) unless there has been recent precipitation (rain or snow).
Six tenths of a mile in continue past the compound for oil field tanks and equipment. Although FR 313 continues west, turn right (north) on a lesser dirt road just beyond the compound. Follow this road for a bit more than 1 mile, then turn left; this will take you to a gas wellhead and the trailhead. These roads are Class 5 roads – low clearance “city” vehicles should avoid them.
The Hike
Nogales Cliff House Trail Hike.Pat.2020-11-19
This is a short, pleasant hike on a well used trail with a most interesting destination. From the parking area the trail proceeds up Spring Canyon, a pleasant easy walk with steep canyon walls left and right. Near the trailhead, check out the sign to get an idea of the extent of the ruins; this will help your exploration once reaching the bench where the ruins are located.
About 6/10ths of a mile from the trailhead, the trail turns abruptly up the left-hand canyon wall. Although steep, the trail is easy to follow with a few places over large rocks – not strenuous. About 300′ in elevation gain (2/10ths of a mile) we reached a large bench with a large blockhouse with erect walls to the right, come caves, and above a wall structure and larger cavity behind it. There were also remnants of other structures around the bench to the left.
It would appear the blockhouse was a gathering place and possibly food preparation – there is what appeared to be a firepit in the center of the floor and the walls were blackened (with smoke?)
There was a group of students at the site, so with the cautions of Covid, we did not explore beyond the blockhouse. We did pause there to enjoy our first mid-hike break in these amazing surroundings. The hike back down the to the floor of the canyon was in the shadow of the canyon wall, by now late afternoon. We plan to return in the future to explore further around the bench.
Statistics
Total Distance: 1.80 miles Elevation: start 7,206 ft, maximum 7,608 ft, minimum 7,200 ft Gross gain: 408 ft. Aggregate ascending 898 ft, descending 899 ft Maximum slope: 82% ascending, 80% descending, 14% average Duration: 2:23
I urge you to explore our hiking tracks with Google Earth. 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 2-dimensional screenshot above. For assistance: Using Google Earth Track Files.
For this week’s hike, Pat & I chose to return to the Ojito Wilderness. It is close to home (we enjoyed a very relaxed morning before heading out for the hike) and always offers a nice hike with beautiful views all around. It is also a go-to-place for hiking in seasons other than summer – it is a hot place in the summer. For this outing, we set our sights on visiting the Dinosaur Dig and circling around to Hoodoo Pines.
The Drive In
For those who haven’t ventured into the Ojito – head north out of Albuquerque to Bernalillo, then west on US 550 at Bernalillo for 20 miles. As you approach White Mesa (on top of which there is ongoing mining of gypsum for the sheetrock plant in Bernalillo), and before making the curve over the Rio Salado into San Ysidro, turn left on Cabazon Road. This road is well cared for (access to a pipeline pumping station) and well used (many people coming to hike and to practice shooting in the area before getting to the Ojito Wilderness where shooting is not allowed).
About 4 miles on we passed by the White Mesa Bike Trails, a popular area for some wicked mountain biking. It is also an interesting place for some hiking, short to the ridge above a picturesque canyon, or along along Dragon’s Back or down into the canyon. (See “Previous Posts” below). Continuing on Cabezon for another 6 miles we parked at the trailhead for the Seismosaurus Trail (which goes to “Dino Dig” where a Seismosaurus was excavated back in 1985; “Sam” is on display at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science in Albuquerque).
The Hike
Dinosaur Dig Hike.Pat.2020-11-11
A beautiful New Mexico day – temperature in the 60s, intense blue sky with a few clouds for effect, not even any wind. We were using the ASCHG track as a guide, but we easily followed the trail to Dinosaur Ridge. Along the way, the views out across the Ojito Wilderness are amazing: one is surrounded by mesas and intervening canyons, one can see Cabezon to the west, Red Mesa to the east, and feel the freedom that comes with such open space.
Keying off of the placemark on the ASCHG track, we took the short diversion to the ruins located 9/10ths from the trailhead. Like other ruins that we’ve visited here in the Ojito, this is the remains of a small structure, maybe 15 feet across, built with the rock that abounds in the area. Continuing another 2/10ths of a mile we came across an elongated, cylindrical rocks: tree trunks but without telltale growth rings (somewhere I read that they may have been tropical, such as palm trees, which don’t have rings).
The main feature of this hike is at the end of Dinosaur Ridge. This is where Seismosaurus was excavated – only a 30×50 foot area of loose sand marks the location. In addition ’tis here where there is a collection of petroglyphs on rock surfaces overlooking Arroyo la Jara. We paused here to have our mid-hike break/lunch.
From here we retraced our route for some distance, enough to find a descent into Arroyo la Jara to continue our hike towards Hoodoo Pines. Initially it looked daunting, but as the slope became less, we found a path down that involved only a bit of scramble. Down in the Arroyo we found fascinating rocks and other features that are so plentiful here in the Ojito. To continue west it was necessary to cross the deep ditch that nearly always lies at the bottom of these arroyos. We found a way into the ditch, then walked in the bottom for 300 yards or so until we found a break to climb out.
There was no trail per se for the route we set out on towards Hoodoo Pines – this was ‘cross country’. We encountered various conditions – areas of rock, of hard surface, even tufts of grass. There was little elevation change, a 150′ climb up and down a ridge, and gradual ascent towards Bernalallito Mesa and Hoodoo Pines. About 3 miles into the hike, and with the afternoon wearing on, we decided to cut short of our goal of Hoodoo Pines. We cut across to join up with the Hoodoo Pines trail that would take us to Cabezon Road, then return to the parking lot. It proved to be a good choice, as the sun was nearing sunset by the time we got to the truck.
Highlight
Visits to the Ojito, and to Dinosaur Ridge, are always most enjoyable. Seismosaurus Trail is well used, an easy 1.25 miles with great reward at the end: the sand pit from which Seismosaurus was excavated, the petroglyphs, the strange rocks that look like petrified tree trunks, and the views. This is an ideal trail for the occasional hiker and especially for families.
Statistics
Total Distance: 4.56 miles Elevation: start 5,876 ft, maximum 5,907 ft, minimum 5,726 ft Gross gain: 181 ft. Aggregate ascending 552 ft, descending 551 ft Maximum slope: 28% ascending, 32% descending, 3.7% average Duration: 4:29
I urge you to explore our hiking tracks with Google Earth. 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 2-dimensional screenshot above. For assistance: Using Google Earth Track Files.
I’ve been looking forward to hiking Tapia Canyon with Pat. It’s time to go there before the higher temperatures of summer.
The Drive In
Just off of US 550, heading into Rio Puerco on CR 279.
The drive in is straightforward: US 550 to CR 279/San Louis Road. Continue through San Louis, stay on 279 as it turns from pavement to a Class 3 road (‘New Mexico pavement’), about 8 miles. Resist turns at 11.5, 16.8, and 21 miles. The road descends into the Rio Puerco valley; along the way it crosses two deep arroyos – the road to the bottom and out is -very- steep .. interesting to drive thorough. At 29 miles from US 550, the road climbs over a sharp saddle, below the Guadalupe Ruins up on the adjacent mesa. From there its .4 mile to the turnoff into Tapia Canyon on a Class 5 road (two-track). Park at the end (there is ample room to turn around).
The Hike
Tapia Canyon Hike.Pat.2020-04-06The entrance to Tapia Canyon.
The first challenge is to find a path down into the wash of the canyon. Pat led the way, through the fence 50 yards from the truck, then along the sometimes narrow shelf above the wash, avoiding the sandy/rocky bottom of the wash. We passed through side ravines along the way that were too steep for us to enter the wash, until the shelf ended about a mile along. From there we alternated between hiking -in- the wash and on the margins.
An example of the many petroglyphs in Tapia Canyon.
Special features of Tapia Canyon are petroglyphs on the canyon walls. We encountered the first gallery on the left wall 1.6 miles into the hike. The first that we saw appeared to be ‘modern’, a la graffiti. But nearby were others that appeared to be genuine (Gallery #1 on the GE track). About 300 yards further we found a 2nd gallery, then 250 yards to a 3rd gallery, and another 300 yards to the 4th gallery. These last three are on walls above elevated margins on the right (north) side of the canyon. And from Gallery #3 we caught a glimpse of the Torreon on the ridge above the south side of the canyon.
We continued up the canyon for another 300 yards to the Arch, another feature of interest. On the right side of the canyon, it is the entrance to a slot canyon going north from Tapia Canyon, another feature to explore some day. We paused there to enjoy the first of our two-part lunch. While water was heating, Pat went looking for a way to get up on the mesa south of the canyon. She located a scramble that looked doable, ‘tho there was a possibility that a wall too steep was beyond view. We took the chance, she scrambled ahead and discovered – nope, no way to make the last 20′ or 30’. So it was back down into the canyon and head back to the truck. We continued to look for places where we could ascend, spotted a couple of possibilities and one that looked like an easy ascent (“Access to south Mesa” placemark on the GE track) .. we left that for our next visit.
Continuing down-canyon we detoured into a side canyon that had attracted our attention earlier, where we had our 2nd half of lunch. Than back into Tapia, choosing to stay in the wash until an easy climb out, a few yards beyond the parking area and the truck. Another great day, hiking in another fascinating place in New Mexico.
Statistics
Total Distance: 5.62 miles Elevation: start 5,961 ft, maximum 6,145 ft, minimum 5,929 ft Gross gain: 216 ft. Aggregate ascending 925 ft, descending 927 ft Maximum slope: 33% ascending, 38% descending, 3.9% average Duration: 6:36
I urge you to explore our hiking tracks with Google Earth. 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 2-dimensional screenshot above. For assistance: Using Google Earth Track Files.
We sought a hike with some elevation gain – Frey Trail offered some – 541 ft up from Frijoles Canyon. The trailhead is 400 yards from the Bandelier Visitors Center, on the right bit past the Tyuonyi Ruins. It is a well used trail up the canyon wall topping out on the mesa top. We continued another quarter mile continuing on the Frey Trail, then turned back and down into Frijoles Canyon.
