Category Archives: Sangre de Cristo

In the vicinity of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, NM.

Borrego Trail Hike – 06/30/2025

Introduction

This is one of the first forays back to hiking on forest trails. After a year-long layoff for medical reasons and a month walking mostly on the Bosque Trails along the Rio Grande, the body is coming back. And the progress has been to gradually take longer walks and now get back on trails. I look forward to continuing hikes, with Pat and with Jay, like we did in the past.

The Drive In

The drive to the trailhead: from downtown Santa Fe, head out on Hyde Park Road (NM 475), 9 miles from the Santa Fe Plaza (by way of Washington Ave/Bishops Lodge Road, right/east on Artist Road, then continue onto Hyde Park Road). The trailhead will be on the left just beyond Hyde National State Park.

The Hike

Borrrego Trail Hike.Jay.2025-06-30

Notes about the Google Earth screenshot: the graph at the bottom shows elevation of the track (pink area) and speed (the blue line).

This is a downhill-uphill-downhill (and reverse returning) out-and-back hike. The trail is wide and smooth (some areas of exposed roots and rocks) … easy ambulating. It proceeds through mature forest (many pine trees and aspen too). It is truly like the proverbial park, the New Mexico kind of parks. We chose to turn back where it crosses Teseque Creek (at first we thought crossing the creek would require rock/log hopping, but .. there is a bridge that was just out of sight from where we decided to stop).

Highlight

For me … to be back on a forest trail. And to be hiking again with Jay.

Statistics

Total Distance: 3.4 miles
Elevation: start 8,880 ft, maximum 8,892 ft, minimum 8,490 ft
Gross gain: 402 ft. Aggregate ascending 1,054 ft, descending 1,056 ft
Maximum slope: 40% ascending, 36% descending, 10% average
Duration: 2:26, Average Speed: 1.4 mph

Borrrego Trail Hike.Jay.2025-06-30 (KML)	0 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Borrrego Trail Hike.Jay.2025-06-30 (GPX)	0 Downloads

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.

Bear Wallow-Winsor-Borrega Trails Hike – 06/02/2019
Borrego-Winsor-Bear Wallow Hike – 7/29/2018
Posts for Trails on Hyde Park Road

References and Resources

AllTrails: Borrego Trail
Borrego (150), Windsor (254) and Bear Wallow (182) Trail Loop
Hiking Project: Borrego Trail
Santa Fe New Mexican: Happy Trails: Borrego Trail offers a mixture of history, rough-edged beauty

Photos

George's Photos: Click on a Photo for Gallery Show.

Dockweiler Trail #259 Hike – 08/24/2021

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After traveling to Idaho, then around Taos, we were closer to home. The Pecos River has some great trails into the southern end of the Sangre de Cristo mountains. Having checked out a few of them (see Related Posts below), we chose to go up Cave Creek.

The Drive In

For those who are headed to this area for the first time, some description may be helpful. Take I-25 east from Santa Fe to the exit for Glorieta and Pecos-NM 50 (this is about 90 miles from Albuquerque). After crossing over I-25, turn right; in about 6 miles, turn left at the stop sign onto NM 63 through the very old village of Pecos. From here it about 20 miles to Cowles, a placename at the end of NM 63 and the entrance to Forest Service campgrounds and hiking trails. This road, paved the whole way, is relatively open at the beginning but gradually narrows and winds more as you ascend the cañon. This will take you 45 minutes or more during which you will climb from 6,900 feet at Pecos to 8,100 feet at Cowles. Along the way you will pass many pullouts and parking areas as well as 3 NM State Parks that provide access to the river for fishing. It’s a beautiful drive; take your time to enjoy it.

You will recognize that you are at Cowles when you see a bridge on your left that crosses the Pecos River – take it. A few yards on, turn right onto Panchuela Road; follow it to the end, where you will find a small ‘primitive’ camping area. The trailhead for the Cave Creek trail is just beyond a parking lot (Dockweiler trail explained below).

The Hike

Dockweiler Trail #259 Hike.Pat.2021-08-24

We came intending to hike up the Cave Creek trail. Off to a good start, the trail is well used, easy to follow up above the creek, not much elevation gain. For part of this section of trail there is an alternate route, indicated for horses, that follows closer to the creek. At .9 miles we came upon the junction with the Dockweiler Trail; we chose to take it anticipating that in going uphill, we might get to higher and open spaces to take in more vista views.

The trail continued to be easy going, climbing steadily ‘tho not steep, with a few switchbacks, in open forest. We went out another 1.6 miles, and still had more to go it seemed before we would find vista views. This having made or usual 4-5 mile hike, we paused for our mid-hike break/snack, then headed back to parking. Once down near the river, we opted to take that ‘horse alternate’. At first is was nice to be close to the burbling creek, but soon enough the trail got squeezed next to the stream and became a lot like bushwhacking – we wished we had stayed on the main trail.

Highlight

We’re repeatedly amazed at the vibrant colors of the flowers and other growing things in the New Mexico mountains. This year’s strong monsoon season brought out the flowers, their many colors, shapes, patterns, textures, etc. I’m simply unable to pass by them without capturing photos. I hope you enjoy them below.

Statistics

Total Distance: 4.5 miles
Elevation: start 8,350 ft, maximum 9,555 ft, minimum 8,334 ft
Gross gain: 1,221 ft. Aggregate ascending 1,546 ft, descending 1,546 ft
Maximum slope: 36% ascending, 42% descending, 11.2% average
Duration: 5:11

Dockweiler Trail #259 Hike.Pat.2021-08-24 (KML)	72 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Dockweiler Trail #259 Hike.Pat.2021-08-24 (GPX)	270 Downloads

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.

Rio Mora Hike – 09/29/2020
Beatty’s Trail Hike – 07/02/2020
Iron Gate Campground-Monte Vista Trail Hike – 05/21/2020
Iron Gate Road HIke – 05/13/2020
Rio Mora Hike – 05/08/2020
Holy Ghost Trail Hike – 04/11/2018

References and Resources

USDA Forest Service: Cave Creek Trail #288
                                         Dockweiler Trail #259
                                        Panchuela Campground
AllTrails: Cave Creek Trail
                  Dockweiler Trail
OhRanger: Trail 259 Dockweiler Trail
Inn on the Alameda: The Pecos Wilderness and the Cave Creek Trail

George's Photos: Click on a Photo for Gallery View.

George's Flower Photos: Click on a Photo for Gallery View.

Tesuque Creek and Aspen Vista Loop – 08/28/2021

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I joined Jay in Santa Fe for a hike on a nearby trail. We hiked Aspen Vista back in 2018, but for this hike we chose to start where Tesuque Creek crosses SR 475.

The Drive In

Quite straightforward: drive up SR 475, also known as Hyde Park Road. Little Tesuque Creek crosses 475 4.3 miles from the Hyde memorial State Park main entrance. There is parking on the right of the road for a few cars.

The Hike

Tesuque Creek and Aspen Vista Loop.Jay.2021-08-18

The trail proceeds up the North Fork of Tesuque Creek, identified on a sign as Big Tesuque Tr 152. The trail here is well used and easy going – a couple of hundreds yards along it crosses over a nice bridge to the north side of the creek and continues uphill at about a 10% grade. Along the way we saw a number of what appeared to be shelters, lean tos of a long branch leaning against a tree with many smaller straight branches leaning into it – curious.

At .8 miles, the trail intersects a jeep trail, Forest Road 150 (which takes one to the communications facility atop the mountain). Rather than turn right on the road (and follow the route of our previous hike), we chose to continue up Tesuque Creek. Wow, that was some choice – the grade quickly became much steeper (20%, 30%) and became more rocky and with tree roots. But the forest is healthy making the surroundings quite pleasant – aspen, fir, pine, and along the way a burbling creek. The going became really tough 1.4 miles into the hike, when the grade increased to a steady 40%. Nearing the top of what appeared to be a ridge, the forest opened up to a few conifers with a blanket of small shrubs covering the area. At the top of that section (1.7 miles on) we entered a cleared area that must be part of the ski runs of Santa Fe Ski Basin. The views were great, despite the haze that has settled in over New Mexico in recent days.

At this point, we debated – turn back retracing our route down or continue up the cleared area another .3 mile, and 450 feet, where we could get on the upper end of FR 150 and have an easier although longer return to the trailhead. Being uncomfortable with descending the steep, rough trail we had taken to this point, we opted to go for FR 150 despite it being 5 miles (vs 2 miles to the trailhead if we retraced our route up). So we climbed those 450 feet, then headed down the jeep trail.

Back to easy walking, we relaxed (and recovered) from the strenuous ascent. About 3/4 of a mile on, we avoided a lengthy loop by bushwhacking downhill, thus saving about half a mile. Not far past that point we realized that we had come upon the ridge and lookout where we had our lunch break on the previous Aspen Vista hike – it brought back more memories .. of another challenging hike for us. From there it was an easy downhill hike back to the trailhead (‘tho Jay was looking for something easier).

Jay here: Holy mother of all steep trails! Following the spring that runs down to the Aspen Vista trail was a pleasure. It lulled us into thinking this was the way it was going to be all the way up. Nope. When we got to the big ski hill, we could only go about 50 feet and then stop to get our wind back. A 40% grade is challenging to say the least. This hike was a major workout.

Highlight

A highlight? Probably — that we -did- it, for us a long and strenuous hike the likes of which we haven’t done in some time.

Statistics

Total Distance: 6.95 miles
Elevation: start 9,670 ft, maximum 11,826 ft, minimum 9,670 ft
Gross gain: 2,156 ft. Aggregate ascending 2,350 ft, descending 2,346 ft
Maximum slope: 40% ascending, 30% descending, 14.0% average
Duration: 4:53

Tesuque Creek and Aspen Vista Loop.Jay.2021-08-18 (KML)	62 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Tesuque Creek and Aspen Vista Loop.Jay.2021-08-18 (GPX)	75 Downloads

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.

Aspen Vista Trail

References and Resources

AllTrails: Tesuque and Aspen Vista Loop
Tesuque Peak via Tesuque Creen North Fork Trail
Hiking Project: Big Tesuque

Jay's Photos: Click on a Photo for Gallery View.

George's Photos: Click on a Photo for Gallery View.

Hermit Peak Trail #233 Hike – 05/21/2021

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This was our first venture into the east slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. ‘Tis not as popular as the west side, located away from centers of population. In addition to exploring hiking trails, we were curious about the couple of campgrounds situated there.

The Drive In

From Albuquerque, find your way to Las Vegas (NM!). We exited I-25 onto US 85 at the south end of town, then turned left onto NM 329 (also identified as New Mexico Ave). Nearing the north end of town, NM 329 curves to the right – turn left immediately onto NM 65; follow it through Montezuma where you enter into the mountains. The road follows Gallinas Creek up the canyon, passing through Gallinas (a place-name, not much to identify it as a village, about 6.5 miles from Montezuma).

A mile and a half beyond Gallinas the valley (and the road) splits – Gallinas Creek to the left, Porvenir Canyon to the right. Take the fork to the right for the Hermit Peak Trail (and El Porevenir Campground), another 2.25 miles. The road is paved right up until half mile from the traihead, where one enters the National Forest. Distance from I-25: 18 miles.

The Hike

Hermit Peak Trail #233.Pat.2021-05-21

The trailhead is near the entrance to the El Porvenir campground; we took a round-about way to get on the trail. El Porvenir is a nice small campground tucked into this pleasant valley. The trail is well used, presenting a steady easy uniform grade on a nice surface through open forest. About 1.25 miles in the trail dips through a ravine, then begins climbing with a slightly steeper grade through not so open forest. We chose to stop for our mid-hike break at about 2.1 miles. From there trail becomes steeper headed for -the- Peak, not on our agenda for the day. But other reports describe the hike to the peak to be well worth it, for the views of the Sangre de Cristo from this direction.

Statistics

Total Distance: 4.13 miles
Elevation: start 7,493 ft, maximum 8,607 ft, minimum 7,490 ft
Gross gain: 1,217 ft. Aggregate ascending 1,252 ft, descending 1,255 ft
Maximum slope: 36% ascending, 34% descending, 10.6% average
Duration: 3:50

Hermits Peak Trail #233.Pat.2021-05-21 (KML)	146 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Hermits Peak Trail #233.Pat.2021-05-21 (GPX)	59 Downloads

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

USDA Forest Service: El Porvenir Campground
Hermits Peak Trail #223
Hiking Project: Hermit’s Peak Trail #223
New Mexico Trails: Hermits Peak Trail – Trail #223
AllTrails: Hermit Peak Trail
SummitPost: Hermit Peak (NM)
Reddit:#223 Hermit’s Peak hike report June 10,2019 (detailed report)

Middle Fork Lake Trail Hike – 08/21/2020

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This is our 2nd hike on a camping trip to Red River (see Middle Fork Lake Trail Hike – 08/19/2020). Our first choice was to return to Taos Ski Basin, to hike to Williams Lake (Williams Lake Hike – 10/14/2016). However, as we turned onto NM 150 at the entrance to Hondo Canyon, a big highway sign told us the Williams Lake Trail was closed along with all the others in the area. We learned that the area was closed for 10 days for native American “traditional and cultural purposes”.

Casting about for alternatives, on AllTrails we tracked down the Heart Lake Trail. The comments in particular appealed to us: “georgeous”, “very green”, and it appeared to follow a stream. We did not plan to go the full length, but set our sights in reaching the junction where it splits for the Latir Peak Loop Trail (per AllTrails).

Later when gathering References and Resources, I found that it appears AllTrails has misidentified the trail. Forest Service references identify the trail starting at Cabresto Lake as the Lake Fork Trail #82. It continues for some 7 miles to a cutoff for the Heart Lake Trail that leads to Heart Lake. And the junction noted for the Loop is the intersection of the Lake Fork Trail and the Bull Creek Trail #85.

The Drive In

To reach the trailhead at Cabresto Lake, from Cuesta “find” NM 563. From the main intersection in Cuesta, go east for a few yards, turn left on Cabresto Road, also identified as NM 563. (If you miss this turn, continue east on NM 38 for 2/3 mile; a sign will point left to Cabresto Lake. Look for another sign to turn left on South or North Kiowa Rd to get back on NM 563.) Continue on NM 563 for 6 miles, to a turnoff to the left; a large parking area is located there.

Now comes the challenging part – turn left onto FR 134A. It is wide enough to pass meeting vehicles, but … it is -very rough-, a very rocky surface all of the 2 miles to the lake. A medium-high clearance vehicle is required (a Subaru Forester will be able to handle the road but anything less will likely suffer damage). There is ample parking at the reservoir, Lake Cabresto. And the number of people, families and fishermen, showed this is a popular destination despite the road.

The Hike

Middle Fork Lake Trail Hike.Pat.2020-08-21

From the parking area above the lower end of the lake, the trail skirts the western shore for half a mile. It then follows the western slope above Lake Fork stream. The trail is well used and thus easy to follow. Most of it is easy walking tho’ there are occasionally rocky outcrops to be traversed. The stream is always within earshot, down in its narrow stream bed making loud water-rushing sounds – there was a strong flow of water over cascades and occasional small waterfalls. And with all that water, it was “very green”.

Highlight

While hiking here in New Mexico, things that flash colors and present interesting patterns capture my attention. Throughout the year, I encounter flowers of one kind or another on nearly every hike. And on many hikes I encounter something colorful or a new pattern that I haven’t seen before. And such it was on this hike. Now in late summer, with autumn approaching (and cooler nights particularly at the higher elevations), colors are coming from plants beginning their transition to winter. Here are examples from this hike:

George’s Photos w/ Captions: Click on a Photo for Gallery Show.

Statistics

Total Distance: 5.38 miles
Elevation: start 9,190 ft, maximum 10,178 ft, minimum 9,581 ft
Gross gain: 1,010 ft. Aggregate ascending 1,849 ft, descending 1,846 ft
Maximum slope: 38% ascending, 39% descending, 9.2% average
Duration: 5:08

Middle Fork Lake Trail Hike.Pat.2020-08-21 (KML)	77 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Middle Fork Lake Trail Hike.Pat.2020-08-21 (GPX)	100 Downloads

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.

References and Resources

USDA Forest Service: Cabresto Lake Road/Lake Fork Trail
                                        Map of Latir Trails (KML)
                                    Lake Fork Trail #82
                                     Heart Lake Trail #85
                                        Bull Creek Trail #85
AllTrails: Heart Lake Trail
                  Latir Peak Loop Trail
Taos News: Summer Hiking in Taos: Heart Lake in the Latir Peak Wilderness
MountainZone.com: Heart Lake, New Mexico

Pat’s Photos w/ Captions: Click on a Photo for Gallery Show.

Middle Fork Lake Trail Hike – 08/19/2020

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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

Middle Fork Lake Trail Hike.Pat.2020-08-19 (KML)	210 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Middle Fork Lake Trail Hike.Pat.2020-08-19 (GPX)	82 Downloads

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)

Upper Winsor Trail Hike – 08/06/2020

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Seeking cooler temperatures, respite from the near 100s in Albuquerque, we headed for the higher elevations of Sangre de Cristo mountains. (And, on the way through Santa Fe we could stop by Sage Bakehouse for one of their delicious specialties.) There are many hikes one can take from the Santa Fe Ski Basin, most of the starting on the upper Winsor Trail (see references below).

The Hike

Upper Winsor Tail Hike. Pat.2020-08-06

We set out to hike for 2-3 miles, out and back. About 3/4 of a mile into the hike, we came to the entrance to the Pecos Wilderness Area, well marked with signs, sign-in log sheet, and a passage through the fence.

The trail is very well used and hiking is easy through shaded forest. Elevation gain is gradual all of which make for a nice hike. About 3/4 mile along we topped the ridge at 10,831 feet, then began descending into the Rio Nambe valley. To make our usual ~5 mile hike, we stopped for our mid-hike break at 2.2 miles (10,495 feet).

Statistics

Total Distance: 4.28 miles
Elevation: start 10,287 ft, maximum 10,831 ft, minimum 10,287 ft
Gross gain: 544 ft. Aggregate ascending 1,461 ft, descending 1,447 ft
Maximum slope: 43% ascending, 40% descending, 10% average
Duration: 3:42

Upper Winsor Tail Hike. Pat.2020-08-06 (KML)	235 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Upper Winsor Tail Hike. Pat.2020-08-06 (GPX)	89 Downloads

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.

References and Resources

USDA Forest Service:
Winsor Trailhead #254
  Winsor National Rec Trail #254
Santa Fe New Mexican: Trails: Winsor Trail has a storied history
ASCHG:
  Winsor Trail to Bob Meadow Hike
   Winsor Trail to Puerto Nambe Hike
    Winsor Trail to Nambe Lake Hike
    Winsor Trail to Spirit Lake from Ski Area Hike
AllTrails:
Hiking Project: Winsor National Recreation Trail

For more hikes, and links for this one, visit our Journal – Hiking in New Mexico

Middle Fork Lake Trail Hike – 8/23/2019

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This is our second hike during grandson Thomas’ visit and while camping at the Columbine Campground on the Red River (near the town of Red River NM).

The Drive In

To get to the trailhead, drive through Red River on NM 578 and continue to the end of the pavement. Then continue on the first road to the right, Forest Road 58; because of recent rains this somewhat rough gravel road had water running down the road in some sections. (A high clearance vehicle is preferable, but there were “street” autos in the parking lot.) Continue for a bit more than a mile to the parking lot. The trail proceeds from there.

The Hike

Middle Fork Lake Hike.PatThomas.2019-08-23

There are signs and a gate announcing the trail, “Access to Middle Fork Lake”. The trail is a two track (now closed to vehicle traffic) that makes for easy walking. Since I’ve been collecting photos of flowers, and always on the lookout for flowers I’ve not seen before, we challenged Thomas to find one that is new to me. We hadn’t gone 100 yards when he pointed to a plant going to seed – and a -new- one to me. (And further on in the hike he pointed out another new one, and paused to inspect 3 or 4 interesting mushrooms.)

The trail follows closely the Middle Fork of the Red River and crosses the stream some a couple of times. The first crossing is on a bridge just a few hundred yards from the trailhead. Because of the steep ascent of the canyon, there are many cascades and waterfalls which add to the scenery, both visible and audible. About 1.25 miles along, another river crossing presents itself, this one without a bridge. Logs have been put in place and with hiking poles we successfully crossed to the ‘other side’. (With only 1 set of poles, we did have to throw them back to the next person to cross, ‘tho Thomas with his good balance could well have made it without the poles.)

After making the bridgeless crossing, the trail departs the river canyon and heads uphill, not too steep but the trail has to make another 700 ft gain in that last 1 mile (10,186 ft elevation to 10,849 ft). Along the trail is very nice forest: grasses, shrubs, ferns, flowers, mosses, mushrooms, and healthy ponderosa and douglas fir, many with spanish moss hanging from their branches. And the goal, the Lake, adds a very nice reward for the 1,229 ft climb and makes a most pleasant setting for our mid-hike break (which with Pat’s preparations has become more of a light lunch – a large cup of raman, PB&J sandwiches, and coffee).

The return to parking was uneventful .. well not quite – the customary mountain showers showed up, raining enough that we donned rain gear for a few minutes. Then safely across the log crossing again, we headed down the the truck and into Red River for a beer (and root beer float for Thomas).

Statistics

Total Distance: 4.69
Elevation: start 9,636 ft, maximum 10,863 ft, minimum 9,634 ft
Gross gain: 1,229 ft. Aggregate ascending 1,761 ft, descending 1,761 ft
Maximum slope: 41% ascending, 39% descending, 10.9% average
Duration: 5:42

Middle Fork Lake Hike.PatThomas.2019-08-23 (KML)	108 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Middle Fork Lake Hike.PatThomas.2019-08-23 (GPX)	163 Downloads

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

USDA Forest Service: Middle Fork/West Fork Road Trail 487
AllTrails: Middle Fork Lake Trail
TripAdvisor: Middle Fork Lake
DougScottArt: Middle Fork Lake Falls

George's Photos: Click on a Photo for Gallery Show.

Georges Flower Photos w/ Captions: Click on a Photo for Gallery Show.

Columbine Trail Hike – 08/22/2019

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Grandson Thomas came for a weeks-long visit. Our original plan was to take the R-Pod to the Coal Mine Campground on Mount Taylor, visit El Malpais Lava Tubes and climb to the peak of Mount Taylor. After the advance visit to the Lava Tubes, and with weather forecast to be -hot-, we went instead to Red River, NM. We found our way to the Columbine Campground (Forest Service) and found a walk-in campsite that was ideal.

The Drive In

After a good night’s rest and a cool start to the day (42 degrees at daybreak), we set out to take a “short”, easy hike up the Columbine Trail. The trailhead is at the south end of the campground and proceeds up Columbine Canyon, following Columbine Creek.

The Hike

Columbine Trail Hike.PatThomas.2019-08-22

The trail is well used – we saw only a few hikers on the way up. (During our return, we did meet a large group of teenagers who were staying in the group campground.) The trail does make for an “easy” hike: it is wide with a surface for easy walking and a gentle slope/elevation gain. The combination of easy going and such pleasant surroundings – we ended up going further than planned. Having not planned on a full hike, we didn’t have the usual mid-hike vitctules, but none-the-less, we paused for a while in a nice meadow before heading back to the campground.

Two features of the Trail and Canyon contributed to our enjoyment: being constantly near the stream, hearing the rush of water and seeing the many cascades and small waterfalls, and the abundance of interesting flowers, mosses, lichen, even butterflies. As a result, we frequently paused to admire things around us, and to take photos in hopes of being able to convey to others what we were experiencing (and for our own memories).

We had planned this for a short hike to leave time to visit Red River and to attend a Chuckwagon Supper and a concert by Michael Martin Murphey at his Rocking 3M Ranch. This made for a really enjoyable evening – good food, wonderful music, in a beautiful place.

Statistics

Total Distance: 3.07 miles
Elevation: start 7,917 ft, maximum 8,324 ft, minimum 7,910 ft
Gross gain: 414 ft. Aggregate ascending 910 ft, descending 916 ft
Maximum slope: 39% ascending, 37% descending, 9.0% average
Duration: 2:44

Columbine Hike.PatThomas.2019-08-22 (KML)	113 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Columbine Hike.PatThomas.2019-08-22 (GPX)	102 Downloads

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.

References and Resources

The Campground:
    USDA Forest Service: Columbine Campground
    Recreation.gov: Columbine Campground (Nm)
    TheDyrt: Columbine Campground (Nm) (reviews)

The Trail:
USDA Forest Service: Columbine Canyon Trail #71
AllTrails: Columbine Trail

George's Photos w/ Captions: Click on a Photo for Gallery Show.

This is a collection of photos of plant life that makes these hikes in the New Mexico mountains so fascinating. The colors of the things growing catch our attention and we stop often to admire them, and attempt to capture them in photos. This collection has flowers we encountered (it was late in the summer, we imagine there are many more a month ago), brightly colorful leaves and berries, interesting lichen and mosses, and the most interesting patterns of bark on the aspen and fir trees.

George's Flower Photos: Click on a Photo for Gallery Show.

Juan-Saddleback Hike – 11/11/2018

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Having recently hiked Little Tesuque Creek (the Little Tesuque Trail) and going left onto the La Piedra Trail towards the Dale Ball Trails, for this hike our plan was to continue on the Juan Trail to the junction with the Saddleback Trail, and take Saddleback as far as we wished. The weather was a bit wintery, cloudy and almost cold with the chance for snow.

The Hike

Juan-Saddleback Hike.Jay.2018-11-11

Little Tesuque Creek had a nice flow of water, no doubt melt from recent snow storms; the sound of running water always adds a nice touch. Leaving Little Tesqueu, (about .2 miles) we started uphill on a well used trail. At about .8 miles we attained the top of the ridge where Juan Trail descended into a canyon going northwest to join the Winsor Trail and Saddleback turned to the east.

Saddleback Trail continues on top of this ridge. We encountered some snow in shaded areas left over from recent snowstorms. We continued for a mile as snow flurries came and went, providing occasionally nice views across Santa Fe and to the north towards Tesuque and Espanola. We found a nice spot for our mid-hike break, warmed up with coffee and a nip of tequila, then headed back. ‘Twas a nice hike, and nice day for hiking.

Jay here: There has to be at least one hike each winter where the snow flies and this was the one for 2018. The flakes started out small but then got fat as we were along the saddle ridge. The tequila proved to be helpful when we stopped for coffee break. When you’re not moving, you’re not generating any body heat, so the tequila is the ideal cure for a/the cold.

Statistics

Total Distance: 3.99 miles
Elevation: start 7,537 ft, maximum 8,432 ft, minimum 7,498 ft
Gross gain: 934 ft. Aggregate ascending 1,153 ft, descending 1,148 ft
Maximum slope: 32% ascending, 34% descending, 10.0% average
Duration: 3:14