Category Archives: Santa Fe

In the vicinity of Santa Fe, NM.

Dale Ball Loop North Trail Hike – 05/23/2019

May 31, 2019

As part of a trip to Santa Fe, we sought out a medium length trail, chose this loop in the Dale Ball Trails system.

The Drive In

The trail begins in the Sierra del Norte Trailhead, the first one heading up Hyde Park Road. There is ample parking there, and it serves as the trailhead for other trails in Dale Ball.

The Hike

We were greeted by a sign with everything one would like to know about the trial – a superb map with numbers identifying the junctions. And on the trail – copies of this map along with separate signs identifying the direction to proceed to the next numbered junction for your hike. The trail segments are well used, sandy and mostly smooth, amply wide – makes for easy traversing. The slope is general throughout – no really steep sections.

The trail we chose basically goes around the crest of a 250′ hill. First on the east side of the hill the views are towards the southern end of the Sangre de Cristo mountains with the Santa Fe Ski slopes to the north east. As one rounds to the west side of the hill the view is across Santa Fe, the Rio Grande valley, and on to the Parajito Mesa and the Jemez Mountains. Our trail finished back on the east side, where we encountered the steeper slopes back down to parking.

Statistics

Total Distance: 1.55 miles
Elevation: start 7,584 ft, maximum 7,831 ft, minimum 7,581 ft
Gross gain: 247 ft. Aggregate ascending 369 ft, descending 370 ft
Maximum slope: 24% ascending, 27% descending, 8.1% average
Duration: 0:54

Dale Ball Loop North.Pat.2019-05-23 (KML)	214 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Dale Ball Loop North.Pat.2019-05-23 (GPX)	157 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

Santa Fe County: Santa Fe Foothill Trails Map (PDF)
Santa Fe Conservation Trust: Dale Ball Trails
AllTrails: Dale Ball Trails North (we confined our hike to the southern end)

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

Hyde Park Full Circle Trail Hike – 05/05/2019

May 9, 2019

Near Santa Fe today, up Hyde Park Road into the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, to a trail new to us – the Hyde Park Circle West and East trails. Another beautiful spring day in New Mexico – comfortably cool temperature to start out (about 9:00 AM) and at the higher elevation (~10,000 ft); became a bit warm as we finished back down in Little Tesuque Canyon. (The snow on the photo above is higher on the Sangre de Cristo, just scenery for us today.)

The Hike

We started on the trailhead across from the Hyde Park Lodge, for the Hyde Park Circle West Trail. As others report, the trail up from the trailhead is –steep–, but it’s a good surface and obviously well used (we encountered a dozen or so people on the trail). The trail is almost entirely in the shade of piñon and ponderosa trees that helps keep it cool at this high elevation under sun and the clear New Mexico sky. After a gain of nearly 1,000 feet, the trail is more level following the ridge northbound. Then the descent back down into the canyon, to the trailhead at the northern end of the Circle West Trail, is steep thankfully with many switchbacks .

The description that we read for returning to the parking area followed the Piggyback Trail which runs parallel to NM 475 (Hyde Park Rd). But signs pointed us to the East Circle Trail that passes east of the road and above the campsites in the Hyde Park State Park. This was a very pleasant stretch, a nice surface of mostly ponderosa needles, and gradually downhill back to where we parked. ‘Twas another great hike; because we did both West and East, I’ve given this hike the name Hyde Park Full Circle Hike. Jay here: My legs were still sore 2 days later. 1,000 feet of elevation right off the bat can do that to you. If that were not enough, then you descend a steep hillside trying not to slide off all the switchbacks. Your brake drums will be very hot when you get to the bottom, I guarantee. Note: Parking and the trails are within the Hyde Park Memorial State Park, so payment of a $5.00 fee (or annual pass for NM State Parks) is required; pay at the Hyde Park Lodge.

Statistics

Total Distance: 3.37 miles
Elevation: start 8,378 ft, maximum 9,313 ft, minimum 8,378 ft
Gross gain: 935 ft. Aggregate ascending 1,206 ft, descending 1,229 ft
Maximum slope: 39% ascending, 36% descending, 13.3% average
Duration: 3:15

Full Circle Trail Hike.Jay.2019-05-05 (KML)	221 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Full Circle Trail Hike.Jay.2019-05-05 (GPX)	57 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

NMParks: Hyde Memorial State Park Trails (pdf)
AllTrails: West Cirle Trail Loop
MathProfHiker: Hyde Memorial State Park: Circle Trail
A is for Adventure: Circle Trail at Hyde Memorial State Park

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

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

La Tierra-Calabasas Trail Hike – 04/06/2019

April 28, 2019

We sought a trail in the Santa Fe area, but not in the Sangre de Christos – still lots of snow even at middle elevations. We decided on explore Santa Fe’s La Tierra Trails, a web of trails for hiking and biking. Somewhat arbitrarily, we chose the Calabasas Trail.

The Drive In

Access is off of NM 599 (Santa Fe Bypass) about 4 miles south of US 84 – Camino de los Montoyas. Follow this for a mile where you will find a large parking lot on the right. Cross the street to the Calabasas Trailhead.

The Hike

As one would expect for trails suitable for biking, they are wide, sandy, and relatively smooth – easy walking and easy to follow (in spite of the network in La Tierra). Driving by the road that leads to La Tierra Trails, the area appeared to be not very exciting and I suspected it would be heavily used, being so close to Santa Fe. But I was pleasantly surprise – tho’ the trail was ‘plain’ (not much in the way of interesting geology or plant life), the views to the west, across the Rio Grande to the Jemez Mountains, were scenic. The trail was easy going, there was some elevation change, and we saw few hikers or bikers. It’s close and offers a good workout.

Statistics

Total Distance: 3.78 miles
Elevation: start 7,233 ft, maximum 7,233 ft, minimum 6,963 ft
Gross gain: 270 ft. Aggregate ascending 535 ft, descending 634 ft
Maximum slope: 12% ascending, 16% descending, 5.6% average
Duration: 2:14

La Tierra-Calabasas Hike.Jay.2019-04-06 (KML)	121 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
La Tierra-Calabasas Hike.Jay.2019-04-06 (GPX)	81 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

City of Santa Fe: La Tierra Trails (pdf)
Santa Fe new Mexican: Trail riders: A trip to Calabassas Trailhead at La Tierra Trails
Broken Spoke: La Tierra Trails (great interactive map)

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

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

Soda Springs Hike – 03/24/2019

March 24, 2019

We went looking for a somewhat easy hike for this day, since we’ve had a few weeks away from the trails. And something near Santa Fe. I was familiar with Diablo Canyon from a hike down the Canyon with Pat a bit over a year ago. I found references to this hike, Soda Springs (see References below) – it appeared to fit our goals.

The Drive In

The hike begins at the Diablo Canyon Trailhead, about 3 miles beyond the Diablo Canyon Recreation Area. It is a long drive from NM 599, about five mile on pavement, then some 8 miles on a well maintained and used gravel road. From the interchange on US 84 to NM 599, drive 3.5 miles south on 599 to the exit for Camino la Tierra, (exit 282). After about 4 miles (on pavement), turn right onto Old Buckman Road (a dirt road). These may also be marked as Sandoval County Road 77. Some 7.5 miles on, pass the Recreation Area; continue another 2.5 miles to the Trailhead.

The Hike

The trail begins where Diablo Canyon ends at the eastern bank of the Rio Grande. We first attempted to proceed along the edge of the river, but the vertical cliffs come right down to the water – to go that route would require wading (at least on this day as the Rio was running higher than normal due to the snowmelt coming down from the mountains and being released from the upstream reservoirs).

So, retracing our route for a few hundred yards, we picked up the Forest Service trail markers and pressed ahead on an old two track, weaving around the terrain with some ups-and-downs but easy going. We were shooting for two miles out and hoped that we would be able to descend to the river, based on the Hiking Project track (or sketch?), for our mid-hike break. No such luck, so we found a flat open area offering nice views up, down and across the river, had our coffee etc., and headed back to parking. It felt good to be back on the trail, enjoying New Mexico’s amazing scenery and weather.

Jay here: Been a while since I’ve been on the trail. Strained ankle tendon and ligament had me in physical therapy for a few months, so it was great to be hiking again. Rio Grande was about as high as it’s going to get thanks to good rains and a large snow pack. I clocked that dirt road in at closer to 10 miles but the scenery is worth it. It was amazing to realize that during our coffee break we were looking at folks over in White Rock, standing on a viewing platform where they could see up and down the Rio Grande valley. And look at us drinking coffee!

Statistics

Total Distance: 3.75 miles
Elevation: start 5,467 ft, maximum 5,624 ft, minimum 5,462 ft
Gross gain: 162 ft. Aggregate ascending 658 ft, descending 657 ft
Maximum slope: 21% ascending, 23% descending, 5.5% average
Duration: 2:50

GPS Track Files for Download	Soda Springs Hike.Jay.2019-03-24 (KML)	118 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download	Soda Springs Hike.Jay.2019-03-24 (GPX)	68 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

USDA Forest Service: Soda Springs Trail #306
Santa Fe Outdoors: Soda Springs Loop Trip
Hiking Project: Soda Springs Trail

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

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

Juan-Saddleback Hike – 11/11/2018

December 1, 2018

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

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

Juan-Saddleback Hike.Jay.2018-11-11 (KML)	110 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Juan-Saddleback Hike.Jay.2018-11-11 (GPX)	62 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

Hiking Project: Juan Trail
Saddleback Trail

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

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

Little Tesuque Creek Hike – 10/28/2018

November 5, 2018

‘Twas a beautiful autumn day in New Mexico, ideal temperature, no wind, amazingly colorful cottonwoods down in the canyon, and snow on Mount Baldy. We set out on this hike to explore one of the many trails off of Hyde Park Road, starting in the Little Tesuque Open Space. We had passed by this trailhead on the way to an earlier hike (Chamisa-Saddleback) but had missed seeing the trailhead (parking is alongside the road, no parking lot).

The Hike

Little Tesuque Creek Hike.Jay.2018-10-28

The beginning of the trail isn’t obvious, it angles down into the canyon off of the edge of the road. But once down into Little Tesuque Creek canyon it becomes a trail easy to follow, and easy hiking sloping gently down-stream. A mile into the hike we took the left onto La Piedra Trail, where the sign pointed to the “Dale Ball Trails” (to the right would be towards the Winsor Trail). From here it was uphill to the top of the ridge for great views out across Santa Fe to the southwest, and towards the core of the Sangre de Christos and snow-covered Mount Baldy to the northeast.

We continued on (down), then back up again to a junction, the starting point of a loop and going into La Piedra Open Space. We went around the right side, and at the far end of the loop stopped for our mid-hike break. Here we found a most informative sign with a panorama view and labels identifying major features in across the Rio Grande valley and the Jemez Mountains. Then we headed back (taking the right side again to complete the loop) and retracing our route back to parking.

Jay here: Beautiful New Mexico fall weather makes great hiking opportunities like this one even better. That uphill slog to the top of the ridge must have had close to 40 switchbacks of the type that we do not encounter all that often. If my pointing finger is going to continue getting such a prominent role in the photos I will have to consider getting a pre-hike manicure.

Little Tesuque Creek Hike.Jay.2018-10-28 (KML)	128 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Little Tesuque Creek Hike.Jay.2018-10-28 (GPX)	67 Downloads

References

Wanderlist: Short Hikes Right in Santa Fe
Forest Service: Tesuque Creek Trail #152
Santa Fe Conservation Trust: La Piedra Trail Connection
High Desert Dirt: The La Piedra Trail – Dale Ball

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

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

Chamisa-Saddleback Hike – 09/16/2018

October 31, 2018

Meeting in Santa Fe these days, we’re exploring trails in the southwestern Sangre de Cristos. For this our first hike, we headed up Hyde Park Road, passing a couple of areas with cars parked alongside the road (but no trailhead evident), then stopping at the first turnout that appeared to be a trailhead. This proved to be the Chamisa Trail, #183.

The Hike

Just a short distance from the road we encountered a junction, where there was a sign: “Alternate Route More Difficult”. Not ready for that, we headed up to the right. Immediately we were going uphill, not steep but steady with a few switchbacks; certainly not “difficult”. Into the hike 1.5 miles, atop a ridge (the “Saddleback”?), we encountered another junction, a trail coming up the canyon from the left – we suspected that this was the other end of the “.. More Difficult” trail (confirmed later on our way down). We continued on the ridge for another 3/4 mile where, with good views from northwest to south, we took our mid-hike break. We returned to the “Saddleback” junction and decided to take the “.. More Difficult” route down through the bottom of the canyon; it was not so difficult (at least going down).

Statistics

Total Distance: 4.01 miles
Elevation: start 7,826 ft, maximum 8,545 ft, minimum 7,826 ft
Gross gain: 719 ft. Aggregate ascending 1,364 ft, descending 1,345 ft
Maximum slope: 40% ascending, 35% descending, 12% average
Duration: 3:07

Chamisa-Saddleback Hike.Jay.2018-09-16 (KML)	468 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Chamisa-Saddleback Hike.Jay.2018-09-16 (GPX	79 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

USDA Forest Service: Chamisa Trail
AllTrails: Chamisa Trail
Trails.com: Chamisa Trail Loop
Santa Fe.com: Hike: the Chamisa Trail
The Hiking Project: Chamisa Trail (Lower)

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

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

Lower Winsor Trail Hike – 08/19/2018

September 18, 2018

This late summer we’re exploring trails close to Santa Fe. For starters, we chose this start of the Winsor Trail as it runs up the canyon of the Tesuque River. Parking is very limited, alongside a narrow residential road off of Bishops Lodge Road.

The Hike

The trail continues on up the road for about 2/3 of a mile, between fences for private property on both sides. One then leaves the road behind for a -real- trail that proceeds up Tesuque Canyon, alongside Big Tesuque Creek. At about 1.2 miles into the hike, we encountered a bridge on which we crossed over to the north (left) side of the creek; we did note a trail that continued up the south side of the creek (later we used it to make a bit of a loop). This would appear to be a trail that is heavily used, so the trail surface made hiking easy throughout. Down deep in the canyon, there are no vista views, but the trail is shaded most of the time which made the hike comfortably cool.

Jay here: Santa Fe environs sure have a multitude of hiking options and just about all of them beat the summer heat. Hiking along a shaded stream most of the way out is what we call refreshing. And hiking at 7,000 plus feet in elevation is also a change of pace for us given that a lot of our hikes start around 5,800 feet and rarely get to more than 7,000 feet.

Statistics

Total Distance: 5.33 miles
Elevation: start 6,987 ft, maximum 7,665 ft, minimum 6,987 ft
Gross gain: 678 ft. Aggregate ascending ft, descending ft
Maximum slope: 26% ascending, 23% descending, 5.3% average
Duration: 3:53

Winsor Hike.Jay.2018-08-19 (KML)	197 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Winsor Hike.Jay.2018-08-19(GPX)	69 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

ASCHG: Tesuque Creek to Chamisa Trail Hike
Hiking Project: Winsor National Recreation Trail
Wanderlist: Short Hikes Right in Santa Fe – Tesuque Creek Trail
AllTrails: Tesuque Creek Trail (Closed)
Note: it is not closed, ‘tho there is minimal parking
Santa Fe New Mexican: Trails: Winsor Trail has Storied History

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Jay's Photos: Click on a Photo for Gallery Show

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

Diablo Canyon Hike – 12/23/2017

January 1, 2018

Pat & I went looking for new territory; checked for opportunities around Santa Fe since we needed to take the Tacoma in for servicing. We were pleased to find a few opportunities more or less on our way from Albuquerque … and near the canyon through which the Rio Grande flows on its way to Cochiti Lake (White Rock Canyon). Diablo Canyon appeared to be interesting, and would allow us to reach the Rio Grande.

The Drive In

‘Tis a bit of a drive from NM 599, paved for a while, then a well-used gravel/sand road; about 22 miles to the Diablo Canyon Recreation Area. The trailhead and trail are easy to find – a few yards and down into the sandy bottom of the Canyon in the Diablo Canyon Recreation Area. It is a long drive from NM 599, about five mile on pavement, then some 8 miles on a well maintained and used gravel road. From the interchange on US 84 to NM 599, drive 3.5 miles south on 599 to the exit for Camino la Tierra, (exit 282). After about 4 miles (on pavement), turn right onto Old Buckman Road (a dirt road). These may also be marked as Sandoval County Road 77. Some 7.5 miles on, pass the Recreation Area; continue another 2.5 miles to the Trailhead.

The Hike

The beginning of the trail is through a -real- canyon – vertical walls on both sides, at least 300 feet high with the flo or only 50 feet wide. And we discovered that the walls are favored by rock climbers – there were two groups at it when we arrived, with climbers gripping the rock about half way up. We were in the canyon for about half a mile, then the track opened up with a mesa on the left (south) and open scrubland on the right (north).

We walked at times on the sand of the canyon’s wash (always looking for a surface more firm than loose sand), at other times among the sparse juniper brush along the wash. ‘Twas like this all the way to the river, where we enjoyed our mid-hike break listening to the Rio Grand flow over rocks creating a Class II rapids. The return hike was easy. We found a group of climbers in the Canyon, with one climber still up on the wall (see last photo below).

Statistics

Total Distance: 6.48 miles
Elevation: start 5,844 ft, maximum 5,844 ft, minimum 5,459 ft
Gross gain: 385 ft. Aggregate ascending 829 ft, descending 929 ft
Maximum slope: NA% ascending, NA% descending, NA% average
Duration: 4:30

Diablo Canyon Hike.Pat.2017-12-23 (KML)	135 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Diablo Canyon Hike.Pat.2017-12-23 (GPX)	114 Downloads

Note for this track: Disregard what appears to be a track that goes up on the wall within the canyon. The GPS looses satellite signals in canyons like this and records erroneous positions.

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

BLM: Diablo Canyon Recreation Area
Recreation.gov: Diablo Canyon Recreation Area, NM
ASCHG: Diablo Canyon Hike
AllTrails: Diablo Canyon
Only in Your State:
The Unrivaled Canyon Hike In New Mexico Everyone Should T ke At Least Once (great photos)
Mountain Project: Diablo Canyon Rock Climbing
YouTube: Diablo Canyon Recreation Area
Wikipedia: Caja del Rio

George's Photos: Click on a Photo to show Gallery.

The Drive In

The Hike

Statistics

References

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The Hike

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The Drive In

The Hike

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The Drive In

The Hike

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The Hike

Statistics

References

The Hike

References

The Hike

Statistics

References

The Hike

Statistics

References

The Drive In

The Hike

Statistics

Note for this track: Disregard what appears to be a track that goes up on the wall within the canyon. The GPS looses satellite signals in canyons like this and records erroneous positions.

References