On so many trips driving south in I-25, we’ve passed right by the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge without any thought of visiting there. But after our trip to Bosque del Apache and a review we came across, we went to explore it.

The Drive In

Sevilleta NWR is very accessible, just 50 miles south of Albuquerque with its own exit from I-25 (milepost 169). The Visitors Center is west of the Interstate; to the east are the ponds with abundant waterfowl (an outpost of Bosque del Apache). In these days of Covid-19 the Visitors Center is closed, and a gate block drive-in entrance. It is a short walk to the Center and the trailheads for the 3 highlighted trails.

The Hike

We came to hike, so we began on the Mesa View Trail, leaving for later a decision about continuing on around the Ladrones Vista Trail. The first 1.5 miles is below the mesa to the west and thus not much elevation change. The trail surface is generally gravel and rock, well used (or maintained?) and easy walking.

The ascent up onto the mesa follows a shallow arroyo, with an easy climb that steepens near the top (~15% slope). The trail along the edge of the mesa provides excellent views – northeast to Sierra Ladrones, west across the open plains, to the east the Rio Grande valley and beyond the Los Piños Mountains, and to the southwest Polvadera Mountain and the Magdalena Mountains beyond. At 2.63 miles we identified the cutoff back to the Visitors Center. Having been forewarned by Jay & Nancy about a very steep section, we suspected it was here. The descent did look foreboding.

Without much further consideration, and seeking a longer hike, we continued on to complete the circumnavigation via the Ladrones Vista Trail. Throughout the hike the trail made for easy ambulating – travel, sometimes sand, at other times a bit of rocky surface, and much of the trail was edged by rocks. The views continued to be splendid particularly as the sun moved to the west. At 3.5 miles the trail turned east, an easy descent back toward the Visitors Center. At about the 4.0 mile point we came upon a pole shelter where, out of the wind behind a juniper tree, we stopped to have our lunch.

Highlight

We recommend Sevillita NWR for a visit in autumn, winter, and spring – it is likely to be quite hot in the summer. It is so accessible (near Abq, Socorro and adjacent to I-25), the hike isn’t strenuous, and it is more interesting than we thought it would be. And I suspect it will be even more interesting when the Visitors Center is open, presenting more information with which to capitalize on this NWR.

Statistics

Total Distance:  5.0 miles
Elevation: start  4,831 ft, maximum  5,090 ft,  minimum 4,794 ft
Gross gain: 296 ft.  Aggregate ascending 577 ft, descending 574 ft
Maximum slope: 18% ascending, 20% descending, 3.8% average
Duration: 4:00

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

Fish & Wildlife Service: Sevilleta
New Mexico State Parks: Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge
New Mexico Magazine: Unlocking the Sevilleta
AllTrails: Best trails in Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico
Amigos de la Ssevilleta: Visiting Sevilleta

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

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

This day we returned to the Quebradas Back Country Byway, having visited Ojo de Amado 3 weeks earlier.  ‘Twas our plan to drive further south on the Byway, and find our way to “Singing Rock” in Arroyo del Tajo. A friend Lanny had told us about it, and after some research we located on GoogleEarth. And finding a great article by the geocaching folks, we chose the approach to Singing Rock from the east, a 2 mile hike down down the Arroyo from the Byway.

The Drive In

I described the drive in on the post for the Ojo de Amado Hike; I’ve included some photos in the gallery below of signs along the way. (But you probably won’t see the longhorn when you head that way.) Just as the Byway approaches Arroyo del Tajo, we found a nice parking area to the right.

The Hike

Donning our packs, we proceeded down the wash in the bottom of the Arroyo. It was mostly large particle sand interspersed with rocks. About a mile in we came upon an old rock building – ’tis interesting to imagine when and for what it was used. From there we departed the wash for higher ground – a ridge that gave us quite a view in all directions. It was also a fine spot to break for the first half of our lunch.

We continued on the ridge and soon could see the narrowing of the Arroyo where we suspected we would find Singing Rock. We descended back into the wash and entered a cañon that amazed us. Passing through the entrance we found ourselves in a huge gallery, very high vertical walls, only a few yards wide – top and bottom of the cañon sides. We continued through the canyon looking for holes in the walls; there were many but most were high above the wash. Near the end, we found a few, two of which were at a height we could stick your heads into them. I tested each with my limited range of ‘musical notes’, and think a note low in my range seemed to be amplified by the cavity. Matching my photo with one from Lanny, I conclude – these were the Singing Rocks.

We decided to take a different route back to the truck, to take a different arroyo back to the Byway. Much like Arroyo del Tajo, the wash was sand with rock – not difficult walking. And for some stretches we would walk up on the banks where the surface was harder and smoother. Nearing the Byway, we turned into a small side canyon, then cross country to the Byway and back to the truck, where we had our 2nd half lunch on the tailgate. Another great hike in this Land of Enchantment.

Statistics

Total Distance:  5.3 miles
Elevation: start  5,133 ft, maximum  5,198 ft,  minimum  4,904 ft
Gross gain:  194 ft.  Aggregate ascending  746 ft, descending  746 ft
Maximum slope: 50% ascending, 27% descending, 4.0% average
Duration: 6:05

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.

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

‘Tis winter and there is still snow in the mountains, so we turned south for dry roads and hiking, plus March is a better time of year to visit places that are as open as the Quebradas Back Country Byway – it will be hot in the summer. Through research I identified a place of interest not far from the entrance to the Byway: Ojo de Amado and Bursum Springs, the Gonzales Mine, and an arch somewhere nearby.

The Drive In

Getting off of I-25 at Escondida, then through the village, over the the railroad tracks and Rio Grande, then left at the sign to the Quebradas Back Country Byway. We continued on this dirt/gravel road (“New Mexico pavement”, by our categorization a Class 3 road) for about 3 miles, then a turnoff to the right where we parked.

The Hike

The hike commenced downhill into Cañon de los Piños on a two-track (for us, a Class 4 road). Reaching the bottom we identified the excavation in the south side of the cañon that we took to be the Gonzales Mine. The formation had quite interesting features, layers of some flaky material separating gray rock material. We could imagine students from the nearby New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology making field trips to get acquainted with this geology. I had read that there was a rock arch nearby, so we walked down the cañon floor for a half mile or so. On the way back up the cañon we took a brief look into a side cañon – possibly it would be up there out of our sight.

The next point of interest was a (dry) waterfall that we saw on our way down into the canyon – the Ojo de Amado and the Bursum Spring. The rock face for the waterfall was most interesting. Curious about what was above the waterfall, we searched for a means to get above it. We saw indications of a path up the west hillside, but chose not to pursue it further and returned to the truck.

Still curious about what was above Ojo de Amado, back on the Byway we drove a bit further, parked along a small two-track, and walked to the edge where we could see down into the cañon. It satisfied our curiosity – there was another pond above Ojo de Amado, which we presume is Bursum Spring. With the great scenery across this backcountry, we set up the “kitchen” for our afternoon repast, then returned to the truck and home.

Statistics

Hike #1:
Total Distance:  2.26 miles
Elevation: start  4,875 ft, maximum  5,021 ft,  minimum  4,829 ft Gross gain:  193 ft
Aggregate ups & downs:  ascending  381 ft, descending  381 ft
Maximum slope: 43% ascending, 36% descending, 5.7% average
Duration: 2:23

Hike #2:
Total Distance:  0.5  miles
Elevation: start  5,082 ft, maximum  5,085 ft,  minimum  4,954  ft Gross gain:  131
Aggregate ups & downs:  ascending  173 ft, descending  174 ft
Maximum slope: 51% ascending, 39% descending, 13.2% average
Duration: 1:03

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

BLM: Quebradas Backcountry Byway
NM Bureau of Geology & Mineral Resources:
      A Geologic Guide to the Qebradas Back Country Byway
      Quebradas Guide  20120 (PDF)                        
New Mexico True: Quebradas Backcoutry Scenic Byway
Recreation.gov: Quebradas Backcountry Byway
Dog of the Desert: Gonzales Mine from the Quebradas Byway
Southern New Mexico Explorer: Arroyo del Tajo – Quebradas Backcountry Byway
Southwest Armchair Traveler: #Hiking #NewMexico – Bursum Springs, Quebradas
Geocaching: Singing Rock

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