Drove up the Crest Highway to Sandia Crest for a hike with Pat and Peyton.
The Hike
Crest Trail, Pat & Peyton, 8/22/2016
From Albuquerque, the Crest was shrouded in clouds. And the clouds were still hanging around when we arrived at the Crest House. None the less, we had a very nice hike, first north on the Crest Trail for 3/4 of a mile, then south for half a mile.
Statistics
Total Distance: 2.83 miles Elevation: 10,389 start, 10,419 maximum, 10,145 minimum Gross gain: 244. Aggregate 593 ft ascending, 596 ft descending Maximum slope: 45% ascending, 46% descending, 7.5% average Duration: 2:18
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.
Having hiked in in various places in the Ojito Wilderness, we came to expand our familiarity with this most interesting place. We drove out Cabezon Road to Pipeline Road, to explore this route into the Rio Puerco valley. It was a bit chilly in 10-15 knot winds starting out on this hike.
The Drive In
The road from US 550 is Class 3: well traveled dirt, fine in dry conditions, but not a place to go after rain or if there is snow on the road. From US 550, go south on Cabezon Road. Continue past the White Mesa Bike Trails for 1.3 miles, turn right to stay on Cabezon Road. Continue another 6.7 miles to the gas pipeline station. Turn right onto Pipeline Road (Class 4), proceed for 1.6 miles, turn right onto the 2nd 2-track, Class 5. You will pass between a fence and a set of corals; parking is 9/10ths of a mile off of Pipeline Road. The 2-track is relatively good but only with a high-clearance vehicle (we use a Tacoma 4WD pickup).
The Hike
Mesita de Ricardo Hike, 12/04/2016
Our hike started from parking at a fence, across about 6/10ths of a mile of level, open terrain, to rocky ridges with mesas another 1/4 to 1/2 of a mile beyond. We proceeded northeast towards -the- Meseta de Ricardo, generally following a track from ASCHG. Along the way, I looked intently for petrified wood, having found same in earlier hikes in similar terrain (see captions in George’s Photos). At one point, we entered a small canyon and encountered a 10′ rock wall, so it was backtrack and find a way up and around it.
Flora for this hike: Cholla cactus in its winter finery.
We continued northeast towards Meseta de Ricardo, stopping for coffee in the lee of the mesa and a rock outcropping to be out of the wind. From here we found ourselves diverging from the ASCHG hike, reaching a point where we made a sharp right turn to get back to their track. It was fortunate for us, as from their description we didn’t have a difficult descent from the top of the meas, and … we came across an area of rocks lying about that we concluded must be petrified tree trunks (check the photos below). This was a great way to finish the interesting part of the hike; from here it was back across the valley to the truck.
We will return for more exploring. And this is a great area to visit for just exploring; it is just an hour from Bernalillo and interesting sights are close enough that long hiking isn’t required.
Jay here: For someone who had the remnants of a rotten cold (carrying a ton of kleenex), this turned out to be a very fascinating hike. The winds almost pushed across the flat start of the hike and over some very different terrain for us. Getting up close to hoodoos and other rock formations was a big attraction but the petrified trees we came upon at late stage of the hike was the big bonus. You almost don’t believe that you’re looking at ancient trees that time has turned into stone. Definitely going back for a closer look.
Statistics
Total Distance: 3.18 miles Elevation: 5,821 start, 5,986 maximum, 5,816 minimum Gross gain: 165 ft. Aggregate ascending 436 ft, descending: 433 ft Maximum slope: 27% ascending, 35% descending, 4% average Duration: 2:50
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.
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.
Just a short drive out of Albuquerque, then south on South 14 (oops, that is now NM 337), Oak Flats is an Albuquerque Open Spaces trail. The terrain is quite level, forested, and provides an easy trail surface – lots of pine needles.
The Hike
Ponderosa Hike in Oak Flats out of Tijeras (Pat, 2016-11-03)
Statistics
Total Distance: 3.78 miles Elevation: 7,535 start, 7,567 maximum, 7,285 minimum Gross gain: 282 ft. Aggregate ascending 342 ft, descending: 346 ft Maximum slope: 17% ascending, 14% descending, 3% average Duration: 2:02
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.
Flora for this hike: Mountain Oak in it’s autumn finery.
The weather forecast called for cold and windy conditions, with a likelihood of snow. ‘Tho we planned to head out into the Ojito Wilderness, these conditions would make for an unpleasant hike. So, we changed our plans and headed for the east side of the Sandia Mountains. Using the Sandia Mountains Hiking Guide, we opted for this loop, thinking we would be sheltered from the wind among the trees. That proved to be partially true – we had some strong winds part of the time and cold when clouds covered the sun.
The Hike
Armijo-Faulty-Cienega Trails, Hike 11/27/2016
This is an easy hike, ‘tho with a large elevation gain. The trail is in ponderosa, fir, and juniper forest throughout; the surface varies from needle-covered dirt to some rocky areas. In a few spots there was a fair amount of deadfall, particularly in one section coming down Cienega Canyon. There was also many areas where clearing had been taking place, leaving large piles of branches and limbs.
Jay here: One man’s easy is another man’s huff and puff. George likes elevation variety and we did have that. The ice and snow covered canyon side trek down toward end of hike was not the thrill ride I was looking for and the cold wind on the high ground made it a challenging albeit shorter hike.
Statistics
Total Distance: 5.81 miles Elevation: 7,268 start, 7,877 maximum, 7,090 minimum Gross gain: 787 ft. Aggregate ascending 1,392 ft, descending: 1,392 ft Maximum slope: 25% ascending, 30% descending,99% average Duration: 3:12
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.
Returning, this time with Jay, to one of my favorite hiking sites. It is far off the beaten path, some 30 miles from US highway 550, much of that distance on dirt roads. Although the road is well graded, one should not head out this way soon after any precipitation.
The Drive In
Drive-in route from US 550, via CR 279, through San Luis, the -old- village of Guadalupe, past the Guadalupe Mesa ruins, to Tapia Canyon.
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 vistas across the Rio Puerco are or so beautiful I can’t resist including them in this post.
The Hike
This hike is through the bottom of a wide canyon with walls from 50′ to 150′ high. The surface varies from rocky through sandy to grass covered ground. “Trees” are mostly salt cedar (tamarisk) along the wash that wanders back and forth across the canyon. This is not a good place for summer hiking.
Track of the hike in Tapia Canyon, 11/19/2016.
Of great interest are 3 or 4 section of the canyon walls with large collections of petroglyphs, beginning about 2.2 miles or so up the canyon. There are few under an overhang on the left (south) wall (not easy to find), then a large collection 30′ to 40′ or so above the canyon wall on the right (north) wall at 2.3 miles into the hike. One can get close to the petroglypns by climbing some 30′ up on a mound that sits next to the wall (see photos below).
Further up the canyon, there is an arch on the right, an entrance to a slot side-canyon, where we began our return route. Following clues from others who hiked here previously, we found a route to ascend to the south mesa top. Although the wall seemed to have no breaks in it, we found a series of steps cut (or worn) into a 15′ section of rock leading to ‘navigable’ terrain that permitted us to get up on the mesa top. From there we visited the Tower Ruins, then back down into the canyon and returned to the parking spot.
A view from atop the mesa east of Tapia Canyon, near the Tower Ruins.
Jay here: Once again, this was a hike where George encouraged me to exceed my comfort level by climbing atop the mesa via ancient “steps” worn into the rock face of the canyon. It was worth getting to the top although I avoided any backward looks as I made my way up. Ironically, the route down would have been easier but lacked the drama.
Statistics
Total Distance: 5.77 miles Elevation: 5,957 start, 6,167 maximum, 5,929 minimum Gross gain: 238 ft. Aggregate ascending 928 ft, descending: 928 ft Maximum slope: 31% ascending, 29% descending, 4% average Duration: 3:31
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.
Jay & I have looked forward for many months to tackle this hike, having been put off on our first try by a rare rainy day, and since then waiting for cooler fall weather.
The Hike
Red Mesa HIke.Jay.2016-11-13
From the parking lot, up the hillside, the terrain was fairly easy; we were following in general a track downloaded from ASCHG. The terrain was not too steep and the ground was dirt with some rocks, and very interesting rocks and rock outcroppings. After following a two-track about 2/3 of the distance to the top of the loop, we then picked up a bike trail (this area is adjacent to the Red Mesa Bike Trials area, frequented by off-road bicyclists). We’re still wondering where the bike trail came from and where it went.
After our mid-hike coffee break, we headed down the other side of the loop. But .. that canyon just west of our track was very deep and narrow, with very steep sides. The one place where we were able to descend into that canyon, we encountered a pool of water from wall-to-wall. So we ascended back up to higher terrain, then found it necessary to work our way up the side canyons until they were shallow enough to permit us to cross. All in all, this was an interesting hike, and the area is worth exploring more in the future.
Jay here: That mountain bike track was insane. It went along side deep canyons, over extensive ledges, and had numerous jumps of 2-3′ landing on irregular rock surfaces. The only way I could watch someone ride that trail is with my eyes closed. A very strenuous hike for one that we thought would be easier.
Statistics
Total Distance: 4.57 miles Elevation: 5,534 start, 6,372 maximum, 5,534 minimum Gross gain: 833 ft. Aggregate ascending 1,056 ft, descending: 1,057 ft Maximum slope: 27% ascending, 26% descending, 7% average Duration: 4:34
Seeking out trails that we haven’t yet visited, this weekend we returned to the Jemez Mountains, to Stable Canyon (thanks to ASCHG for description and track info). Although it is mid-October and the forest is showing it’s autumn colors, the daytime temperatures are still nearly hot, so the description of “Cool shady hike along the Guadalupe River and up a green canyon …” made this hike appealing to us.
The Hike
FR 376-Stable Canyon Hike.Jay.2016-10-16
We first tried to cross the Guadalupe River near the entrance to the canyon, to spend more time in Stable Canyon and thus eliminating the .4 mile approach along the River. We pushed our way through some mean brambles, scouting 600 yards of the River, but we could not find a suitable crossing. Oh well, we capitulated and drove on up the road, crossed the bridge at Porter, and headed back south on a good two-track to the mouth of the Canyon.
The trail follows the bottom of Stable Canyon, a steady tho’ not steep ascent among Ponderosa pine, gambel oak, some aspen, and in some places more of those nasty brambles. The sides of the canyon are quite steep, but the trail follows an ancient two-track mostly without rocks. The trail is well traveled for one so remote, (it appeared most frequently by cattle), so the walking is very easy although in many places one must push through or under spare undergrowth. About midway up the Canyon we found a small stream of water in the creek bed, adding to this most pleasant hike.
Jay here: The river may have defeated us this time, but next time it won’t be so lucky. I’m thinking that if we carry 2 super duty Hefty trash bags with us, we can gather up one on each leg and get across the Guadalupe without no stinkin’ boots. It was a relatively easy hike in terms of elevation gain but offered many moments for contemplation. Listening to the wind rustle the trees when we stopped for coffee only amplified how quiet and serene the trail can be and how restorative a walk in the woods can be.
Statistics
Total Distance: 4.15 miles Elevation: 7,219 start, 7,670 maximum, 7,179 minimum Gross gain: 451 ft. Aggregate ascending 1,130 ft, descending: 1,130 ft Maximum slope: 40% ascending, 40% descending, 9% average Duration:3:02
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.
On our 3rd day in Taos, Pat & I drove up to Taos Ski Valley to see the scenery and check out the ski resort. On the way we stopped in Arroyo Seco, where the Taos Cow serves what is reputedly the best ice cream in New Mexico (we successfully resisted the temptation this time). Like the drive up Red River Canyon, the trees, shrubs, and grasses were in full autumn color.
The Drive In
There was not much to see at the resort (major construction is under way), but we were enticed by signs to hike up to Williams Lake.
The Hike
Williams Lake Hike
As you can see from the Elevation Profile above, we started at 10,187 feet and climbed to 11,142, nearly 1,000 feet elevation gain. This is a well-traveled trail, starting out on a two-track road, then becoming a wide foot trail, all quite rocky. The climb was quite steady, never too steep, and we found we could follow trails with much nicer surfaces through the forest parallel to the rocky trail.
Highlight
From the picture above, maybe you can get an idea of how beautiful the scenery is, looking up at the mountains above the tree line including Mount Wheeler, the highest mountain in New Mexico.
Statistics
Total Distance: 3.96 miles Elevation: start 10,222 ft, maximum 11,122 ft, minimum 10,190 ft Gross gain: 932 ft. Aggregate ascending 1,179 ft, descending 1,178 ft Maximum slope: 40% ascending, 42% descending, 10% average Duration: 2:55
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.
Day two of our visit to Taos – Pat & I drove the Enchanted Circle from Taos to Questa, through the Red River Canyon to Eagle Nest, then south and west back to Taos, having driven fully around Mount Wheeler, the tallest mountain in New Mexico. In a conversation with a lady in a shop in Eagle Nest, we took a side trip to Cimarron for lunch at the Saint James Hotel.
Enchanted Circle Driveabout
Our timing for this trip could not have been better to enjoy the autumn colors in New Mexico. On the way to Questa we passed by bright yellow cottonwood trees all along the highway, and we could see on the mountain 5 to 10 miles distant great splashes of yellow aspen. Driving up Red River Canyon, there was hardly a break in the continuous flow of cottonwood and aspen in their full autumn color – bright golden yellow – with other trees and grasses adding their colors. Scattered along the way were amazing cliffs, hundreds of feet above the roadway, adding even more spectacle to the drive – truly spectacular.
Highlight
The attraction in Cimarron was the St James Hotel, the site of some early history in the west which reportedly left the hotel Haunted. We didn’t see any ghosts or other signs of skulduggery, but we had a nice lunch in their restaurant. The drive back delivered more New Mexico Enchantment (‘tho nothing like the drive up the Red River).
Statistics
Total Distance: 143 miles Elevation: start 6,949 ft, maximum 9,913 ft, minimum 6,513 ft Gross gain: 3,400 ft. Aggregate ascending 19,610 ft, descending 19,548 ft Maximum slope: 28% ascending, 27% descending, 3.8% average Duration: 5:42
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.
