Category Archives: 2017

Red Canyon Hike – 04/08/2017

April 17, 2017

This weekend Jay and I set up our R-Pod camper at the Manzano Mountains State Campground, as a shakedown for future trips further afield. And it brought us near to four of the fine trails in the Manzano Mountains.

The Hike

Flora for this hike: One knows spring is on the way when the dandelions bloom.

Our first hike of the weekend was up the Red Canyon trail. Parking in the lot for hikers at the Red Canyon campground, we headed uphill circumventing the campground itself with its small corrals for horses. Following what we believed was -the- trail, it soon petered out; checking the GPS we discovered that we needed to descend to the bottom of the canyon where we found a well-worn trail.

Flora for this hike: Sprouts coming forth for the springtime.

The remainder of the trail continued along the running stream, crossing back and forth numerous times. Highlights of this trail, aside from the stream, are the waterfalls, small and large; the sounds of running water add a very nice touch to the ambiance of hiking on this trail.

We were not too far into the hike when we encountered snow in shade along the trail, and as we got higher in elevation even found sections where the trail was covered with snow for 20 or 30 feet. Despite the snow, we found plants beginning their growing season.

Jay here: This is one of the most picturesque hikes we’ve ever done and if you want the same experience we had, you need to do the hike in April or first week in May. The snow melt created dozens (no exaggeration) of waterfalls all along the trail. The upper portions of the hike were hard on us as they were above 9,000 feet and we were used to hiking in the Ojito wilderness all winter where the elevation varies from 5,600 to 5,900 feet. There were a lot of rest stops to get some more oxygen on this leg which I now refer to as Ibuprofen Hill.

Statistics

Total Distance: 5.31 miles
Elevation: start 7,930 ft, maximum 9,688 ft, minimum 7,930 ft
Gross gain: 1,758 ft. Aggregate ascending 2.008 ft, descending 2,008 ft
Maximum slope: 40% ascending, 41% descending, 14% average
Duration: 5:11

Red Canyon.Jay.2017-04-10 (KML)	90 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Red Canyon.Jay.2017-04-10 (GPX)	55 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

US Forest Service:
Manzano Mountain Trails (pdf)
Red Canyon Campground
ASCHG: Spruce Spring – Red Canyon Loop Hike
ondafringe: Spruce Spring/Crest/Red Canyon Trails Loop
ExploreNM: Red Canyon
AllTrails: Spruce Spring Trail to Red Canyon Trail Loop
New Mexico State Parks: Manzano Mountains State Park

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

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

Volcanoes Hike – 04/05/2017

April 15, 2017

Flora for this hike: Hundreds of this flowering plant in fields throughout the Monument.

Looking for a place not too far, for an afternoon walk/hike, we chose the Volcanoes, part of the Petroglyph National Monument and Albuquerque’s Open Space Lands. ‘Tis only 15 miles or so from home, and has nice trails around the Volcanoes with stupendous views across Albuquerque and the Rio Grande valley to the Sandia and Manzano mountains. And one can even see north to the Jemez and northeast to the Sangre de Cristo mountains. We’re told New Mexico has most of the dozen or so types of volcanoes on our Mother Earth. These cones are prominent on the west mesa, the western horizon seen from throughout the city.

The Hike

The trail is well traveled, sandy in some places, sections with small rocks (1″-3″ ), and a few stretches that are quite rocky (4″-7″ rocks). There are stretches with elevation gain as one can see from the altitude profile in the GoogleEarth image above. Overall this trail is not strenuous; the steepest and rockiest section is on the northern cone (furthest away in the GE image above).

Statistics

Total Distance: 3.42 miles
Elevation: start 5,792 ft, maximum 5,945 ft, minimum 5,792 ft
Gross gain: 153 ft. Aggregate ascending 422 ft, descending 422 ft
Maximum slope: 31% ascending, 13% descending, 4% average
Duration: 1:36

Volcanos.Pat.2017-04-05 (KML)	128 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Volcanos.Pat.2017-04-05 (GPX)	109 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

Albuquerque Open Space: Volcanoes
National Park Service, Petroglyph National Monument:
The Volcanoes
New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science:
Albuquerque Basin Volcanic Field
New Mexico Buerau of Geology & Mineral Resources:
Petroglyph National Monument
ASCHG: Los Volcanos

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

South Crest Trail Hike – 04/02/2017

April 3, 2017

After 3 days of rain and snowy weather in the mountains, we chose this trail out of Tijeras Canyon expecting it to be less muddy – and it was, thanks to the surface that is more rocky than many trails nearby. We had hiked this trail 3, 4, maybe 5 years ago (‘tho I can’t find a record in my files), so it was nice to return to it.

The Hike

Flora on this hike – moss growing on tree trunk.Started off in cool temperature (45 degrees) but sunny conditions. At the base of the trail there was some snow on the ground and in the trees, and as we proceeded up the trail there was more and more snow.As the temperature warmed, the snow began falling out of the trees and sometimes down our necks. The temperature had warmed enough by the time we started down towards the truck the trail had become quite muddy and the snow was quickly disappearing.

We followed the South Crest trail as far as the junction with Lower Faulty, then angled off to the left following the tracks of an earlier hiker. We later discovered that we had not continued on South Crest as we thought, but the this unmarked trail was easy to follow and makes a very nice alternative, and .. results in tracking a loop. We recommend it.

Jay here: Quite the change of pace for many reasons. We had gotten used to lack of ascent from all the hiking in the Ojito Wilderness, so it was a real departure to be climbing up the mountain for 1400+ feet….in snow. Also, we have been spoiled having trails all to ourselves without running into a single soul, but these trails were loaded with single hikers, dogs and entire families. Other than the trail traffic and the mud, it was a great hike for getting back into shape for tougher climbs ahead.

Statistics

Total Distance: 4.29 miles
Elevation: start 6,552 ft, maximum 7,721 ft, minimum 6,552 ft
Gross gain: 1,169 ft. Aggregate ascending 1,410 ft, descending 1,409 ft
Maximum slope: 37% ascending, 38% descending, 13% average
Duration: 3:43

South Crest.Jay.2017-04-02 (KML)	88 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
South Crest.Jay.2017-04-02 (GPX)	161 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

Sandia Mountain Hiking Guide: South Crest, Faulty, Upper Faulty Trails
ondafringe: Day Hike: South Crest Trail
ASCHG: South Crest from Canyon Estates
Map My Hike: South Peak via Crest Trail and CCC
Doug Scott Art: Travertine Falls

Jay's Photos: Click on Photo to show Gallery.

George's Photos w/ Captions: Click on Photo to show Gallery.

Three Gun Springs Hike – 03/30/2017

April 3, 2017

Flora for this hike – prickly pear cactus showing it’s winter garb.

Great hike for Pat and me, returning to this trail which takes us into the south end of the Sandia Mountains, with great views across the Manzanitas to the Manzanos and Tierra Grande.

The Hike

Statistics

Total Distance: 3.6 miles
Elevation: start 6,325 ft, maximum 7,270 ft, minimum 6,325 ft
Gross gain: 945 ft. Aggregate ascending 1,069 ft, descending 1,076 ft
Maximum slope: 38% ascending, 35% descending, 11% average
Duration: 3:29

Three Gun Springs.Pat.2017-03-30 (KML)	109 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Three Gun Springs.Pat.2017-03-30 (GPX)	170 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: Sandia Mountain Trails (pdf)
Sandia Mountain Hiking Guide: Three Gun Spring Trail
ASCHG: Three Gun Spring Hike

George's Photos w/ Captions: Click on Photo to show Gallery.

Las Milpas Hike – 03/19/2017

March 25, 2017

In reviewing tracks I’d collected from others, I stumbled on this hike for ASCHG. Since weather continues to be cool enough to explore further the Ojito Wilderness, we set Las Milpas as our hike for the day. Of particular interest was the presence of Pueblo Ruins here atop the mesa west of Canada las Milpas.

The Drive In

We parked at the Y of a two track a quarter of mile off of Cabezon Road, a starting place different from the ASCHG track.

The Hike

Flora for this hike: This was once a “mighty” Juniper. Now it an example of Mother Nature’s sculptures.

Thinking we’d be able to get to their track, we headed in a northerly direction, along the edge of a mesa. Having gone about .4 mile, we found ourselves at the end of the mesa with no way down into the Canada. So it was backtracking until we were able to descend and head north. We chose to follow the (lower) edge of the mesa until abreast the point where we had turned back. From there, we continued across grassland and a couple of outcrops of rock until hooking up with a two-track headed our way.

We found the first ruins about 2 miles from the end of the backtrack. I would judge this to be a medium size Pueblo ruin, maybe 20 by 50 yards. Most is rubble from the collapsed structure, but there are a few rooms evident with their walls surrounding a chamber. We looked for evidence of a kiva, but found none. From there we returned to the two-track and proceeded .6 mile to the second ruin. This one appeared to be much smaller, maybe 40 yards in length. (But inspecting the area more closely with Google Earth, there is evidence of a much larger area of rubble.) Continuing further north on the two track, using the GPS, we headed off to the west to find the third ruin. This one is very small, appearing to be no more than one or a very few rooms.

Then heading back to the truck, we stopped in some shade (and out of the wind) for our mid-hike break. We followed our outbound track until the two-track headed away from our destination, so we went “cross country” on a more direct route to the truck. This was our longest hike to date, easy enough tho’ with little change in elevation and easy ground, especailly when we were on the two-track. And if one were to start where the ASCHG track begins, the hike could be done entirely on a two-track.

Jay here: Not only was it the longest distance, it was also an impressive amount of ground covered in a short time — something like 8 miles in 3 hours and 22 minutes of actual hiking time. Factor in 15 minutes spent just looking around the first set of ruins, and you get a sense of how fast we were going. It helps to be on level ground for much of the hike but there were still some ascents to make us huff and puff. Sorry that ruins 2 and 3 were disappointing by comparison with ruin 1, but that’s the way the ruins crumble.

Statistics

Total Distance: 8.03 miles
Elevation: start 6,000 ft, maximum 6,079 ft, minimum 5,883 ft
Gross gain: 196 ft. Aggregate ascending 816 ft, descending: 817 ft
Maximum slope: 20% ascending, 27% descending, 4% average
Duration: 4:13

Las Milpas Hike.Jay.2017-03-19 (KML	130 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Las Milpas Hike.Jay.2017-03-19 (GPX)	148 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.

Ghost Ranch-Chimney Rock Hike – 03/16/2017

March 25, 2017

For the second day of our trip to Abiquiú, after spending the night at the Abiquiú Inn in a very nice room with a gas fireplace, we headed to the Ghost Ranch. We had stopped by the day before, so we had our eyes on hiking one of three trails there. We chose the one rated Moderate, the Chimney Rock trail, a good choice for us that day.

The Hike

Flora for this hike: ‘Tis winter, so not many plants are “showing off”. But this Juniper looks great with the Chama River valley and Cerro Pedernal in the background.

Starting at the Visitor’s Center, the hike proceeds up a long ridge to the top of the mesa and behind Chimney Rock itself. Along the way, the views across the Chama River valley are stunning, with Abiquiu Lake in the background and more mesas like those here at Ghost Ranch on the far (west) side of the valley. But, turning the other way, looking east, the views into the Ghost Ranch canyon (Arroyo del Yeso), its side canyons, and the surrounding mesas were equally stunning. The trail is well traveled, at times steep, and in a few places a bit narrow. But nowhere is it especially challenging, and being on top of the mesa makes the climb well worth the effort. After our mid-hike repast, the descent was easy with only one area of rocks where extra care was required.

Statistics

Total Distance: 3.08 miles
Elevation: start 6,451 ft, maximum 7,062 ft, minimum 5,451 ft
Gross gain: 611 ft. Aggregate ascending 1,002 ft, descending: 1,006 ft
Maximum slope: 70% ascending, 62% descending, 11% average
Duration: 3:00

Ghost Ranch-Chimney Rock.Pat.2017-03-16 (KML)	281 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Ghost Ranch-Chimney Rock.Pat.2017-03-16 (GPX)	66 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

Ghost Ranch: Hiking Trails
AllTrails: Chimney Rock Trail
Discover the West: Chimney Rock Trail
The Outbound: Hike to Chimney Rock at Ghost Ranch

Pat's Photos w/ Captions: Click on Photo to show Gallery.

George's Photos w/ Captions: Click on Photo to show Gallery.

Plaza Blanca Hike – 3/15/2017

March 25, 2017

On the spur of a moment, Pat & I headed off to Abiquiú for a couple of days. We had flown over it out of Santa Fe a year ago, so now to see the area on the ground. Our first stop was Plaza Blanca, an area of white rock formations owned by the Dar al Islam organization, but open to the public. Although not widely publicized (as far as we can find) this is an amazing place.

The Hike

Approaching the Plaza, at first it doesn’t appear to be very exciting. But as we skirted the eastern perimeter and entered into the first ravine (or small canyon?), the forms and shapes of the formations, and the patterns created by erosion, and the variety of rocks – we were fascinated by it all. Working our way back to the main wash and heading west, we encountered more and different formations, all the way to the end where the wash became a short box canyon. We enjoyed our mid-hike repast, then headed back to the car. This is a place we look forward to visiting again.

Statistics

Total Distance: 2.75 miles
Elevation: start 6,107 ft, maximum 6,256 ft, minimum 6,054 ft
Gross gain: 202 ft. Aggregate ascending 628 ft, descending: 629 ft
Maximum slope: 55% ascending, 53% descending, 7% average
Duration: 3:05

Plaza Blanca Hike - 3/15/2017 (KML)	127 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Plaza Blanca Hike - 3/15/2017 (GPX)	260 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.

Nogales Cliff House Trail Hike – 11/19/2020
Rattlesnake Ridge Trail Hike – 11/19/2020
Plaza Blanca Expedition – 03/28/2018

References

Web Site: Plaza Blanca
Solo Road Trip: Abiquiú – Plaza Blanca

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

White Mesa Bike Trails Hike – 03/09/2017

March 10, 2017

A beautiful spring day in the Land of Enchantment: 70 degrees, light breeze, lots of sunshine. Great day for Pat and me to head out for a hike, to the nearby White Mesa Bike Trails.

The Hike

White Mess Bike Trails.Pat.2017-03-09. US 550 is beyond the far end of Dragon’s Back, and the Nacimiento Mountains are on the horizon, upper right.

We hiked the less precipitous trails, not the Dragon’s Back trail that Vince and I did back in 2016. The views are stunning, 360 degrees around the horizon, from Sandia Mountains to the east, Sangre de Cristo just above the Jemez Mountains to the northeast, the Nacimiento to the north, the Ojito Wilderness to the west, and Mount Taylor above Mesa Prieta to the southwest. And the view into the “badlands” that form the center if the Bike Trails is amazing.

Statistics

Total Distance: 2.32 miles
Elevation: 5,831 start, 6,040 maximum, 5,831 minimum
Gross gain: 211 ft. Aggregate ascending 338 ft, descending: 336 ft
Maximum slope: 16% ascending, 23% descending, 5% average
Duration:

White Mess Bike Trails.Pat.2017-03-09 (KML)	124 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
White Mess Bike Trails.Pat.2017-03-09 (GPX)	59 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.

Arroyo Bernalillito & Petrified Woodpile Hike – 02/26/2017

February 27, 2017

Returned again to the western area of the Ojito Wilderness, out Cabezon Road to the gas line pumping station, then right on Pipeline Road for about 2.4 miles. This took us past the two-track turnoff at the corral (see Mesita de Ricardo Hike and Woodpile at Mesita de Ricardo Hike) and at the next two-track we came to, we turned right off of Pipeline Road into Arroyo Bernalillito.

The Hike

Flora for this hike: A combination of what appears to be moss or lichen: grey, pink, and the white bulbs?

Hiking, we ascended to explore a mid-level mesa on the south (right) side of Arroyo Bernalillito. Not finding a suitable way down when the mesa petered out, we retraced our steps to return to the Arroyo. We then set our sights on revisiting the Petrified Woodpile that we stumbled across on the Mesita de Ricardo Hike. We found the various logs visited on the past visits, and didn’t find anything remarkable for more photos – check out those other hikes.

After our coffee break, we headed in a north-westerly direction to skirt the south side of Mesa de Ricardo (I haven’t found that name on any map, but figure it is appropriate since a small, stand-alone mesa at the end of this mesa is “Mesita de Ricardo”). We didn’t see anything of great interest on our way back to the truck, but as it is throughout the Ojito Wilderness, we marveled at the many different geological formations and objects. We will return, to check out Mesa de Ricardo next.

Jay here: We knew it was going to be cold and windy but sunshine on the early portion of the hike lulled us into thinking we might catch a break. No such luck. By the time we stopped for coffee the cloud cover was complete, we were trying to stay out of the wind and the snow flurries started up. But what keeps us coming back is the extraordinary geology, the variety of hikes and the knowledge that in a few more months it will be too hot to hike here.

Statistics

Total Distance: 3.92 miles
Elevation: 5,889 start, 5,961 maximum, 5,849 minimum
Gross gain: 112 ft. Aggregate ascending 475 ft, descending: 475 ft
Maximum slope: 19% ascending, 26% descending, 4% average
Duration: 3:00

Bernalillito Arroyo Hike.Jay.2017-02-26 (KML)	110 Downloads
GPS Track Files for Download
Bernalillito Arroyo Hike.Jay.2017-02-26 (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

BLM: Ojito Wilderness

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

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

Ojito Mesa/Southeast Hike – 02/19/2017

February 20, 2017

Today we explored another of the areas we thought would be interesting on the mesa south of Cabezon Road (see Ojito Mesa/South Hike). Striking out on our own, to explore an area that looked interesting via GoogleEarth. Mesa Prieta is in the background, with Mount Taylor and Chivato Mesa on the horizon.

The Hike

Ojito Mesa-SouthEast Hike.Jay.2017-02-19

Flora for this hike: Prickly pear catus in it’s winter colors.

Leaving the road on a two-track, we proceeded on somewhat rough terrain until prudence said “far enough”. Then walking up the tortured two-track and cresting the rise, a wide open plain lay before us, with the mesa as a backdrop. Approaching the face of the mesa, we decided to follow along heading south. Soon we found ourselves in an area of amazing rock formations – colors, shapes, textures, and more. As can be seen from our speed (the blue area on the profile graph on GoogleEarth image), from the .5 mile point until .8 mile, we spent a lot of time marveling at the rocks and terrain in this area. This definitely made this a great hike.

We continued south along the face of the mesa, looking for an area where we might ascend to the mesa top – none presented itself (although another .25 mile or so a canyon extending into the mesa appeared to offer such an opportunity). Along the way we had to slide under another fence, much as was required on the Ojito Mesa/South hike (I suspect this is another section of the same fence line.)

The weather alternated between sunny and warm, and cloudy, breezy, and cool; we found a protected area up near the mesa side for our coffee break. We watched a rain/snow squall move across north of us, further than where we parked the truck, but uncertain of its path we headed back across the grassy plain. Nearing the place where the truck was parked, Mother Nature visited us with drizzle that turned to snow pellets, just enough to get us damp. And enough to wet the two-track so the clay was becoming slick – we were happy to get out before it became unmanageable (happy to have 4-wheel drive, too).

Jay here: There are two simple reasons we keep going back to the Ojito Wilderness. Number 1 is the incredible geology of the place. There’s endless variety to marvel at and it always comes with some amazing backdrops. Number 2, we’ve barely scratched the surface of possible known trails and unknown trails. Number 3 (even though I said there were 2 reasons), the time to go is now. Summer will be too hot. Which brings me to the wicked sleet storm that descended on us during the last quarter mile of our hike. Only in New Mexico could a storm like that come up so fast and then stall over the top of us. It made for a slippery escape from an already hairy two-track, and yes, thank you 4-wheel drive.

Statistics

Total Distance: 3.27 miles
Elevation: 5,843 start, 6,038 maximum, 5,843 minimum
Gross gain: 195 ft. Aggregate ascending 475 ft, descending: 475 ft
Maximum slope: 38% ascending, 33% descending, 6% average
Duration: 3:00