A late post of a “hike”, typical of our -walks- in the neighborhood, in the Bosque along the Rio Grande.
The Walk
Bosque Trail Hike.Pat.2018-05-28
On this route, we go through Albuquerque’s Country Club (or Huning Castle) neighborhood, then along the Bosque Bicycle Trail and into the Rio Grand Bosque itself, then back into the the northern end of the South Valley neighborhood, then north on 8th street, past the Albuquerque Zoo (and ballfields), and back home again.
Highlight
The Bosque, Spanish for woodlands, line the Rio Grande river. It is a forest of mainly cottonwood trees, with some elm and other types of trees. Most of the year, the river runs low (as in the photo above), very shallow and revealing sandbars. Then the Bosque is dry; after a winter with lots of snow in the mountains of northern New Mexico, enough water is released from the upstream dams to flood parts of the Bosque. On the trail, in some sections we wend our way through thick growth of willows. In other sections we walk among huge, wonderfully sculptural cottonwoods – whether alive or even dead. It is really a treat to have such a wild area so close to home.
Statistics
Total Distance: 3.08 miles Elevation: start 4,951 ft, maximum 4,960 ft, minimum 4,943 ft Gross gain: 17 ft. Aggregate ascending 96 ft, descending 96 ft Maximum slope: 8% ascending, 12% descending, 0.7% average Duration: 1:47
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.
Tis winter, and again for this hike we choose territory without lots of trees, reserving such shaded areas for summertime hiking. I visited San Lorenzo Canyon back in 2014 with Vince, and thought there must be more to explore, so headed down Socorro way with Pat on this chilly winter day.
The Drive In
We drove to the Lemitar exit, then headed north on the frontage road on the west side of I-25 for about 5 miles where a sign pointed us left/west for San Lorenzo Canyon. (At this point, the frontage road turns right to go under I-25.) After about 2 miles on a well-graveled dirt road, we turned to the right, into the wash of the Canyon and continued for a bit over 3 miles to a rock face blocking the canyon. Along the way we passed through areas where steep walls narrow the canyon – areas for future exploration.
The Hike
San Lorenzo Canyon Hike.Pat.2018-12-04
Disembarking from the car, Pat looked at the side canyon going south and off she went. The “trail” is the bottom wash of this small canyon, generally firm sand with occasional rocky surface. Approaching the head of the canyon, it appeared to require some rock climbing so we opted to ascend a steep incline to the mesa top. From there we had a nice view down the side canyon, into San Lorenzo Canyon, and beyond.
The geology (rocks) hereabouts are quite different from other places – they look mostly like large globs of mud – rounded, dark brown, but quite hard. The surface is mostly gravel and sand with a sprinkling of stones and small rocks, sometimes loose, sometimes embedded in a matrix of sand. ‘Tho there were footprints in the wash of the canyons, we didn’t encounter anything that appeared to be a trail (although at times we did follow a game trail).
Now atop the mesa, we proceeded up-canyon to see if we could descend back into to the main Canyon, above the aforementioned rock that blocked us when driving. After a couple of look-sees over cliffs, we saw ahead a more gradual slope down to the Canyon floor. It was an easy descent; we then proceeded further up the canyon where we encountered a rivulet of water (with a skin of ice over the running stream). It seems we had come upon San Lorenzo Spring (per the Topo map). This made a nice place for our mid-hike break – in the sun and protected some from the light breeze of the day.
As the shadow of the Canyon wall started intruding into our break-space, we packed up and headed back down the Canyon. We wondered if we would find an easy down over the blocking rock or would we have to find a way back up atop the mesa to get around it. To our relief, it was simple to descend on the south side of the rock, back to the lower Canyon and to the truck (climbing up that route would be a challenge).
There is more to explore here, other side canyons to the north, further up the Canyon to the west – worth a return visit. Note: On the way home, I made it a point to check out the frontage road on the east side of I-25, from where one turns west into San Lorenzo Canyon. It appears one could exit at San Acacia (closer to Albuquerque), then take the east-side frontage road to the underpass and road into San Lorenzo Canyon.
Statistics
Total Distance: 2.68 miles Elevation: start 5,259 ft, maximum 5,552 ft, minimum 5.259 ft Gross gain: 393 ft, Aggregate ascending 703 ft, descending 703 ft Maximum slope: 42% ascending, 46% descending, 9.4% average Duration: 2:57
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.
This place is all about The Rocks. We stopped for an overnight returning from Tucson to Albuquerque, chose NM’s Rockhound State Park and Campground – stay the night and do some hiking the next morning. But because of the fascination with the myriad of types of rocks, the “hike” was more of a “walkabout”, while we admired the many colors, shapes, and textures, and picked up many to take home for further appreciation. Check out the photos below for some that were photogenic; there are dozens more that appeal to the eye but can’t be appreciated through photographs, at least not through my skill as a photographer.
The Walkabout
Jasper Trail Walkabout.Pat.2018-11-26
Statistics
Total Distance: 1.17 miles Elevation: start 4,585 ft, maximum 4,689 ft, minimum 4,588 ft Gross gain: 104 ft. Aggregate ascending 232 ft, descending 220 ft Maximum slope: 24% ascending, 21% descending, 6.2% average Duration: 1:54
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.
Leaving the Chiricahuas after two nights camping and hiking in the Wonderland of Rocks, on our way to Tucson for Thanksgiving with family, we took a short detour to visit the Fort Bowie National Historic Site. The drive in from the west included 8 miles on a gravel/dirt road, in fine shape on our visit but I wouldn’t tackle it after recent rainfall. We drove out going east from the Site, towards the town of Bowie; the road became paved just a couple of miles form the Site’s parking.
The Hike
Ft Bowie Hike.Pat.2018-11-21
The hike into the Site is easy – clean trail, very small changes in elevation. As you will learn from reviewing the references below, the trail passes a few historic sites: the remains (foundations) of a Stage Station on the Butterfield Stage line, the post cemetary, Apache Spring (the reason this valley was so important), the original small fort, and the more elaborate Fort Bowie itself. This was a nice place to visit, to learn more about the history of the Southwest.
Statistics
Total Distance: 3.6 miles Elevation: start 4,731 ft, maximum 5,017 ft, minimum 4,687 ft Gross gain: 286 ft. Aggregate ascending 405 ft, descending 503 ft Maximum slope: 20% ascending, 20% descending, 4.9% average Duration: 2:41
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.
Headed to Tucson a couple of days early for Thanksgiving, giving us time for some camping and hiking along the way. Towing our R-Pod trailer camper, we decided on the Chiricahua Mountains where there is a nice campground and some hiking in amazing geologic formations. From Willcox AZ one takes state roads south some 40 miles to the Chiricahua National Monument, situated in a deep narrow canyon on the western side of this isolated mountain range. Camping is in the Bonita Canyon Campground, a nice facility with water near every campsite. Most sites are small, particularly suited for tent camping (and it seemed nearly half of the campers were in tents), but big enough for our 17′ R-Pod. And the visitor’s center at the entrance has some quite interesting displays and information about the mountains and history in the surrounding area.
We arrived as dark was approaching, so we were focused on setting up the camper and didn’t see much scenery (except the flat desert Sulfur Springs Valley between the Dragoons and Chiricahuas on the drive from Willcox). The next morning, gathering our hiking gear (for -cool- temperatures), we drove into Bonita Canyon and were greeted with views of amazing rock formations, the phalanxes of columns for which these mountains are famous. ‘Tis about 4 miles from the campground to the trailhead, climbing some 500 feet through initially the narrow canyon, then ascending up the western side of the canyon to parking for the trailheads.
The Hike
Echo Canyon Loop Hike.Pat.2018-11-20
We had been advised to take the loop counterclockwise since the hike back up from lower elevations is more gradual than going clockwise, so that was our choice. The trail is very well used, rocky in places, and where the slope is steep the CCC (who carved out these trails back in the 30’s) has placed “stair steps”. From the beginning we were greeted with a multitude of tall rock columns, with large rocks balanced on the top of many of them. These columns covered the sides of the canyons, from the bottom to near the top. One is constantly wondering how they perch atop the columns (and wondering – what would happen if even a small earthquake were to happen). No written description, nor even photos, can adequately show this marvelous place.
We got up early the next morning and drove back up the road to Massai Point (just beyond the trailhead) to watch the rising sun flow into the canyons of hoodoos. This gave us another remarkable view of this Wonderland of Rocks.
Statistics
Total Distance: 3.67 miles Elevation: start 6,784 ft, maximum 6,784 ft, minimum 6,261 ft Gross gain: 523 ft. Aggregate ascending 1,220 ft, descending 1,222 ft Maximum slope: 40% ascending, 39% descending, 7.9% average Duration: 4:19
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.
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
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.
We’ve so enjoyed visits to other Badlands in the San Juan Basin; we chose this time to visit the San Jose Badlands.
The Drive In
From Albuquerque, go west on US 550, 5.5 miles beyond Cuba. Turn right on NM 96, proceed through La Jara and Regina. When NM 96 turns 90 degrees to the right (east), continue ahead (north) for 1.67 miles, turn left on County 391 (not marked). This is a dirt road in decent shape (it serves gas wells in the area); in about 2.3 miles you will be at the south end of San Jose Badlands. There are multiple two-tracks in the area; for our parking place, check the GPS track or the screen shot above (we drove in on the road entering from the left edge of the screenshot and parked near a gas wellhead).
The Hike
San Jose Badlands Hike.Pat.2018-11-09
We used the ASCHG hike as a guide for our hike (see reference link below), ‘tho we didn’t follow it precisely nor did we go as far as that hike. Rounding the end of the ridge north of where we parked, the badlands came into view – a tall and steep hillside on our left punctuated with many hoodoos situated on the slope and atop the ridges. There are -so- many such formations, small and large – just the stimulation of the features of these badlands was enough to wear us out by the end of the hike; review the photos below to see for yourself (until you visit there).
The terrain is relatively flat and level and the surface in most areas is hard and smooth, although there are areas covered by a scattering of 1/2″ to 1″ dark brown to black loose rocks which sometimes makes walking a bit “slippery”. We followed the lower edge of the ridges for about 2 miles, where we found ourselves on a 2-track about 1 3/4 miles along. Continuing on the two track we descended into the northeastern part of San Jose, the only significant elevation change on our hike. ASCHG explored this lower area, but we chose to look down upon it from a high point – from that vantage point the terrain appeared to be much more challenging. After our mid-hike break with the light lunch that Pat prepares, we headed back to the truck following 2-tracks.
Highlight
In addition to the geologic features (hoodoos, etc.) there were so many interesting colors and patterns in the surface of the ground and features. The layers laid down in ancient times are evident in the grays, reds, and browns in the strata visible on the slopes of the ridges. And water is the sculptor of the shapes, from the large hoodoos to small features: in some cases water created vertical patterns of carved out material; in other cases on more level terrain it created a sharply lumpy array of small pillars; and out on level terrain leaving 1″ to 2″ rocks “high and dry”, sitting atop pedestals, the surrounding soil washed away (sort of like miniature hoodoos). I’ve tried to capture these features in the “Ground Shots” photo gallery below.
Reviewing GoogleEarth, there is much more to explore in these San Jose Badlands.
Statistics
Total Distance: 3.89 miles Elevation: start 7,384 ft, maximum 7,427 ft, minimum 7,282 ft Gross gain: 145 ft. Aggregate ascending 474 ft, descending 474 ft Maximum slope: 20% ascending, 23% descending, 3.8% average Duration: 4:17
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.
‘Tis winter and time to return to “open spaces” (’tis too hot for hiking in the summer). So we headed for the Ojito Wilderness and chose a hike around what we’ve called Dinosaur Ridge (because a large dinosaur was found on the northwest point of this mesa; see our other hikes Dinosaur Dig and Los Posos, and article about Alamosaurus found on Dinosaur Ridge).
The Hike
Los Posos Hike.Jay.2018-02-25
As described in the other posts in the Ojito, this is an amazing place to hike – variety of geology, superb views within the Ojito and beyond, to the Nacimiento Mountains to the northeast and even a glimpse of Cabezon to the northwest. There doesn’t seem to be a -trail- so our track followed “reasonable” terrain; only one place did we find it necessary to search for a “safe”, a route not too steep or rocky.
For an abbreviated narrative for this hike, I’ve added captions to the photos below. For other narratives, please go to the posts from our other hikes: Dinosaur Dig and Los Posos.
Statistics
Total Distance: 4.06 miles Elevation: start 5,881 ft, maximum 5,881 ft, minimum 5,672 ft Gross gain: 209 ft. Aggregate ascending 497 ft, descending 497 ft Maximum slope: 21% ascending, 27% descending, 3.8% average Duration:4:13
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.
‘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.
‘Twas a beautiful autumn day in New Mexico, a time when cottonwoods along streams and aspen in the mountains are in their full glory. Recent rains deterred us from heading into the back country where roads may be too much of a challenge for us. But the Valles Caldera National Preserve can be reached on paved roads (NM 4) and we anticipated that the road into the Caldera would be gravel and well used (which proved to be correct). This would be our first visit beyond the Visitors Center, towards the back country of the this magnificent ‘caldera’.
The Drive In
The drive from Albuquerque, through Bernalillo and San Ysidro, and up NM 4 through Jemez Pueblo, Jemez Springs, and on to La Cueva did not disappoint. The cottonwoods particularly the length of the Jemez River/San Diego Canyon were spectacular – vivid golden yellow so bright in the New Mexico sun against the New Mexico blue sky.
Turning off NM 4 into the Preserve, we look out across the Caldera with the Visitors Center off in the distance some two miles away. The gravel road is dry, the views to the left, right and ahead are amazing – so much open meadow five miles ahead of us with a rim of forested mountains all around (some of the forest shows the remains of fires in recent years).
At the Visitors Center we were greeted by Nina, a clearly enthusiastic volunteer who shared information about the Caldera , in particular where filming of the TV series “Longmire” took place. With the permit (free, and they get cell phone numbers as a safety measure), we were cleared to drive on into the Caldera, told to be back by 5:00; the gate is locked at 5:30. (Note: The timing of our visit was most fortuitous: permits to drive beyond the Visitors Center will not be available from Nov 1 through May 15. Visitors may visit and walk throughout the winter; it seems the Caldera is a great place for snowshoeing and cross country skiing.)
The road past the Visitor’s Center takes one west through the southwest corner of the Caldera, towards Redondo Peak, a prominent landmark visible even from Albuquerque. The road turns northeast where it passes by the main ranch buildings, including the ranch house used in the TV series as Longmire’s cabin.
As we continued northeast, a couple of cars in front of us were stopped, a sign that something interesting might be about. Looking carefully ahead we saw a herd of elk heading out of the Caldera towards the forest. Clearly visible was the bull elk at the head of the heard with a couple dozen cows in tow. ‘Twas a beautiful sight. (Way out in the center of the Caldera we could see a large herd of elk as well, tiny specks against the nearly featureless grass meadow that covers the Caldera.)
The Hike
Valles Caldera Hike.Pat.2018-10-26
We continued on about 3 miles or so, where a side road (closed) provided a convenient parking place for a bit of hiking. Strapping on our backpacks, we passed through some open ponderosa forest (about a mile) and into the edge of the Caldera with wonderful view, east to southwest. A mile in we paused for our mid-hike break, then continued on for another mile to enjoy the fresh air, blue sky, and amazing scenery (hoped to see more wildlife, but no such luck). It was then time to return to the Visitors Center and clear the Valles before it closed.
Highlight
There is -much more- to see in Valles Caldera. The road is open for visitors during the summer months and goes much further than we went. ‘Tho we were in the major -valley- area, one can go another 10 miles into the northern areas of the Caldera, where there are pleasant brooks, open meadow, numerous small mountains (1000 feet), and more. On the way home, we enjoyed a really good pizza in La Cueva, then stopped at Los Ojos in Jemez Springs for a beer .. and some good music (Friday night).
Statistics
Total Distance: 3.07 miles Elevation: start 8,686 ft, maximum 8,723 ft, minimum 8,633 ft Gross gain: 90 ft. Aggregate ascending 344 ft, descending 354 ft Maximum slope: 16% ascending, 14% descending, 3.6% average Duration: 2:41
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.
The Bosque, Spanish for woodlands, line the Rio Grande river. It is a forest of mainly cottonwood trees, with some elm and other types of trees. Most of the year, the river runs low (as i
n the photo above), very shallow and revealing sandbars. Then the Bosque is dry; after a winter with lots of snow in the mountains of northern New Mexico, enough water is released from the upstream dams to flood parts of the Bosque. On the trail, in some sections we wend our way through thick growth of willows. In other sections we walk among huge, wonderfully sculptural cottonwoods – whether alive or even dead. It is really a treat to have such a wild area so close to home.
