This hike is the first during 4 days of camping at Jemez Falls Campground. Its about a 2.5 hour drive from Albuquerque, towing our R-Pod up US 550, then NM 4 past La Cueva to this very nice National Forest Service campground. After getting the camper set up, we headed further east on NM4, past Valles Caldera to the trailhead for the Upper Frijoles Cañon Overlook trail (also the trailhead for the Sawyer Mesa Trail, and across NM4 from the Cerro Grande Trail).
This trail is a very nice one – this year green with grasses, aspen and oak (retaking the territory after the fire some years back), and flush with flowers. There are many standing and down tree trunks from the fire; sad ‘tho the benefit is great views to the horizons and into the cañons. The trail itself is clear of rocks for nearly the whole distance, and very little elevation gain (as you can see from the reddish elevation profile in the screenshot above).
As the map shows, there are two ‘loops’: one offers one path outgoing, another when returning; the other a ‘lollipop’ at the far end of the trail which provides 1) a view into the cañon to the east and 2) a view into the cañon to the west. The out-and-back distance is about 2.1 miles – we had energy remaining to crossed NM4 and hiked up the Cerro Grande trail for half a mile, just to extend our hiking for that day (see our hike on the Cerro Grande Trail two days later).
Highlights
This territory is spectacular and becomes more so as we gain familiarity with it. From the screenshot above, one can get an impression of how rugged it is, the many deep cañons with their precipitous walls, the result of water eroding the volcanic material over centuries on its way to the Rio Grande River. But to get an even better view, check it out on Google Earth using the Track Files that you can download from links below. Or head out there yourself.
Statistics
Total Distance: 3.63 miles Elevation: start 8,958 ft, maximum 9,065 ft, minimum 8,809 ft Gross gain: 256 ft. Aggregate ascending 446 ft, descending 452 ft Maximum slope: 26% ascending, 18% descending, 4.0% average Duration: 2:15
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.
Ok, so we’ve hiked this before. Not much has changed, except this time we went around the loop in the clockwise direction and we didn’t extend the hike as far up Tesuque Creek.
The Hike
Bear Wallow-Winsor-Borrega Hike.Jay.2019-06-02
Statistics
Total Distance: 4.9 miles Elevation: start 8,887 ft, maximum 8,893 ft, minimum 8,203 ft Gross gain: 690 ft. Aggregate ascending 1,566 ft, descending 1,578 ft Maximum slope: 32% ascending, 29% descending, 9.9% average Duration: 3:34
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.
Our third day camping/hiking in the Jemez Mountains, in and around Valles Caldera. Having worn ourselves thin on the Alamo Spring hike the day before, we intended to limit hiking this day. So, to start the day we headed south on FR 289 to see where it would take us (near St Peter’s Dome??) and to check out the road. Then we intended to only ‘check out’ the Cerro Grande trail, having gathered that it was steep with some 1,200 feet elevation gain.
The Drive In
FR 289, St Peters Dome Road DriveAbout:We had driven a few miles down FR 289 the day before, on our way to the Alamo Spring Hike. This day we continued for 6.2 miles from NM 4. This is clearly a well used road – graded gravel. (We’ve started referring to ‘graded gravel’ as New Mexico pavement. Such roads are passable in most conditions, differentiated from lessor roads, those without grading and gravel; they can be impassable if not totally dry.) The route was not challenging until we began to come near the end of the mesa, some 5 miles, where the road began winding and descending. As it began to look more challenging, we noticed very dark clouds to the north, suggesting rain. Promising to return another time, to attempt to make it as far as St Peter’s Dome, we turned back towards NM 4.
Some 2.5 miles from where we turned around we noticed a two-track heading to the east, back towards Alamo Canyon. The rain appeared to be staying to the north (we had enough cell phone service to get weather radar); we allowed our curiosity to get the better of us and we turned to explore. (This was one of those two-tracks mentioned above – don’t go there if it is not dry. And travel in a high clearance vehicle, preferably 4-wheel drive. It’s not the worst two-track I’ve been on, but it’s up there for our range of experience.) Again out of consideration of weather, we turned around some 2 miles; looking at the topo map, it appears we could hike from here to the end of the mesa passing abreast of Obsidian Ridge (from the Alamo Spring Hike) or drive to the right some distance further (which is marked on the topo map as the Bland Frijoles Trail), or hike down that deteriorating two-track from which there appears to me options, like descending into either of the canyons, Alamo on the left (east), Capulin on the right (west) — so many places to explore (all Forest Service land).
The Hike
It was our intention to walk up the Cerro Grande Trail far enough to get a feel for just how much of a climb we would face. Parking at the trailhead, we started off through the most pleasant open forest on a really fine trail with just a slight gain in elevation. It did gradually increase, but not enough to cause us to pause and think – OK, we’ll return another day to ascend to the top. This continued for 1.5 miles, where we topped the saddle between Cerro Grande and its companion (slightly shorter) to the south. But .. we weren’t ready to make the last 600 or so feet/half mile to the summit of Cerro Grande. We’ll do that another time.
The eastern/downwind side of saddle is covered with the most healthy grass clumps, no trees. The west/upwind side of the saddle, facing the Caldera, is strewn with downed tree trunks from many years ago. With only a couple of exceptions, they are all laying parallel, like a strong wind had come along and toppled them all at once, in the same direction. And the wind was blowing (and cold) that day; rain squalls were obscuring the view to the northwest, the far side of the Caldera. We retreated back downhill to get out of the wind and have our mid-hike/lunch break. We will return here, like the other places we visited this trip.
Highlight
This year we have enjoyed the wettest winter since moving to Albuquerque nine years ago. In the past, flowers in this quite dry climate have consistently attracted my attention. On this hike we saw so many flowers – I counted 17 different blossoms (with the ubiquitous dandelions by far the most prevalent). Here are photos of a few of the different blossoms we saw on the Cerro Grande Trail.
Statistics
Total Distance: 3.06 miles Elevation: start 8,951 ft, maximum 9,613 ft, minimum 8,951 ft Gross gain: 662 ft. Aggregate ascending 945 ft, descending 945 ft Maximum slope: 42% ascending, 35% descending, 9.9% average Duration: 2:56
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 was our 2nd day of 3 days camping and hiking around Valles Caldera in the Jemez Mountains. ‘Tho we would like to have headed deep into the Caldera, the washed out road just 5 miles in held us at bay. So .. we checked the Valdes Caldera and Bandelier brochures and came up with the Alamo Springs Trail, depicted on the Bandelier map.
The Drive In
With some trepidation about road conditions, from NM 4 we headed south on Forest Road (FR) 289 (St. Peter’s Dome Road), passing the southern trailhead for Bandelier’s Alamo Boundary Trail. At 2.25 miles on FR 289, we turned left on FR 287 (Sawyer Mesa Rd). As expected we encountered a gate (.5 mi) which blocked further travel by auto; here there was ample parking and sufficient room to turn around.
The Hike
Alamo Spring Hike.Pat.2019-05-28
Passing around the heavily fortified gate, we continued south on the Alamo Springs Trail (formerly Sawyer Mesa Rd, now a two-track). From the topo maps we could see that we would soon be hiking along the edge looking down into Alamo Canyon to our right. A mile and three quarters further on, Frijoles Canyon would converge from the left forming a narrow passage on the mesa top as we hiked towards Mesa del Rito. (Note: At the far end of Mesa del Rito the Alamo Springs Trail enters Bandelier National Monument where it becomes the Frijoles Rim Trail.)
This trail passes through a part of the forest burned in the devastating Las Conchas fire back in June of 2011. The fire took out -most- of the ponderosa and fir trees, leaving open room for amazing views along the mesa, into the canyons, and beyond to the mountains in the distance. There are, of course, many fallen trees, some having come down only recently. Now some 8 years later Mother Nature is showing her reclamation of the area – many groves of young aspen, pockets of scrub oak, and other bushes (some with nasty thorns) dot the landscape. Grasses cover nearly all of the ground – many kinds, tall and short, many with their seed heads in full glory. To punctuate the scene, I counted some 17 different flowering plants, lending a sparkle of color to the surroundings.
The views are stupendous, so amazing that they created tension which we think explains (or we use as an excuse) why were became quite weary (‘tho only 5.6 miles in length and with very little change in elevation). The trail follows a two-track, smooth mostly sandy surface, occasionally requiring we climb over a fallen tree. We did occasionally take excursions over to the edge of the mesa for a closer view of the canyons. As we entered the narrow section mentioned above, we began seeing shards of obsidian. Soon the ground was peppered with pieces ranging from <1″ to 2, 3, even 4 inches in size. Later we noticed that this section between mesas is named Obisidian Ridge (duh).
The afternoon was wearing on, so to leave time to return to the truck and the camper, we stopped for our mid-hike break/lunch, then headed back to the truck and the R-Pod at Jemez Falls Campground. Reflecting back on our experience, we realize that it is difficult to convey the beauty of the scenery with words or photos (‘tho we try); one really must be there to appreciate it fully. We will go back to enjoy this trail again.
Statistics
Total Distance: 5.64 miles Elevation: start 8,755 ft, maximum 8,818 ft, minimum 8,379 ft Gross gain: 438 ft. Aggregate ascending 749 ft, descending 751 ft Maximum slope: 18% ascending, 23% descending, 4.2% average Duration: 5:08
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 was our first hike during a 3 days visit to the Jemez Mountains, in the vicinity of the Valles Caldera National Preserve. We set up our R-Pod trailer/camper in the Jemez Falls Campground, a base camp from which to explore and hike in the area. Our first stop was the Visitors Center in the Caldera where we obtained suggestions for hiking, maps of the Preserve, and … a pass that permitted us to drive beyond the Center. We were advise that we would not be able to go deep into the Caldera because of a road washout. From this review we chose to drive to the Cabin District, park, and hike on a logging road – VC02.
The Hike
VC02 South Mountain Hike.Pat.2019-05-27
The weather was perfect – comfortable temperature, no wind (a relief this time of year), and mostly clear sky. It appears that VC02 may be used by Preserve staff and maintained in good driving condition, so it was easy walking mostly on dry dirt with a couple of areas covered with rocks.
With this year’s wet spring the ground was covered with grasses and many different blooming flowers (the yellow of dandelions being the most prevalent against the green grasses). The forest was quite healthy – small and large ponderosa pines interspersed with groves of aspen. A few streams crossed the road, through culverts or meandering across the road, snowmelt from higher up on Redondo Peak to the west. And the views across the Caldera were spectacular; it is so vast (5 miles of completely open plain across to the other side of this section of the Caldera) which makes it very difficult to get a perspective of distances.
About a mile into the hike, we spotted our first elk of the trip – two at a distance near the edge of the forest. They appeared to survey us for a few minutes, then retreated into the trees. A bit over a mile on, we came upon a junction with VC0201 where we chose to turn back towards the truck. VC0201 appears to be an old logging trail, not used these days. Covered with grass it was more pleasant than VC02; it was easy to follow this old two track and made for easy walking.
Statistics
Total Distance: 3.06 miles Elevation: start 8,740 ft, maximum 8,934 ft, minimum 8,721 ft Gross gain: 213 ft. Aggregate ascending 535 ft, descending 526 ft Maximum slope: 24% ascending, 20% descending, 5.6% average Duration: 1:49
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.
Hiking again close to Santa Fe, this time driving around through Tesuque to En Medio and the Rio en Medio Trail #163.
The Drive In
As it was for our Little Tesuque Creek hike, the trailhead is near the end of a road going up a narrow canyon with private property all along. And on a Sunday it is crowded and the limited parking was dictated that we park some distance from the trailhead. We found a place alongside the road but out of the way of other cars about .4 miles from the trailhead.
The Hike
Rio en Medio Hike.Jay.2019-05-26
At the trailhead we found a sign providing an excellent introduction to the trail, and a warning about respecting private property. Once on the trail we were accompanied throughout by the sound of the burbling Rio en Medio. The Rio also led to a few crossings as the trail went from one side to the other; fortunately rock and logs afforded a dry fording. All along we passed through oak and other trees and shrubs which made the setting most pleasant.
This trail is known for it’s waterfalls, two larger ones in particular. The smaller made for a nice spot to have our mid-hike break. The larger and according to other’s descriptions the more impressive required some wading up the stream, for which we were not prepared. So we didn’t approach it but instead climbed up the steep rocky trail to get above the falls. I was able to get a glimpse of them, enough for a camera shot from the edge of a 40′ cliff above them.
‘Tis a really nice trail, easy trekking and quite pleasant with the stream at hand. And it would appear to have possibilities for a one-way hike over to the Borrega Trail #150 and the Aspen Cabin Trailhead (per Forest Service map).
Jay here: Interesting that there were vehicles at trailhead from Colorado, Texas and Utah. Must be the lure of the waterfalls and some widespread write-ups about this particular hike. Also significant, this hike is a good ways from Santa Fe and yet the trail comes very close to the Borrego trail that you reach from the other side of Santa Fe heading east up Hyde Park Road. You have to look at it from Google Earth or the above referenced Forest Service map to appreciate how that’s possible. With the heavy snowpack and winter rains, the water was flowing heavy and fast, unlike many preceding years of drought conditions. This would make a great Fall hike.
Statistics
Total Distance: 4.69 miles Elevation: start 7,209 ft, maximum 7,959 ft, minimum 7,205 ft Gross gain: 754 ft. Aggregate ascending 1,454 ft, descending 1,445 ft Maximum slope: 31% ascending, 27% descending, 8.5% average Duration: 3:24
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.
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
Dale Ball Loop North.Pat.2019-05-23
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
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.
Today we headed to the Volcanoes for a other “Urban” hike, places close to the city offering quite easy hiking conditions. From our upstairs window we look out at the Volcanoes each morning so they constantly beckon us.
The Drive In
The Volcanoes is part of the Petroglyph National Monument, having evolved from a ranch 50+ years ago, then becoming part of Albuquerque’s Open Spaces in the ’70s and becoming part of the Monument in the ’90s. There is ample parking at the trailhead (open from 9:00 to 5:00 daily; at other times park at the entrance gate).
The Hike
Volcanoes Hike.Pat.2019-05-14
The trails range from groomed gravel or sand, some sections of hard clay, and rocky stretches as one ascends onto the slopes of the cones. As you can see from the photos, there are no trees or even shrubs; hike early or late, or plan on a day of full sun. Check the references below for trail maps and descriptions, especially the geologic history. We made two trips around Vulcan to extend our hike, having set out to do 4 miles.
Highlights
The Volcanos were a veritable flower garden – so many flowers, so many different plants.
We’ve enjoyed a lot of precipitation this winter and spring, and the flowering plants are showing the results. I lost count of the number of flowering plants that we saw, but it’s somewhere above a dozen. In many places there would be a field of 10 or 20 yards, nearly covered with yellow. In other instances we found 3, 4, even 5 different flowers mixed in together – one of Mother Nature’s bouquets. Even the grasses presented pretty pictures, glimmering in the morning sun as they waved in light breeze.
Then there are the views away from the volcanoes. The air was hazy on this day, a product of unusual high humidity I think (as noted this has been a year with lots of moisture – snow during the winter and rain this spring). Consequently details of the mountains weren’t discernible (Sandias to the east, Jemez to the north, Mount Taylor to the west, and Ladrone to the south) and the view of the City was hazy as well. Nonetheless, to be able to see such great distances in all directions is a treat.
One more feature: from the top of Vulcan one has a clean view of the Double Eagle II airport. We watched (and heard) planes in the traffic pattern, practicing landings (touch and go’s). And on this day one of the pilots is someone we are acquainted with, maybe making her first solo flight.
Statistics
Total Distance: 3.92 miles Elevation: start 5,793 ft, maximum 5,981 ft, minimum 5,792 ft Gross gain: 189 ft. Aggregate ascending 450 ft, descending 450 ft Maximum slope: 28% ascending, 21% descending, 4.9% average Duration: 2:12
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 chilly day with rain all around, but we wanted to get out for a hike. Chose the Ponderosa trail because it was easy (we’d hiked it back in 2016). Mother Nature had blessed the area with rain within the previous 24 hours, so we carried some excess weight on the boots (sticky clay mud) during the first third of the hike. But she held off on more rain until after we finished, so we stayed dry.
The Hike
Oak Flats-Ponderosa Hike.Pat.2019-05-09
This is a -very nice- trail. It goes through mostly clean, open forest – hardly any deadfall – and the trail is smooth with very little elevation gain (‘tho one goes downhill first, then a bit uphill for the 2nd half). And .. it’s close to Albuquerque, makes for an easy hike, and one can stop by Roots Farm Cafe just south of the intersection in Tijeras for breakfast, or for lunch.
Statistics
Total Distance: 4.2 miles
Elevation: start 7,536 ft, maximum 7,565 ft, minimum 7,284 ft
Gross gain: 285 ft. Aggregate ascending 528 ft, descending 528 ft
Maximum slope: 13% ascending, 12% descending, 3.7% average
Duration: 3:04
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.
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
Full Circle Trail Hike.Jay.2019-05-05
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
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.
