Returning to Cumbres Pass to enjoy the wildflowers and … the bright golden colors of autumn with aspen if their full glory. And we always relish another visit, albeit a short distance, to the CDT.

The Drive In

We spent another weekend in Chama, lodging at the Little Rock House on Maple, a lovely cottage near the north edge of town. Drawing from a prior visit to hike the CDT from Cumbres Pass:

The drive up on the highway is scenic, especially because sufficient moisture has made the forest, pastures, even the roadside a very healthy green  .. and this trip, the aspen in their full golden glory on the mountainsides all the way to the top. At the summit, we parked in the lot on the south side of the highway a short distance prior to the summit with a sign introducing the CDT Southbound.

Chama is the southern terminus of the Cumbres and Toltec Railroad, a vintage narrow gauge rail line that offers rides from Chama over Cumbres Pass to Antonito, CO. Driving from Chama north on NM 17, the tracks are never far from the highway, and if one’s timing is right one will see a steam locomotive with passenger cars (and sometimes utility cars) climbing up the 2,000 foot grade (or coasting down). Or maybe see a train pause at the small railyard at the summit of Cumbres Pass.

Before beginning our walkabout, the Cumbres & Toltec RR train came round the bend on its approach to the Cumbres Pass station. 

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The Hike

Notes about the Google Earth screenshot: the graph at the bottom shows elevation of the track (pink area) and speed (the blue line).

This was not so much of a hike as a return visit for Pat to gather wildflowers that were so plentiful and beautiful on our last visit (Cumbres Pass CDT South Hike – 08/02/2025). As autumn sets in at this altitude, with shorter days of daylight and cooling temperatures, there were fewer flowers in bloom. But there were enough to enjoy their beauty and gather some for pressing or dyeing. The views looking down from the ridge to the mountainsides west towards Chama  were amazing – large areas of golden aspen in their autumn “bloom”. 

Highlight

The day before, a rainy day, we took a drive up to the pass just for the scenery, especailly to see the aspen. When leaving Chama, we passed a man who appeared to be a CDT thru-hiker; the large back, beard, and athletic look were cues. We backtracked and learned, as we suspected, that he was looking for a ride back up to Cumbres Pass to continue his southbound thru-hike on the Continental Divide Trail. Tho’ our back seat was full, he was willing to ride in the back of the Tacoma. At the trailhead we got acquainted, learning that his trail name is Shepherd and he was looking forward to entering the last state, New Mexico, in his trek from the border with Canada through to Mexico, 3+ months so far. 

Statistics

Total Distance: 1.37  miles
Elevation: start 10,025 ft, maximum 10,181 ft,  minimum 9,962 ft
Gross gain:  219 ft.  Aggregate ascending 355 ft, descending 419 ft
Maximum slope: 37% ascending, 41% descending, 9.1% average
Duration: 1:41, Average Speed: 0.8 mph, Shade: 60%

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.

Related Posts

Previous Hikes to Cumbres Pass

References and Resources

AllTrails: Flat Mountain via Continental Divide National Scenic Trail #813
GAIA: Continental Divide Trail (Cumbres Pass South)
And References and Resources on Cumbres Pass CDT South Hike – 07/12/2023

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Last Updated on October 17, 2025 by George Young