Galisteo Basin Preserve Trails Hike – 03/15/2026

We headed out on a chilly sunny day to a newly-discovered area for hiking, the Galisteo Basin Preserve. GAIA GPS showed a web of trails, some across rolling hills, some up onto some more prominent hills. A good place for these chilly mornings, because there is no shade. And .. the Preserve is just around the corner from the tiny village of Lamy with a great restaurant, the Legal Tender Saloon & Eating House, where we enjoyed a great lunch after the hike.

The Drive In

The Preserve is off of US 285 5 miles south of I-25, or 35 miles north of Moriarty on NM 41 (and a short stretch on US 285). One can take more scenic routes: we went north from I-40 in NM 14, then turned right onto NM 344 for the drive between the two sections of the San Pedro Mountains. From there across the flat plains on Simmons Road to NM 41. Then left on NM 41 to US 285, turning left again to go past the turnoff to Lamy and a mile to a sign that marks the entrance to the Preserve.From US 285 follow the gravel road, bearing right at the first intersection and continue on to the Cowboy Shack Trailhead. (Or chose one of the other trailheads for a different set of trails.)

The Hike

Galisteo Basin Preserve Trails Hike.Pat.2026-03-15
Notes about the Google Earth screenshot: the graph at the bottom shows elevation of the track (pink area) and speed (the blue line). Click on the image for a full-screen view.

Looking at the map, there is a web of hiking trails. Reviewing them on Google Earth (and the topo lines on GAIA GPS), those to the south appear to be among generally rolling hills. We chose to go to the northern part of the Preserve where there appeared to be more changes in elevation. And that proved to be the case: a climb from 6,400 feet a half mile from the trailhead up to 6,600 feet a mile in. Then we hiked along a ridge for .3 mile, then down into a valley, over a ridge into another valley, then back up to the first ridge and return to the trailhead.

Throughout, the trail is well used, in most places wide, flat, and smooth. Once up on ridges and valleys, there were occasional sections with a rocky surface. Overall, the trail is ‘easy going’ with enough challenge that I was happy to continue improving my ability to hike on trails less groomed than the “unpaved sidewalk” of the Bosque Trail along the Rio Grande that we walk most every other morning.

Highlight

It is the Geology: although until we got to the ridges, the environment was nearly all sand, gravel, juniper, and cholla. I was surprised however at the number of healthy piñon trees. As is evident on GoogleEarth, much of the surface is a reddish orange color. Once into the rougher terrain of the ridges, erosion had brought into view many different colors and textures: some embankments of white, or a layer of white adjacent to one of red or of black or, in one case, a layer of a blue-black material. In another instance, atop a ridge that we crossed as a conglomeration of round rock, like river rock – seemed to be so out of place.

Another appealing feature of hiking in the Galisteo Basin Preserve? Lamy and the Legal Tender .. Saloon is only 2 miles or so distant. In the old days, Lamy was a stop on the mainline railroad; the Saloon is in what was the railroad station (and remains a stop for Amtrack and the occasional excursion train from Santa Fe). It has been made into a great eating place with a magnificent bar harkening back to olden times. Check it out, even if you don’t hike nearby.

Statistics

Total Distance: 2.96 miles
Elevation: start 6,373 ft, maximum 6,608 ft, minimum 6,358 ft
Gross gain: 250 ft. Aggregate ascending 588 ft, descending 588 ft
Maximum slope: 27% ascending, 20% descending, 7.1% average
Duration: 2:11, Average Speed: 1.4 mph, Shade: 0%

Galisteo Basin Preserve Trails Hike.Pat.2026-03-15 (KML)	1 Download
GPS Track Files for Download
Galisteo Basin Preserve Trails Hike.Pat.2026-03-15 (GPX)	1 Download
Link to GAIA GPS: “Galisteo Basin Preserve Trails Hike.Pat.2026-03-15”
If you haven’t explored these hiking tracks with Google Earth, give it a try. With the virtual 3-dimensional presentation, achieved by panning and tilting the view, you can get good idea of the hike and the terrain. For some ideas, check out Using Google Earth Track Files.