A short hike during a long weekend at Chama.
The Drive In
From Chama drive 11.8 miles south on US 84, turn right on NM 95 toward Heron Lake. There are multiple turnoffs for access to the Salmon Run Trail, a campgrounds and parking areas; we chose somewhat at random.
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).
We first checked out hiking around the Ponderosa Campground. This area is nearly all rock surface, but with enough markings for a trail – in some places white paw prints on areas of open rock surface. It made a nice walk – the views of the lake made it enjoyable, even though the lake is a a very low level.
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The Salmon Run Trail runs for 5 miles skirts the eastern edge of Heron Lake. We hiked only a short portion in the middle of its full length. ‘Tis a well used trail with an even surface and a couple of descents into side canyons of the lake. There is some shade among the juniper and a few piñon trees, enough that there were few places where we had a view of the lake.
Statistics
Total Distance: 2.9 miles
Elevation: start 7,216 ft, maximum 7,244 ft, minimum 7,192 ft
Gross gain: 52 ft. Aggregate ascending 351 ft, descending 350 ft
Maximum slope: 14% ascending, 14% descending, 3.8% average
Duration: 1:33, Average Speed: 1.9 mph, Shade: 0%
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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.
References and Resources
ENMRD: Salmon Run Trail Guide
Heron Lake State Park (map)
AllTrails: Best trails in Heron Lake State Park
Salmon Run Trail
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Last Updated on October 16, 2025 by George Young