Pat & I headed for the Pecos River Canyon, to get our first exposure to one of the favorite hiking, camping, and fishing spots around Santa Fe.
The Drive In
Getting there: I-25 to Glorieta, then NM 50 to Pecos, turn left onto NM 63, continue to the south edge of Tererro where you turn left onto Holy Ghost Canyon Road. Proceed to the entrance to the campground.
The Hike
Parking for hikers is at the entrance to the campground (which was closed), so the first half mile is through the tent, trailer, and group campgrounds. Then it is into the canyon – the trail follows Ghost Canyon Creek; we crossed over the creek on logs 3 times in the 1.5 miles up the canyon on our hike. The trail is well used and easy going, generally through open forest, occasionally open spaces that afford views of the steep forested sides of the canyon. Aspen are sprinkled throughout the forest, between very tall fir, ponderosa, and a few spruce trees. And all the time we heard the sound of the bubbling brook.
Statistics
Total Distance: 3.30 miles
Elevation: start 8,089 ft, maximum 8,481 ft, minimum 8,089 ft
Gross gain: 392 ft. Aggregate ascending 659 ft, descending 659 ft
Maximum slope: 25% ascending, 24% descending, 6.3% average
Duration: 2:57
GPS Track Files for Download | |
74 Downloads |
|
---|---|
48 Downloads |
|
123 Downloads |
|
42 Downloads |
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.
References
USDA Forest Service: Holy Ghost Trail #283
ASCHG:
Holy Ghost Creek Hike
Holy Ghost – Stewart Lake – Winsor Creek Hike
Southern New Mexico Explorer: Holy Ghost Trail (FT 283) – Pecos Wilderness AllTrails: Holy Ghost Creek Trail
OhRanger: Trail 283 Holy Ghost Trail