Seeking cooler temperatures, respite from the near 100s in Albuquerque, we headed for the higher elevations of Sangre de Cristo mountains. (And, on the way through Santa Fe we could stop by Sage Bakehouse for one of their delicious specialties.) There are many hikes one can take from the Santa Fe Ski Basin, most of the starting on the upper Winsor Trail (see references below).
The Hike
Upper Winsor Tail Hike. Pat.2020-08-06
We set out to hike for 2-3 miles, out and back. About 3/4 of a mile into the hike, we came to the entrance to the Pecos Wilderness Area, well marked with signs, sign-in log sheet, and a passage through the fence. 
The trail is very well used and hiking is easy through shaded forest. Elevation gain is gradual all of which make for a nice hike. About 3/4 mile along we topped the ridge at 10,831 feet, then began descending into the Rio Nambe valley. To make our usual ~5 mile hike, we stopped for our mid-hike break at 2.2 miles (10,495 feet).
Statistics
Total Distance: 4.28 miles
Elevation: start 10,287 ft, maximum 10,831 ft, minimum 10,287 ft
Gross gain: 544 ft. Aggregate ascending 1,461 ft, descending 1,447 ft
Maximum slope: 43% ascending, 40% descending, 10% average
Duration: 3:42
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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 and Resources
USDA Forest Service:
Winsor Trailhead #254
Winsor National Rec Trail #254
Santa Fe New Mexican: Trails: Winsor Trail has a storied history
ASCHG:
Winsor Trail to Bob Meadow Hike
Winsor Trail to Puerto Nambe Hike
Winsor Trail to Nambe Lake Hike
Winsor Trail to Spirit Lake from Ski Area Hike
AllTrails:
Hiking Project: Winsor National Recreation Trail
For more hikes, and links for this one, visit our Journal – Hiking in New Mexico