New Mexico Pictures (7 pictures)
Wheeler Peak
Directions:
From Taos, head north on Rt. 64 to SH 150 (about 4 miles)
and then head east all the way to the Taos Ski Valley.
Go through the large parking lot (easiest way is go left)
and park at the top of the lot [note that there are
restriction parking signs there, but they only apply for
the winter months]. The trail starts in the middle of the
top side, with an info sign a short ways up to the left
and a couple of picnic tables (and the free walk-in
camping area) to the right [there is no "Wheeler Peak"
sign visible from the parking area, you have to walk up to
the info sign to see that, yes, you are at the correct
spot].
There is a vault toilet a little ways up, after the trail
crosses the dirt road.
Free.
Trails:
At 13,161 feet, Wheeler Peak is the tallest point in New
Mexico. The wide rocky dirt trail immediately starts
heading up. Where there are horse trail signs, head the
other way. The trail is near a creek for a good ways and
is pretty. At the signed junction (a mile in), the trail
heads away from the creek and continues up. Not too much
further, the trail joins up with an old dirt road (still
rocky) and remains that way until the mines. There is a
nice resting spot at the Bull-of-the-Woods junction.
After taking a right at that junction, another junction
is a short ways ahead and bear right at that junction.
Again go right at the next junction. At the T-junction
a nice spot for a rest), head right (an old mining area
is to the left) as the way leaves the dirt road and is
back to trail-size. The trail goes through the trees
with a switchback up. After this area, you are above the
treeline. There may be some snow patches, that hopefully
are not difficult to cross (they weren't for my hike).
It was windy and nippy for sections during my hike. The
trail heads up to the ridge and rounds the mountain.
Then it annoying heads down. And down, dropping back
into the trees (yes, that is the trail on the green slope
on the other side). After rock-hopping across a creek (a
pretty resting spot), the trail heads back up and
eventually goes back out of the trees. Above the
treeline the trail switchbacks to the left up to the
ridge and then along the ridge towards the green mound
and then left around the green mound - there is a pretty
view down on a blue lake in the valley below. You can
see a peak ahead, but it's not Wheeler (Mt. Walker). The
good news is that Wheeler isn't too far ahead of Mt.
Walker. From the signed Mt. Walker peak, the trail takes
a short down to a saddle - at the saddle is the junction
for the way up from Williams Lake, a steep rough trail
(the lake looked like a pond and not pretty from above,
so I decided to go back the way I came instead of down to
the lake and not take the lake trail back to the ski
area). From the saddle, head straight. There is a false
peak and then after the short rocky up is the true peak.
There is a plaque and windbreak at Wheeler Peak.
Trail Length + Elevation:
8 miles round trip, 3961 feet
Area:
Mountains, trees
Pictures
When I did the hike:
Monday, July 5, 2010
Recommendation:
It is always neat to reach the tallest point in a state
and this a pretty hike. Some of the junctions are not
signed (when in doubt, head right).
Bandelier National Park
Directions:
From Los Alamos, head west on Rt 501 (crossing the bridge)
to Rt 4 and then take a left and head west for about 9
miles to the signed Bandelier entrance, on the right.
After paying the fee, follow the signs and drive the road
to the visitor center.
$12 per car or National Parks Pass
Trails:
Part of the main loop trail is paved. It goes through
an old small village - just the foundations visible with
about a foot tall sidewalls. The trail goes left and
then at a hard right is the first of the steps. At the
top of the steps is some small cliff dwelling rooms - a
couple of them can be accessed via not too long ladders
(you may have to wait in a short line to take a look).
The trail goes along the cliff dwellings for a while,
with some more steps and there are some neat looking rock
formations along the way. After the dwellings, the trail
reaches a T-junction - going left goes back to the
visitor center and going right heads to the Alcove House,
about .5 miles ahead. The way to Alcove House is wide
and level. At the bottom of the Alcove House is where
the fun begins. It's 150 feet from the canyon floor up
to the Alcove House, via 3 long ladders - not for the
faint of heart (I would have turned back midway through
the 2nd ladder, but had people behind me; after I got
back down, my hands were shaking (I am sometimes
acrophobic)). Getting to and from Alcove House was more
interesting than the "house", a large cliff overhang
area. There were a number of holes about 8 feet up on
the walls where it is believed that log roofs used to be
and they believe that the Alcove House was a ceremonial
area. The park service recreated a small ceremonial
kiva in the cliff ledge.
Trail Length:
1.2 miles main loop
about .5 miles extra from main loop to Alcove House
Note that there are a number of longer trails in the park.
Area:
High desert, canyon, ancient Pueblo ruins
Picture
When I did the hike:
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Recommendation:
If you are in Los Alamos, worth a visit, but don't make a
trip just for Bandelier (Mesa Verde (cliff dwellings) and
Aztec National Monument (ground buildings) have more
interesting ruins).
Chaco Canyon Natioanl Historical Park
Directions:
Rt 550 to the middle of no where (3 miles from of the
itty bitty town of Nageezi). Follow the brown the signs
for Chaco Canyon, turning south on CR 7900 and go for 5
miles and then turn west (right) on to CR 7950 (again,
brown sign for Chaco Canyon). The pavement goes away
after 3 miles and it's a long 13 miles further to the
park entrance - the road is paved in the park. It is a
good dirt road, but a very long, slow-going distance
from Rt 550 to the park. Drive into the park and stop
at the visitor center (with the neat view of Fajada
Butte) and pick up a park map and then drive the one-way
loop road to the ruins of some of the many great houses
in the canyon.
Facilities at the visitor center.
$8 per car for a week pass or National Parks Pass
Trails:
I had always wanted to visit Chaco, but it is so out of
the way that I had never visited. I was determined to
visit on my trip in 2011 and that meant a sidetrip from
my long day drive from Dallas to Silverton, Colorado
(which also severely limited the amount of time I could
spend in Chaco - the ruins are closed from sunset to
sunrise (and I arrived in late afternoon - I thought
about staying in the campground, but it was simply too
hot and I knew I wouldn't get much sleep with the heat)).
There are a number of good information signs about the
house near some of the Great Houses. The shorter trails
from the road are wide loose dirt. You'll likely start
with a short visit to Hungo Pavi (first house along the
loop road). [Una Vida is reached via a short trail
behind the visitor center and Wijiji is reached via a 1.5
mile trail before the campground turn, the other
trails/Great Houses are off the loop road.] That may
seem like a neat place, but it is one of the smaller
Great Houses. Next up is the stop for Pueblo Bonito (to
the left) and Chetro Keti (to the right). I started with
Pueblo Bonito and enjoyed walking through those
structures and then quick-walked to Chetro Ketl and was
really impressed with that very large Great House (a
great house is not a simple structure, but many, many
rooms and seperate buildings and a number of circular
kivas). One of the pictures I took was of the long wall
near the canyon wall side of Chetro Keti that gives
people looking at my pictures a sense of how long the
structure really is. One thing to notice amongst the
different structures is the different forms of masonry
used - it is described in the park brochure, but you do
notice it when looking at the structures. After those
two houses is a short drive further for the stop for
Pueblo del Arroyo and the start of the longer trail into
the canyon. Still interesting, but not as neat as Chetro
Ketl. I took the trail .3 miles in to Kin Klesto (another
neat Great House - after seeing it in the distance from
Pueblo Bonito, I had to visit that one) and then did a
little bit of the trail up the canyon wall before turning
around and having to head out (out of time) - the trail
to the right/behind Kin Kletso is more of a true trail
(everything else was fairly level) and does involve a bit
of scrambling to get to the top of the mesa, where there
is a longer loop trail and another Great House (and
probably good views down on the canyon and the ruins in
the canyon.
Keep in mind that it is desert country and can be very
warm in the summer.
Trail Length:
short to several miles - see the park map
Note that you need a free permit to hike some of the
trails that are further from the road (there is a
permit station near Kin Klesto for the trails past that
area - I don't know if there are stations for the Tsin
Kletisn loop or Wijiji trail or if you have to get the
permit at the visitor center).
Area:
desert country
Pictures
When I did the hike:
Monday, June 27, 2011
Recommendation:
It is so far away from anything, but it is such a neat
place. Due to time reasons, I only was allowing myself
an hour for Chaco, but it was so neat that I stayed
another hour (when I really, really had to leave) and
would love to go back and spend more time. Ranks right
up there with Mesa Verda as the best ancient pueblo ruins
places (and better than Mesa Verda as there is no chains
or tours limiting where you can go and what you can see,
plus it is not as touristy).
Sugarite Canyon State Park
Directions:
From Raton, take I25 to Rt 72 (next exit north of Hwy 87).
Head east on 72 about 5 miles to Rt 526. Go north on Rt
526 about 5 miles to Sugarite Canyon State Park. Park at
the visitor center.
$3.
Trails:
A short paved trail loops behind the visitor center with some
info signs and an old mine car. Halfway through the loop, a
trail branches off and crossed the small river. On the other
side of the river is a longer loop (wide trail) through the
old townsite. A number of foundations are visible and there
are a few info signs describing what the buildings were.
About halfway through that loop, a trail branches up and it's
about 3/4 mile of uneventful hiking (and a bit of an up) to
an old mine - the mine itself is very blah as it is sealed
(and wasn't more than a large hole to begin with), but the
dynamite storage building is along the trail and still
standing.
Trail Length:
About a mile
Area:
Hills, woods, old coal mining town (foundations, only Post
Office (now visitor center) still standing)
When I did the hike:
Monday, August 4, 2008
Recommendation:
No.
El Malpais volcano area
Directions:
Free.
Trails:
Area:
Picture
When I did the hike:
November 1995
Recommendation:
short, but had fun
[pulled from an old letter: Saturday, I decided to delay my trip to
Albuquerque until later in the afternoon and take the scenic drive along
rt 53. I drove past a small dirt road that had a sign for El Malpais
stuff, so I made a u-turn and took the road to see what it was. I spent
about and hour roaming around Junction Cave and the double sinks.]
[from a different letter: There was a small section of a partially
collapsed lava tube that I had fun climbing down into, again having
lied to my feet. I hiked the mile long path and saw the double sink
holes and the bat cave (no bats, though).]
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Directions:
Hwy 180/62 to the Carlsbad Caverns turnoff (Whites City, about
20 miles southwest of Carlsbad). Take Route 7 to the large
parking area at the end.
Flush toilets at visitor center.
Have to enter visitor center to get a ticket that includes a
time for the start of your hike into the cave.
$6 or National Parks Pass for self guided tour - includes
Natural Entrance and Big Room.
$8 Kings Palace tour (set times, ranger guided) [park pass
does not cover this fee]
Trails:
After taking the short walk from the visitor center to the
Bat Flight Amphitheater, the paved trail enters the cave and
switchbacks down, down, down into the caverns. Note that the
temperature in the cavern will be about 56 degrees, no matter
what the temperature is outside. The lighted trail goes by
the bat cave area (200 feet down). After a little bit, the
trail switchbacks down again and you start encountering many
of the neat stalactite, stalagmite, soda straws, columns, and
other cave formations. Also look for unmarked bits of old
trail (wooden rails and steps) for old routes of the cave.
After a mile of walking and heading down, the trail
intersects with the Big Room trail [note: you can only go
down the Natural Entrance route]. Take a right and it is a
vast loop through the massive chamber with many more neat
cave formations. The Big Room is mostly level and a good
chunk of it is wheelchair accessible. At the end of the
loop, head right and a short ways ahead is the lunchroom,
restrooms, and elevator back to the visitors center.
If you don't have time to do both routes (which would be a
crying shame), just do the Big Room (taking the elevator
down). I was in the first group entering the cave for the
day as was soon ahead of everyone and the extra quiet and
peacefulness added to my enjoyment of the cavern.
Trail Length:
1 mile, 750 feet down Natural entrance route
1 mile loop, mostly level Big room route
1 miles Kings Palace Tour (Ranger guided only)
Area:
Massive cavern with neat cave features.
When I did the hike:
Monday, October 29, 2007
Recommendation:
Absolutely. Caves don't get much neater and easily
accessible than this one.
White Sands National Monument
Directions:
Hwy 70/82 to White Sands National Monument - about 20 miles
southwest of Alamogordo and 40 miles northeast of Las Cruces.
$ or park pass.
$3 per person for a 7 day pass or National Parks Pass
Trails:
There is actually a real trail in the park, but good luck
finding it. The Dunes Drive heads for 8 miles into the dunes
with various pulloff spots along the way and a large loop at
the end. I kept looking for the trail start area and
eventually gave up and just got out of my car and started
walking amongst the sand dunes (which is what most people do).
After wandering up and down the dunes for a bit (making a
short loop and keeping in mind where exactly my car was), I
did see markers for the trail (sticks in the sand), but didn't
follow it (my tolerance for sand dunes, even neat ones, is
pretty short). Back in the car, I did see the trail start,
about 3 stops further from where I stopped - it was in the
central-west portion of the loop instead of the northwest
portion of the loop (like it looks like on the map) - the
dunes do shift, so they could change the trail occassionally.
I made a couple more stops for short dune hikes before heading
out - I spent about 1 1/2 hours there.
Keep in mind that it is desert country - you don't want to go
in the summer.
Trail Length:
4.6 mile loop Alkali Flat Trail
Area:
White sand dunes.
Picture
When I did the hike:
Monday, October 29, 2007
Recommendation:
Interesting and neat place to visit once. Sand dunes aren't
really my thing (but I was glad I did visit once). And, yes,
the sands really are a true white. The sand is smooth and
the best way to hike/walk it is barefoot.