New Mexico

You start at the hiking at base of the the San Pedro Wilderness at the San Gregorio Lake Trailhead! This particular hike is called the Vacas Trail loop.For directions: Take US 550 to Cuba (north west of Albuquerque), turn east on NM 126 and go for about 9 miles. Just past the community of Deer La...

The Gila Wilderness is the oldest wilderness area in The United States, and Jordan Hot Springs rests right in the heart of Canyon of the Middle Fork of the Gila River, along a stretch of the Continental Divide Trail and some 7 miles from the nearest road. The most direct road by either car or tra...

Up near the iconic La Luz Trailhead is a smaller and somewhat hidden trail a little farther up the road, Piedra Lisa Trail.  This short two mile climb to the ridge that divides the view of Albuquerque and Placitas tops out at a rocky outcrop that provides simply stellar views of the city and to t...

Leaving from the foothills above Albuquerque this trail leads you from the desert up to the peaks of the Sandia Mountains.  You'll climb from the city at 7000 ft above sea level all the way up to 10,378 ft in altitude along a trail the changes from high desert to deep pine forest.  The views alon...

From the US 70 pull into the White Sands Visitor Center. Then continue along Dunes Drive. Eventually, Dunes Drive turns into Loop Drive. At the end of this road, you will find the Alkali Flat trailhead.  One of the most beautiful and potentially disorienting 5-mile round-trip treks through the de...

At the last switchback on Country Road B-007, is where the trailhead is located. if you've gone to the lowest point possible within the canyon, right next to the river, you have gone too far and need to turn around to the last switchback. it is an easy .3 Mile trail with a 68 foot elevation drop/...

Starting out at 7,200 feet you walk through 2 miles of relatively flat, beautiful forests and streams - at mile 2 you begin the ascent to the trail ridge with about an 800 foot elevation climb. Once you reach the top of the trail, you are surrounded by gorgeous panoramic views of both Sierra Blan...

A mile up in elevation and only a few miles into Lincoln National Forest from Alamogordo, take off on the scenic Sunspot Highway that leads to the solar observation center before a short detour off a dirt road that arrives at Bluff Springs Waterfall (camping is free on all dirt roads). There you'...

Begin this trail from the Cerro Gordo Trailhead which is only about 10 minutes from Santa Fe Plaza. You can park in the lot near the intersection of Cerro Gordo and Upper Canyon Rd. The lot will fill up on the weekends so arrive early. From the lot, take the short Nature Conservancy trail to the ...

There are no trails or marked vista points in the wilderness so you're free to explore in any direction you please though the odds of stumbling upon anything interesting are fairly slim if you're just wandering around aimlessly. Most visitors heading to Bisti are usually on the hunt for the infam...

75 minutes north of Albuquerque, Las Conchas is a trailhead that sits right off the highway with two accessible, although small, parking lots.  Right out of the gate the wide and well worn trail drops down to follow the river north through a wide mountain valley lined with large stands of trees, ...

Situated on the border of Arizona and New Mexico is an ancient throat of a volcano. You can see Shiprock for miles, as you approach the quiet New Mexico town. It's jagged edges and large spine, that extends to the South, cut straight out of vast flat landscape that surrounds it. You cannot miss i...

10K trailhead springs from it a whole handful of beautiful trails.  With access to a rocky path that leads off into raw wilderness, a clean and smooth walking, hiking, and mountain biking trail covered by tall pine canopy, or a wide cut service road ideal for easy strolls, you have plenty of opti...

Starting on the floor of the San Juan Basin and behind Pueblo Bonito, follow the signs up a twisty and dusty path that leads to a narrow gap between a very large boulder and the mesa wall. After an easy scramble through the gap, you will gain the top of the mesa. Once on top, follow the sporadic ...

Cosmic Campground International Dark Sky Sanctuary (CCIDSS) is the first International Dark Sky Sanctuary located on National Forest System lands and also in North America.  Situated on the western edge of the Gila National Forest & Wilderness the Cosmic Campground offers a 360-degree, unobst...

After driving the winding mountain road from Silver City to Gila Hot Springs, I knew I had to do more than just see the Gila Cliff Dwellings (which are stunning, don't miss them). The Gila Wilderness is the first designated wilderness in the world, championed by Aldo Leopold. A hike into this rem...