The bike legal portion of the Windsor Trail drops over 3,000 vertical feet in 9 miles. It is both... read more
The bike legal portion of the Windsor Trail drops over 3,000 vertical feet in 9 miles. It is both... read more
This trail begins at the pull aside just next to the Santa Fe Ski Area parking lot. You begin... read more
This is the trail to Lake Catherine and Stewart Lake...it is not an easy trail, but not too hard. Just unrelenting climb out of the valley.
Walked just the short distance from the Alpine Ski parking lot
to Big Tesuque campground, because we were a group of 12 or so,
and this enabled us to carpool. (Some in the group started at the
alpine Ski Basin parking lot.) This 3-mile section was well-maintained
and well-signed, with many beautiful wildflowers in mid-June. Mostly shady too.
The part of the Winsor trail system most people are familiar with "starts" at the Santa Fe ski area parking lot and runs up into the Pecos Wilderness. Actually you can follow the same trail downhill all the way to Tesuque if you like, and this is a popular route for mountain bikers and day hikers. This part of the trail merges at times with the Bear Wallows and Borrego trail, and you can hit the Chamisa trail too - all of these will take you back to Hyde Park road. This part of the hike is a moderately difficult walk along a creek. I think it's about 9 miles one way if you go all the way down.
If you go uphill from the parking area towards Pecos, the first part is brutal. Very steep switchbacks, though wide enough that passing people isn't a problem. Once you get past the first mile or so it is very pleasant. You can hang a right at the edge of the wilderness to climb Lake Peak (about another 2 hours), or venture into the Wilderness to see a variety of meadows, streams and lakes, depending on how long you want to walk. The elevation here will be difficult for some out-of-towners. Go a little slower than you feel necessary and drink a little more water, and don't feel bad for taking breaks every 10 minutes or so during the big climbs.
Backpacking is allowed and I would highly recommend it. There is a huge, beautiful flat area (meadow with some interspersed trees) about 5-6 miles up from the parking lot, and if you use that as a base camp you can make numerous 3-4 hour hikes to lakes and the various peaks around the meadow. You can also take the Winsor for another 20-30 miles through the mountains and end up in Pecos proper.
This trail is best used from late April to early October. You may still see snow early in the year. Thunderstorms are common enough that you should be aware of them in the early afternoons June-August. There is a bathroom at the parking lot but there are no facilities anywhere else along the trail.
This is the main hiking trail leading from the Santa Fe Ski Basin into the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. It is not for those with heart conditions or similar medical concerns, and even its base is high enough (over 10,000 feet) that you'll be puffing hard unless you've acclimatized. It's high enough to cause Mountain Sickness, so monitor your health carefully. The first mile is a series of steep switchbacks that will make your legs burn and your lungs explode, but things level out at the Pecos Wilderness boundary and the rest of the trail to the ridge line at Puerto Nambe is more gradual. Scenery is good throughout and downright superb in places, but during the summer you'll have to share the trail with numerous other hikers; don't expect a "wilderness experience" unless you're willing to go all the way to Puerto Nambe and wander from there. The trail may still have snow on it into June, so that the hiking season basically runs from July through September. (Be aware of the high likelihood of mountain thunderstorms in late summer. Most of the trail is relatively safe from lightning, being down in the trees, but both the beginning of the trail, on an open face, and the end, above timberline, are dangerous places to be if there's lightning about.) All told, this trail would get a "Very Good" rating if it weren't for the overuse. If you don't mind a (relatively) crowded trail, you'll enjoy it, but be in shape, watch for altitude problems, and keep an eagle eye on the weather.
If you like to hike, or just walk --this is a great place to start! You will get a wonderful view of the topology and plants/trees here. This is a great way to fall in love with Santa Fe. The parking is just up Hyde Park, about 1/2 way to the ski area. And there are plenty of other trails to peak your interest there too!
This is a great trail which can be found at the top of the Ski Santa Fe parking lots. It is 15-20 degrees cooler than town in the Summer and most of the time one is shaded by the tall pines. It is alo great for snow shoeing in the Winter. It does start out at about 10,000 feet. Last weekend it was 28 degrees and it was lightly snowing.