Ruins and an Alligator

Today our plans included some ancient ruins and a big tree. We were up early this morning because we had plans to visit the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument. Yesterday on our drive on NM 35 we saw a sign that said it could take up to two hours to reach the park. We had also been told by some friends that the drive takes at least an hour and a half. We started our drive in Silver City and took NM 15 (we didn't see a sign on this road). There is incredible scenery along this drive and there is beauty around every curve (and there are quite a few curves).

View from NM 15

The road winds its way through mountain terrain and is narrow in some areas. You get fantastic views of the valleys below, you pass through pine forests and there are impressive rock formations as you make your way north. New Mexico highway 15 is also part of the Trail of the Mountain Spirits National Scenic Byway. As we drove I asked Thomas to pull over and stop so I could take pictures. We also made two stops along the way to find letterboxes and you can read about that part of the trip at Boxing NM 15, Trial of the Mountain Spirits and Big Tree Trail. There is a scenic overlook with a short trail and interpretive signs at Copperas Vista (Senator Clinton P. Anderson Scenic Overlook). We stopped here long enough to read all the signs and take some pictures. Then we continued along the road and made another stop at a pullout with an interpretive sign for Alum Mountain. This spot also has some fantastic views. From this point we weren't too far from the Cliff Dwellings so we didn't make any stops until we reached the Visitor Center.

At the Visitor Center we got information from a woman working there, I collected my National Park Passport Cancellation Stamps and bought a couple of post cards, a patch and a small book about the Cliff Dwellings. Then Thomas and I watched the 15 minute video about the Mogollon Culture and looked at the exhibit of artifacts. Before we left the Visitor Center to head to the trail I asked the woman about their Senior Ranger program. She handed me a photocopied booklet and told me that when I finished it I could give it to any Ranger to get my patch. The trail to get to the Cliff Dwellings is not at the Visitor Center. You have to drive about two miles from the Visitor Center to the trailhead. There is also a small museum at this area.

Gila Cliff Dwellings

When we got to the trailhead we were handed a map and given a short orientation and then we could head out to the dwellings. The trail starts after you cross over a bridge. As we reached the end of the bridge a javelina ran across the trail and down a hill. Then we saw movement off to our left and saw three more javelinas. The trail starts out easy and you cross a few bridges over a creek and then the trail follows along the left side of the creek. This part of the trail is level and easy as you walk along the creek on your right and the cliff wall on your left. Eventually you reach some steps that take you up to the cliff dwellings. Once you reach the top of the steps the dwellings are just a short distance ahead. There are Rangers there that can guide you and answer questions. We had a great guide. Her name was Kess and she was volunteering as part of her college credit. She took us through the dwellings and answered all the questions we had. When we finished walking through the dwellings we headed down the trail back to the trailhead and museum. While on the trail and at the dwellings I filled out some of the Senior Ranger booklet and when I got back to the trailhead I finished it. When that was done Thomas and I walked through the small museum. Before we left the park we returned to the Visitor Center so I could turn in my booklet and get my patch.

After that we drove back down NM 15 to Silver City. In Silver City we went to the historic downtown area and walked around and the got something to eat. Now that we ate and were rested it was time to continue with our day.

Our next stop was past Fort Bayard at the Fort Bayard Administrative Site Trailhead. The goal for this trip was to see the Fort Bayard Big Juniper Tree.

Big Alligator Juniper Tree

This tree is the second largest alligator Juniper Tree. Its diameter is 70.2 in, circumference is 18 feet 4 inches, crown spread is 62 feet, and height is 63 feet. We took the Big Tree Trail and walked between two and two and a half miles to get to the tree. The trail is relatively easy. Along the trail we walked through a gate and crossed over the Wood Haul Trail and passed the intersection for the Sawmill Wagon Trail. During our walk we went through stands of oak and maple trees and saw beautiful meadows full of wildflowers. Actually there were wildflowers all along the trail. We finally reached the Big Tree and it is pretty impressive and worth the hike. We spent a little time hanging out at a picnic table next to the tree. After about 30 minutes we made our way back to the car. I guess we walked around five miles and it was a great way to spend the afternoon.

We returned to Silver City and decided we had earned the right to get ice cream. So we made a quick stop at Dairy Queen and got blizzards to take back to the hotel. Now that we have taken showers we are relaxing and discussing our day. We had a fantastic time at the Gila Cliff Dwellings and enjoyed the Big Tree.

  Silver City – Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument – Silver City – Fort Bayard Administrative Site – Silver City 113 miles | 3 hours 52 minutes

Dorothy Stewart Trail

The following trail description is from Day Hikes in the Santa Fe Area Sixth Edition Expanded and Revised by the Northern New Mexico Group of the Sierra Club. This is my favorite hiking guide. It looks as though they have a seventh edition out now. If you spend time hiking in the Santa Fe area I strongly recommend you get this book.

"A short, easily accessible and very pleasant hike on the east side that affords great views of the Santa Fe landscape."

Roundtrip Distance: 2.5 miles 
Time: 1 to 2 hours
Elevation Range: 7320-7550; total gain 440 feet
Rating: Easy

» My thoughts on the above - the distance is accurate from the trailhead, around the entire loop and back to the trailhead. The time is pretty good (it took me 1 hour and 15 minutes with a 10 minute break at each of the two benches). I am not sure about the elevation range because 7320 to 7550 is only 230 feet. I am not sure how they figure the elevation gain but it isn't bad. This is an easy hike.

Here are a couple of links about the trail that you might like to check out . . .
Hike: The Dorothy Stewart Trail
Dorothy Stewart Trail Map

This hike is an easy hike and it is easily accessible and that makes it a great hike for when you don't have a lot of time but want to get out and see some great views of the Santa Fe area. The only problem here is that there is only room for about four cars at the trailhead. This is located about a mile from St. John's college on Camino Cruz Blanca. If the parking is full then you have to park at St. John's and make the almost one mile walk to the trailhead as there is no parking along the street.

      

      

I was lucky today and the parking area was empty so I got a great parking spot. I grabbed my water and camera and hit the trail right at 1:00pm.

Trail Split

The trail begins going down right away and pretty much continues that way until you get to a little wash (the book calls it Arroyo Mora, although I have never seen a sign). I walked for about 20 minutes and reached a sign for the Dorothy Stewart trail and then just a few minutes later I reached the wash. From here the trail gradually goes uphill, it isn't hard, you just know you are climbing. I took breaks along the way to take some pictures of the great views and I was also happy to see some cactus blooms as well. I reached the split in the trail (this is marked by a rock cairn next to a small pine? tree) that starts the loop at 1:30pm and decided to head left (I did this for no particular reason) and continued on the trail.

One of the two benches on the trail.

About 10 minutes later I arrived at the first bench. The bench is made from a build up of rocks with small logs going across for the seat. The view from this bench is wonderful so I took a few minutes to sit and enjoy it. Continuing along for a few more minutes brought me to the junction (Junction 33) with the Dale Ball South Trails. I passed this and continued to the second bench which is only a few minutes walk from here. Again I took a break and enjoyed the views of Picacho Peak and Atalaya. I left the bench at about 1:45pm and was back at the split at 1:55pm. From here you head back on the same trail you took from the parking area. It is downhill at first until you get to the wash and then the last part is uphill to your car. I made it back at 2:15pm. It was a great hike for a very warm summer day. I was happy that the weather was good and got to enjoy the beautiful blue skies.

 

Chamisa Trail #183

The following trail description is from Day Hikes in the Santa Fe Area Sixth Edition Expanded and Revised by the Northern New Mexico Group of the Sierra Club. This is my favorite hiking guide. It looks as though they have a seventh edition out now. If you spend time hiking in the Santa Fe area I strongly recommend you get this book.

"A well-defined mountain trail close to Santa Fe, winding through an evergreen forest and ending at a beautiful grassy meadow beside the Tesuque Creek."

Roundtrip Distance: 5 miles
Time: 2½ to 3 hours
Elevation Range: 7950-8500; total gain 1240 feet
Rating: Easy

» My thoughts on the above - the distance is pretty accurate for the round trip all the way to the creek and back and the time is pretty good (it took me 3 hours and 15 minutes with a 30 minute break at the creek). I am not sure about the elevation range because 7950 to 8500 is only 550 feet. Not sure if they are looking at the gain from the trailhead to the saddle or from the creek to the saddle. I have read other online descriptions of the trail and they put the elevation at 500 to 700 feet in total gain.

Here are a few links about the trail that you might like to check out . . .
Chamisa Trail Map
Chamisa Trail
Chamisa Trail Hike
Chamisa Trail
Breathe Deeply: Santa Fe's Chamisa Trail

This hike is one of my top five in Santa Fe and today would be the first time I hike it this year. I always hike the trail all the way to the creek. There is an option to do a loop which only goes to a saddle. For me the hike down from the saddle to the creek is the most scenic. I live on the south end of Santa Fe so my drive up to the trailhead is about 40 minutes. The trailhead is about 5½ miles up Artist Road (aka Hyde Park Road or NM475) on the left side.

By the time I parked at the trailhead and began my hike it was 9:55am. There were 10 other cars in the parking lot so I thought I would see lots of people on the trail. As it turned out I did encounter a few people but for the most part it was a quiet hike. From the parking lot there are two choices to begin your hike. In the middle part of the lot there is a trail that starts between two boulders and takes you through the canyon up to the saddle and to the far right of the lot is a kiosk and a trail (with a trail sign that says "Chamisa Trail 183 - Tesuque Creek 2¼") that heads up above the canyon. I rather the latter.

So I start my hike and pretty quickly I realize that I am not in the best of shape. I huff and puff my way up the trail taking frequent breaks to catch my breath and take some pictures. Along the first part of the trail if you look down to your left you can glimpse the lower trail that goes through the canyon and at one point there is sign that says "Trail 183". I like this trail because of the variety of the trees you get to see along the way - there are pinons, junipers, ponderosa pines, douglas firs and gambel oaks. As I made my way upwards towards the saddle I encountered a few people. A man running and making his way back to the parking lot, another man walking with his two doberman pinchers and then a woman standing on the side of the trail texting on her phone. After walking about a mile and a half I reached the saddle at 10:50am. There is a trail map here and if you look closely there is a little note that says "You are here. Breathe deeply.". Here I took a little break and thought "That wasn't easy - that was more at the very least, moderate!". But it didn't really matter, I made it to this point. At this point a lot of people take the trail back down through the canyon to the parking lot to make a loop of the hike. But I love the meadow and creek at the end so it was time for me to head down to the creek.

This part is easy as it is pretty much all downhill. During this part of the hike you go through a small streambed that usually doesn't have much water. This is also a little rocky in places but not anything too bad. The trail here is more shaded and protected. At this point I encountered a man and a woman returning from the creek. Shortly after passing this couple I reached the junction of the Winsor Trail (#254) with trail signs. Here you can turn left and continue down for the Tesuque Creek hike or you can turn right and walk a little ways up the trail to a meadow with a large granite boulder. You can also continue up the Winsor Trail as far as Santa Fe Baldy if you are so inclined. For today the meadow was my destination and I arrived at 11:20am. The creek runs behind the boulder so I made my way there and found a spot to sit right next to the creek and have a little lunch and enjoy the sound of the creek passing over rocks and the songs of quite a few birds. I spent about half an hour here just relaxing. I saw a woman sitting next to the creek about 200 feet from me who left about two minutes after I arrived, a man on a bike passed the meadow going down the Winsor Trail and another man with a dog was heading in that same direction about 10 minutes later. Other than those sightings the place was pretty deserted. After about a thirty minute break it was time to head back to the car. My only disappointment was the lack of wildflowers. I saw a few but either I was too late or too early.

I left the meadow at about 11:50am and walked up the Winsor Trail and turned left at the trail sign and headed back up the Chamisa Trail. This part for me is the hardest. It is all up hill to the saddle. So I took my time taking frequent breaks to catch my breath and take pictures. I wasn't in a hurry and I was breathing pretty hard so I didn't want to push it. During this part of the hike I didn't see anyone else and was enjoying the solitude. As you get closer to the saddle the trail makes close to a 90° turn to the right. In my opinion this is the steepest part of the trail as you make the last little climb up to the saddle. It took me 180 slow steps taking a break after each 50 steps just to catch my breath. Seeing the map at the saddle made me very happy. I arrived at the saddle at 12:25pm. While taking a break I started to hear thunder and noticed a few black clouds moving in. I didn't see lightning or feel rain yet but I decided it was time to move along and get back to the car just in case.

From the saddle back to the parking lot I took the same trail I used coming up. I much rather this one over the one in the canyon. This part of the hike is pretty easy as it is mostly downhill and for me I know I am almost done. During this part of my hike I passed six mountain bikers. I am not sure if they were all together or not since I passed them at different times. There were four men and two women and they all seemed to be having a challenge getting up to the saddle. I turned the last corner and only had 50 feet or so to go to get to the parking lot and I could see my car, which was only one of two in the lot. As I put my backpack in the car I noticed the time was 1:10pm. So it took me three hours and fifteen minutes to do the hike - even with all my breaks. I checked the hiking guide to see what they said about how much time it would take to do the hike and I realized I didn't do too bad. Maybe I am not in as bad of shape as I first thought, but I know I have some work to do. Hopefully I will get out and hike more - that should help. Overall the hike was fantastic. We had some rain last night so that helped cool things down. There was also a light breeze during most of the hike and the sky was its beautiful New Mexico blue. I also noticed the lack of smoke haze from the three nearby fires (Jarosa, Tres Lagunas and Thompson Ridge) - thankfully the rain from last night helped to minimize that.