New Mexico

Created in 2013 from partly existing public lands, The Rio Grande del Norte National Monument encompasses a large amount of land along the Rio Grande River from the Colorado border to south of Taos. Far from any major city, you'll likely enjoy trails to yourself in the morning and few other visit...

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'...

Drive 12 miles west of Taos, New Mexico on US Hwy 64, and you'll drive directly onto the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge that spans 1,280 feet. There's a rest area to the west of the bridge with a parking lot, sitting area, and if you're lucky like we were, a converted sky blue bus selling homemade desse...

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...

The Basics: 8,304 foot Devisadero Peak, which literally translates to "lookout," does not actually provide a great view from its treed summit. However, this lollipop loop hike has many vantage points over the Taos Valley as it snakes up and around this foothill mountain.  To get to the trailhea...

After driving down some dirt roads to the marked location, park in the main parking area. Free car camping is allowed here. Look across the blank landscape to the east. A compass may help you keep your bearing while out hiking because there are no trails or trail markers. Exit the parking area by...

The Dale Ball Trail system, covers a wide swath of terrain between Santa Fe County, the City of Santa Fe, the National Forest, and The Nature Conservancy with a 22 mile network of trails in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Located a short distance from downtown Santa Fe, it is the...

Golden Open Space Mesa Trail Loop is a dog and family-friendly loop trail located near Sandia Park, New Mexico. The trail is open year-round and offers expansive views of the valleys and mountains alongside Juniper and Pinyon trees. These trails are used by mountain bikers as well, so please keep...

In the last 1800's when Silver City was a booming mining town the quickly growing hispanic population of the Chihuahua Hill neighborhood built a small chapel aka "La Capilla" as a center of community activities including pilgrimages and the Festival of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  When the statue it c...

The Galisteo Basin Preserve south of Santa Fe, New Mexico is community conservation area of some 10,000 acres with 28 miles of publicly accessible trails for hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians.The Happy Valley Overlook is a great, quick way to get an epic view of a large portion of Galisteo...

Pecos National Historical Park offers up the "grand slam" for hiking, which is a bit of a misnomer because they only have 3 trails and a grand slam indicates you would have completed 4 of something. In order to achieve the "grand slam" you need to hike all 3 trails in one day, completing approxi...

This trail is a little tricky to get to, so be sure to stop at the Pecos NHP Visitor Center first for directions. You will also need to retrieve a gate code from the ranger. I would recommend picking up a guide inside the Visitor Center so you know what you're looking at on the trail (important)....

...When you research hiking gems to explore in New Mexico, this cave most likely won't be one of the first ones to pop up. This amazing landmark, called Kit Carson Cave, is a short drive off the I-40 and is located near the town of Gallup.  After a long day of driving, or if you're just looking ...

The South Pasture Loop trail, while part of the Pecos NHP, isn't in the main park. Currently, this trail is only open on the weekends and the road gate closes at 1pm. The trail itself closes at 3pm, and takes about 2-3 hours unless you plan on hiking for speed. No pets allowed. 0.7 miles down th...

Sulphur Canyon #281 and Cienega Horse Bypass #266 Loop is a loop trail that provides a good opportunity to view wildlife located near Cedar Crest, New Mexico.

Santa Fe Baldy Via Windsor Trail is an out-and-back trail that provides a good opportunity to view wildlife located near Santa Fe, New Mexico.