Bandelier and Canyons

  • NNML 2026 Day 3, June 20, Saturday
  • Start S1 mile 32
  • End S1 mile 52.2 Alamo Spring Trail
  • Miles walked: 20.2

5 miles of roadwalk along NM4 start the day, past several Los Alamos Tech Centers, aka mad scientist labs. finally I get to Bandelier National Park, grab water at Juniper Campground, and take Frey Trail towards the archaeological sites.

I am able to see some of the ruins from far above, coming down theetrail.

Coming to Pueblo Loop Trail, I take it to see all the cliff dwelling ruinsd

I check in at the visitor’s center, and grab some snacks and electrons at the cafe.

The Middle Alamo Trail takes me down and up Alamo Canyon on carved stone steps the NPS trail builders are fond of using here.

A single hoodoo decorates the canyon.

At the Stone Lions Site, eroded carvings of two lions are surrounded by a circle of rock.

The trail goes down Upper Alamo Canyon, where I am grateful to find running water, just enough.

I head to a spot just out of the park boundary, to camp on USFS land.

Finished audiobook The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI, by Cory Doctorow.

Crossing

  • NNML 2026 Day 2, June 19, Friday
  • Start S1 mile 12, near USFS trailhead
  • End S1 mile 32
  • Miles walked: 20

The route resumes on El Camino Real for a while, alongside Buckman Road and power lines. The road and power lines go straight to the Rio Grande, and the electricity powers a series of pump stations to lift water from the river up to Santa Fe county. The elevation differeence is too much for a single pump station to handle.

Then we turn sharp west, and climb up a ridge, and will avoid Diablo Canyon.

I hike several miles west on a series of 2-track roads.

Finally the route descends down the Rio Grande Gorge, with canyon walls hundreds of feet high.

My place to cross the Rio is wide and shallow. On my first NNML trip, the water was too deep, so I had to hike back, and get a ride on the other side at White Rock. Will I make it this time?

Yes! The water level is quite low this year, and I know from checking online water gauges. Here is the view from the middle of the crossing.

The water only comes to my knees, and then to mid-thigh in one spot, with low flow attempting to push me sideways:

Other hikers in other years needed a pack raft or kayak to cross. Just because one dude was able to wet-foot cross in 2026, do not assume you can.

The route up from the river used to be a trail up Frijoles Canyon, but that route was wiped out by the Las Conchas Fire. There is an alternate way up, very steep with loose rock, but I choose the safer route up Ancho Canyon, adding 10 miles to my trip. I need to go several miles upstream along a River Trail, often disappearing or blocked by lush riparian growth.

Here is the view of the river where I start climbing up. Definitely too low for river rafting.

Ancho Canyon has a trickle of water, so I do not need to drink directly from the Rio Grande. I climb up a bit, then collapse, exhausted, and can go no more today.

Finished audiobook Death Comes For the Archbishop, by Willa Cather. Appropriate setting for where I am hiking.

NOTE: I only learned the next day from the trailhead sign that camping is prohibited in Ancho Canyon. I have asked that my guidebook be updated.

Restart

  • Northern New Mexico Loop NNML 2026 Day 1, June 18, Thursday
  • Start Santa Fe Plaza
  • End S1 12 near Headquarters Well, on BLM land
  • Miles walked: 12

I did the Northern New Mexico Loop a few years ago, but the route has been updated to go near Taos, so I wanted to try the route again.

Refreshed from a night in Albuquerque, I make my way to the downtown train station to Santa Fe, pausing once to take a selfie at a pawn shop on-route famous for its eye-catching sculptures out front.

Santa Fe Plaza is a respite of shade, with several people resting on benches, people-watching.

The route follows a paved multiusee greenspace trail west along the Santa Fe “River”, now dry. The trail is also marked as “El Camino Real” hiking trail, after the historic trading route between Santa Fe and Mexico City.

Past the community of Agua Fria, the route crosses over a freeway and continues as a bikepath alongside Caja del Rio Road. I divert to a city golf course to grab more water in their restroom next to a restaurant.

Signs ata USFS trailhead describe El Camino Real. The trailhead has a shelter and toilets, and I pause for dinner.

The USFS land here is limited to day-use by special posted order, but BLM land is nearby, where I camp.

Finished audiobook The Red Harvest, by Dashiel Hammett.