Category: Trail Projects

Volunteers from NMVFO and Socorro Trails gathered for a weekend project to open up the Six Mile Trail / Ryan Hill Trail loop, which used to be popular for mountain bikers, and was even published in a guide, but is now thoroughly overgrown. Optional camping started Friday evening at Water Canyon Group Campsite, with its impressive laminated curved beams.

Saturday we carpooled up FR 235/ Water Canyon Rd to the trailhead at Six Mile Trail. A huge crane had slid off an icy road a few months ago, just a hundred yards up from the trailhead, so several of us walked up to take a look. It is hard to judge size from the picture, and I could not convince C. to climb down to be in the photo for scale, but the wreck is pretty huge.

We divided into 3 4-person teams, with one group doing sawing while the others lopped. Wild raspberries were in season.

At the trail junction we diverted to Ryan Hill Trail, with some lopping, and hiked out to cars we had left, to shuttle us back to camp.

The next day 8 volunteers returned to Ryan Hill Trailhead, and lopped for a half-day, not reaching the intersection with Six Mile, but doing a thorough job of beating back the oak and mountain mahogany.

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• Six Mile Scouting 2024
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Rob, Nick, and I returned to the Magdalenas for a scouting trip for an upcoming NMVFO/Socorro-Trails project. We drove up Water Canyon Road and started hiking at Ryan Hill Trail, at the “X” on the map, first a two-track that goes past an old mine, narrowing to single track.

At the intersection we headed west on Six Mile Trail, flagging a route that had nearly disappeared in many places. We removed some downed trees and cleared forest litter covering the tread, to make the upcoming project easier for trail crews to follow. Oak and mountain mahogany are growing into the trail in abundance, and it looks like the upcoming project will involve a great deal of lopping.

Six NMVFO volunteers joined CDTC staff and volunteers, and NM Mountain Club volunteers, for a weekend project near San Gregorio Lake Trailhead. When scouting the trail we observed several thru-hikers taking the wrong intersections at a particular confusing spot, which we managed to improve. We also repaired badly eroded trail on a steep embankment along Nacimiento Creek.

The next day we split into two teams and cleared downed trees from the trailhead to Nacimiento Mine, about 6.7 miles away. This was the first two-person crosscut experience for several volunteers.

On the final half-day we cleared drains on the trail up to San Gregorio Lake.

A big thanks goes out to CDTC staff leaders Kinsey and Michael, and cook Randi, and all the volunteers, for a memorable high-morale weekend.