Tag: NNML

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 hike 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 multiuse 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 at a 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.

Rio Puerco Trail Scouting 2022

Four NMVFO volunteers met to scout the Rio Puerco Trail #385 at the eastern edge of the San Pedro Parks Wilderness north of Cuba, along with the Peñas Negras Trail #32 and Perchas Trail #418 that form a 6 mile loop together. We met at Resumidero Campground (Google Maps is wrong on how to get there!) and drove 3 miles south to the Rio Puerco Trailhead.

A huge number of big-diameter fir trees were down, making the trail an obstacle course to hike. Several cut ends of logs were visible to show us where the disappearing trail was supposed to go. The old cut marks demonstrated that the trail has seen love in the past. The trail needs more love from us right now.

We marked the route with biodegradable survey tape. After a difficult 2 miles in, we reached the beginning of the loop at a large park area, Vega Redonda, and had lunch.

We continued hiking on Rio Puerco Trail for another mile or so, to get an idea of the density of downed trees on the loop, and then returned to Resumidero Campground via the Vega Redonda Trail #43, as rain threatened.

Northern New Mexico Loop 2019

(PDF download of trip journal)