New Mexico Trip

[HonyBadgr]

My wife and I will be driving to northern New Mexico next week for a little getaway with the pups. We have a cabin between Taos and Angel Fire. Was hoping someone might have some pro tips on day trips. Goose Lake keeps popping up on searches. Any other recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks all for your help.

 

[FireMedicPQ1]

I assume that since you have a cabin in the area, you are familiar with the Enchanted Circle drive, it is a scenic and enjoyable trip for sure. It should be nice next week; we have received a little bit of snow this week but temperatures are warmer and we are down on seasonal snow fall accumulation. Have a safe trip and enjoy your stay in NM.

 

[soonersfan]

My wife and I will be driving to northern New Mexico next week for a little getaway with the pups. We have a cabin between Taos and Angel Fire. Was hoping someone might have some pro tips on day trips. Goose Lake keeps popping up on searches. Any other recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks all for your help.

Goose Lake is the most popular. It's a fairly easy drive. The road gets a little narrow but nothing too technical. Its very scenic at the top and there is a vertical hike you can take (probably 1,000 ft. elevation) where you can see all the way to Taos. You can actually hike to Taos from there too.

4th of July is the most fun and the most technical. At the top, you can cut through the trees over to Bobcat Pass or take switchbacks down to the road near the trailhead for Goose Lake. I have done this trail many times on 4 wheelers, side by sides and my Jeep. It is probably the least scenic of the three but the most fun to drive.

Greenie Peak is fun and offers a great view at the top. There are some old abandoned mines you can drive by or hike to but not a lot to see on those. There are a couple of challenging obstacles you can choose to do or bypass but most of the trail is pretty moderate. There are some other trails over near Questa that will take you up to small lakes but nothing tremendous. The three in Red River are where to start.

For a day trip you can probably get 2 of the 3 in. I would suggest 4th of July to Goose lake trail head and then Goose Lake. If you wanted to come back another day, you could do Greenie Peak and take the lift up to go play frisbee golf at the Red River ski area or do one of the hikes there. If you are into hiking, there are some excellent options at the Taos ski valley too.

I love that area. I hope you have a great trip.

Edit: I wrote all of this without even considering the fact that it is December. I've done all of this activities in the Summer months and don't have any idea if they will be open this time of year. You should be able to call the Red River visitors center and confirm.

 

[Toyfool]

Being December going up into mountains is probably not the best choice unless you plan on skiing.

I find the Rio Grande del Norte national monument worth a visit. There are a few hiking trails that drop down to the river and the fly fishing can be good due to the spring fed nature of this part of the river.
Cruising the Taos Plateau on the west side of the river is cool too. Not much out there but expansive views and a bunch of old vocanoes. Cross over at the John Dunn bridge and then once back up on top of the mesa look for two tracks peeling off north. Dont expect much signage between there and southern CO.

 

[HonyBadgr]

Awesome information all, thank you! We are renting a cabin off of Airbnb and have never been to the area, so all of this info is a huge help. Definitely looking for some fun drives and hikes that my wife and 2 pups will enjoy. Thank you again!

 

[Murphy Slaw]

It's a beautiful State, that's for sure.

 

[Tommys]

We too are headed up into NM. We are headed to Jemez Mts and look forward seeing Gilmon tunnels....check it out on rd 4.
And...we too are from the Austin area.
I would very much like to follow your trip for any pointers you may come across.

 

[HonyBadgr]

We too are headed up into NM. We are headed to Jemez Mts and look forward seeing Gilmon tunnels....check it out on rd 4.
And...we too are from the Austin area.
I would very much like to follow your trip for any pointers you may come across.

Thanks for the heads up on the Gilmon tunnels. Hopefully we have a chance to check it out. I'd be more than happy to share some pics and info when I get back into town. It looks like a beautiful area to get lost in and explore.

 

[Tommys]

I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks.

 

[Tommys]

How was the trip? Or still exploring?
The weather is about to change when we arrive on Friday. Any pointers for the trip?

 

[HonyBadgr]

Just got back. Sunny and 40's the whole time. No fresh snow, so we didn't even bother w

ith lift tickets. The few runs that are open are all man made snow. Just meant more time to explore. Did the enchanted circle the first day and some of the trails around Red River which was pretty cool. Almost made it to Greenie Peak until we lost traction on an ice patch and slid backward down the trail. That was game over for the wife. Next stop was Cabresto Lake. They were doing construction around lake so we didn't stick around long, but still a nice area. We spent another day driving FR437 and any trail I could find attached to it. Really enjoyed that drive. Checked out the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge and then found a nice spot over by the John Dunn Bridge to let the pups play in the river. We would have done some hot springs, but the one we came up on had about 6 naked bodies in it, so we pushed on. A little disappointed we didn't have much snow to play in, but overall a great trip. The wife has all the good photos, but this is what I have handy. Hope you get some fresh powder.

 

[Tommys]

We just finished and now in Co. Springs... thanks for your input. It helps. Check out my daily trip: https://plus.google.com/u/0/collection/AucuWE

 

[HonyBadgr]

We just finished and now in Co. Springs... thanks for your input. It helps. Check out my daily trip: https://plus.google.com/u/0/collection/AucuWE

That's awesome man. I was really tempted to push up into Colorado, but the wife vetoed that idea pretty quick.

 

[Tommys]

You are welcome. The cold here is different. Heart attack cold... Moving into Boulder Wednesday, the Rig had a problem with the fan relay after the Jemez, Mts. Stuck in Colorado Spring at the moment. Check out the video link.