Trip to NM and Valles Caldera

[Gloriaib]

Good afternoon everyone, I am looking to go to Santa Fe and Carson National Parks in early July. I have been planning my trip and trying to make sure my route is good to go. What tips and tricks does everyone use when using Gaia and the MVUM to make sure you stay on public lands and not deal with private property. This will be my first long trip and I want to make sure I stay safe and legal. Also, I think it’d be fun to make it a group trip if anyone is interested I can add a rally point.

 

[LostInThought]

Good afternoon everyone, I am looking to go to Santa Fe and Carson National Parks in early July. I have been planning my trip and trying to make sure my route is good to go. What tips and tricks does everyone use when using Gaia and the MVUM to make sure you stay on public lands and not deal with private property. This will be my first long trip and I want to make sure I stay safe and legal. Also, I think it’d be fun to make it a group trip if anyone is interested I can add a rally point.

I live in Los Alamos, and Valles Caldera is kind of my backyard, just a few miles away. With Gaia, I use the following maps/layers when I'm poking around back there:

• MVUM layer (at about 40% opacity)
• Public Land Layer (at about 40% opacity)
• Gaia Topo (feet) as my base map

Other tips:

• Also keep a copy of Avenza Maps on your phone/tablet - Gaia's MVUM doesn't currently show the markers for dispersed camping areas - and yes, there are dispersed camping areas up there, though many of the camps will be dry. Very Dry.
• In the deeper canyons, it can be helpful to have a better GPS antenna that the one in the phone/tablet. I use a Dual XGPS160 which connects via bluetooth to all the devices in the vehicle and provides a much better satellite lock in rough terrain, but the built-in antenna isn't a show stopper, just sometimes it won't update for a mile or so (the 150 works like the 160, but only one device at a time).
• The US Forest Service maps (especially the older ones) and the historic topos (1900 and 1930) have some markers for old home sites that no longer appear on modern maps. Sometimes fun to find and explore. Just be advised that the old maps are NOT good enough for navigation - just for providing hints about the location of things that are no longer marked.
• When going through gates on public land, be sure to leave them in the same state (open or closed) as you found them so you don't isolate cattle from a water source or let them through to where they don't belong.
• Be prepared for burn bans prohibiting camp fires or any open flame other than gas stoves. Wildfires are a huge problem here and many local communities have been threatened by fires in the last few years. If you're violating a burn ban, people will report you and the USFS will respond.
• While you're in the area, you might also visit:
  • Jemez Falls
  • Jemez Pueblo Historic Site (and Walatowa Visitor Center)
  • San Antonio Hot Springs
  • Bandelier National Monument
  • Pecos National Historic Site (just east of Santa Fe, off I-25)
  • Chaco Culture National Historic Park (further west, southeast of Farmington, more remote/ hard to get to, but dates back to 850AD. Awesome.)
  • Angel Peak Badlands and Bisti Badlands (also southeast of Farmington)
  • Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument (further south and east of Albuquerque)
  • Trading posts and pottery shops associated with the pueblos
  • Fenton Lake State Park (fee)
  • Santuario di Chimayo followed by dinner at Rancho di Chimayo, both in Chimayo, NM (if they're open)
  • Cochiti/Tent Rocks
  • The Bradbury Science Museum, the Manhattan Project Park, Pajarito Grill, and the Bathtub Row Brewery in Los Alamos
  • And of course GHOST RANCH!!! (day hikes, fee)
  • As with anything else right now, check websites for closures - some of the pueblos have been hit hard by COVID and still have closures or heavy restrictions

If you do a rally point, I might tag along for a day here or there.

 

[ganthercage]

Jicarilla Ranger District: (505) 632-2956 – is OPEN, but remains under Stage 2 fire restrictions, prohibiting open campfires and charcoal grills among other activities. For more information: Carson National Forest Office, Taos: (575) 758-6200.





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