The classic view: Seven Dwarfs Overlook

One of the most remarkable hikes you can make in the entire American Southwest is all of about 40 minutes drive southwest of Santa Fe, in one of our newest National Monuments, Kasha-Katuwe. This phrase means “white cliffs” in the Keresan language spoken by Cochiti Pueblo, which you will drive through on your way over to the Monument. For those of us around here it’s always been known as “Tent Rocks” –  for obvious reasons, as you can see from the photograph above. It’s an amazing geological window into an apron of white volcanic tuff ejected from one of the older volcanic centers in the Jemez Mountains, and its display of bizarre “hoodoos”, or earth pillars, is about as perfect as any on the planet.

The drive into Tent Rocks is well marked now, and since its induction into the Federal Park System, the road from Cochiti to the parking area has been completely paved. There is an entrance station where a $5 charge per vehicle will be taken, and once you get to the  parking area, you’ll find plenty of paved spaces, some shelters, an interpretive kiosk, and a restroom. There are two trails in the park, one short loop that takes you to a small habitation carved into the soft tuff, similar to ones in Bandelier National Monument, and another, a little over a mile and a half long, that takes your into a beautiful slot canyon and then out again, and then up a mesa for some of the most expansive views in the Southwest.

The view as you start your walk

After crunching across a short distance of soft pumice underlying the typical juniper biota of this part of New Mexico, the trail will veer into a much more enclosed canyon:

Entering the canyon

There’s an unusual assemblage of vegetation here, highlighted by the white tuff. A few Ponderosa Pines thrive by virtue of water channeled by the canyon. An almost endemic species of manzanita grows here and nowhere else I’ve seen in the region. At the appropriate time of year, in May, you’ll see cholla cactuses blooming in every shade of magenta, prickly pear in festive yellow, with their rose-like extravagance of stamens, clusters of hedgehog cactus in scarlet bouquets, and sidebells penstemon flowering on short spikes growing out of impossibly arid slopes.

Soon the canyon literally closes over your head:

The Slot Canyon

It is extremely narrow in places and you might find yourself walking sideways. This is NOT a place to be caught during a summer thunderstorm. On this visit, a layer of icy snow, covered in wind-blown grit, actually smoothed the walk through this confined place.

Overhanging walls of volcanic tuff

This part of the walk has an almost cave-like feel. Eventually the slot opens again into a light-drenched Shangri-La of desert landforms:

A pyramid of tuff

Everywhere you turn there seems to be a photographic opportunity. You’ll start channeling your inner Ansel Adams before you know it:

A spire of tuff

The trail turns again, shortly, and you’ll begin your ascent onto the mesa that crown the Monument:

Ascending the mesa

In summer you’ll be reaching for your water bottle at this point. In winter, you’ll probably be wishing you’d put on crampons; this part of the hike faces north and there are some treacherous places, slippery with ice.

Once on top, however, the views are unsurpassed:

This could be you!

Every mountain range in Northern New Mexico is on display, in panoramic vistas.

Looking back toward Santa Fe

Looking into the Jemez Mountains, with the canyon below.

If you have any interest in geology, Kasha-Katuwe is an imperative stop. Almost every way that volcanic pyroclastics can be deposited is displayed here, from air falls of tephra, to pyroclastic flows, to volcaniclastic aprons laid down by floods. If you’re interested in landforms, well, the place speaks for itself. Be sure and get a copy of the High Desert Field Guides for Kasha-Katuwe before you go!

Whatever you do, bring the camera:

Light

Brightly colored autumn forbs on the forest floor

Most of the leaves have come down from the aspen in the mountains above Santa Fe, and the highest peaks are already shining with the first snows of the season. The glorious light of late fall streams over the forests now, warm and raked, dappling the trails with shadows and spotlighting the minor characters of the forest floor for a fleeting moment of fame. Often overlooked by view-seekers on summer hikes, or health-enthusiasts on their mountain bikes, the little things of the forest come into their own this time of year.

I had a meditative walk on the Chamisa Trail not far from town last Sunday and I gave these small players my attention for the afternoon.

Shadows along the Chamisa Trail

Light sifting through the canopy picked out late season flowers here and there:

Harebells defying the frost

A patch of columbine taking in the afternoon rays

A choir of asters looking up from the leaf litter

The dour oaks throw off their usual reticence this time of year, and give a grudging blush of color:

Gambel oak at trail's edge

Aspen leaves shine on the ground like golden coins:

Leaves on stone

Even the cool conifers take on a warmer hue:

A spray of Ponderosa needles

So go have a walk this afternoon and keep your eye out for those little things. It’s their time to shine!

Autumn light

The view down the Tesuque Creek watershed, toward Santa Fe

It’s been wonderful being able to hike again in the mountains above Santa Fe, and maybe even more wonderful that the summer rains have finally come through for us. The Sangre de Cristo Mountains east and north of town have gotten soaking rains most afternoons, lately, some of them jazzed up with spectacular pyrotechnics. The grateful forests are swollen and vibrantly green with the showers, and grateful hikers are enjoying the newly opened trails.

The last couple of weekends I’ve made some hikes in the Rio Tesuque watershed. Many of the Forest Service Trails near town traverse this drainage, or depart from it: the Chamisa Trail, much of the lower Winsor Trail, Borrego, Bear Wallow, Big Tesuque, and all of Aspen Vista. I’ve been parking at the Big Tesuque Campground lately, and walking up that part of the trail that heads east to join Aspen Vista, and beyond, up to the “Butterfly Meadow” and, yesterday, all the way up to Tesuque Peak.

Even a short walk will bring you intimate rewards. Late summer flowers are in bloom along the creek:

Asters in a meadow along Tesuque Creek

Butterflies abound.

A Variegated Fritillary enjoying a thistle

There are places to sit and listen to the falling water that have all the serenity of a Japanese garden:

Sprays of grass along Tesuque Creek

More strenuous efforts to climb higher will bring the usual rewards:

A rustic bench thoughtfully constructed on Tesuque Ridge

Views from these elevations often show intriguing meadows that you rarely see from the lower trails, even if they happen to pass nearby. Here’s a little Shangri La of a meadow on the flank of Aspen Peak that is isolated from any path:

A meadow on the flank of Aspen Peak, above Ski Santa Fe

You might have noticed that the atmosphere in these photos is completely sodden with moisture, very typical of August in the Southern Rockies. Although I was spared any rain, much later in the afternoon this humidity discharged itself in a stupendous cloudburst over Santa Fe, flooding the streets and washing away the lingering remnants of this year’s Indian Market.

At the very crest of Tesuque Peak the land drops abruptly away into a cirque that cradles Santa Fe Lake and the headwaters of the Santa Fe River. Look at the spectacular view:

In the clouds on Tesuque Peak

Trust me. For a few amazing moments the clouds parted and this scene took on a Technicolor clarity that had to be seen to be believed. And then it was gone, back into the void.  The Donovan lyrics sprang to mind: “First there is a mountain, then there is no mountain, then there is”. I realize these lines refer to a deeper spiritual reality – consult the Vajracchedika Prajnaparamita Sutra for details – but it was nice to see things manifest in sunlight and stone.

So come see us. The mountains may not be eternal, but they’ll be here for you.