Life, food, events, and community in Albuquerque, NM

Oasis in the San Pedro Wilderness

Here's another one for the day trip file. When the heat edges up towards 90 in our fair city, I start gazing toward the mountains. Altitude = cooler temperatures. A mountain meadow, babbling brook and carpets of wildflowers are waiting for you around San Gregorio Lake in the San Pedro Wilderness. My scientist brother has been coming up here for awhile and we recently took a family (mother, brother, two dogs) outing as a welcome-back-to-NM day on my return from traveling overseas.

The trail we took to the lake is scenic and uphill, but not overly demanding. You're likely to run into families in flip-flops with fishing poles as well as more hard core hikers out for a longer haul. Waterproof shoes are a good idea if you plan to continue the trail beyond the lake - you'll be running through a few streams on your way. When we were up there, a lot of felled trees littered the trail. Some you can walk around, some it's easier to just crawl over.

This time of year is perfect for spotting wildflowers. Huge stands of wild iris welcome you into the wilderness area. If you're patient and alert, you might even find some rare wild orchids growing in the shadowy decay of fallen trees:

The mountain meadow beyond the lake is a quiet spot where marshy plants unfurl large leaves and the sound of streams rolling over quartz can be heard. Have a picnic or explore the landscape and admire the stretches of green. You're at about 10,000 feet, so wear your sunscreen and carry water along. At only an hour and half away from Albuquerque, the San Pedro Wilderness is a far cry from the summer city.

Getting there:
Official Directions Here. Basically - head north through Cuba, take State Road 126. Look for signs for the San Pedro Wilderness. Take Forest Road 70 to the parking area. Trail 51 gets you to the lake.

Tags: day_trip, hiking, san_pedro_wilderness

13 Comments

Comment by Grumpy on June 11, 2009 at 10:13am: This was the first lake in New Mexico that I visited that had trees near the water. I've always thought it was special and it is also a gateway to some fantastic backpacking.

Comment by pepeye on June 11, 2009 at 10:28am: I've hiked the area around this lake. This is a great place to take visitors who think NM is nothing but sand and cactus.

Comment by Barelas Babe on June 11, 2009 at 10:41am: This looks like a terrific getaway! How long is that trail to the lake? Would it be too daunting for a 5 year old?

Comment by Edith Grove on June 11, 2009 at 10:52am: The trail to the lake is just under a mile. We did see some families with younger children going up to fish at the lake. The trail is pretty well maintained. I'd be sure to carry water and snacks.

Comment by Carol on June 11, 2009 at 11:05am: Man, that looks gorgeous!

Comment by Snak on June 11, 2009 at 11:29am: Not to detract--it's great up there--but worth pointing out there can be lots and lots of cow poop. And cows. We camped nearby last year and had several walk right through our campsite, both when we were there and when we were out hiking (we came back to find our shade tarp somehow brought to the ground and trampled all over). It was kinda cool and a tiny bit creepy to have these mammoth creatures ambling within charging range of my 2-year-old (at the time). Also, if you're taking little kids be aware that you might spend a lot of your time either a) trying to keep them out of the cow poop, or b) cleaning the cow poop off the kids.

One other thing: Maybe it was the time of the year, but the cows were doing this crazy braying bordering on screaming--I have never heard anything like it! Is that something they do in mating season? All hours of the day and night there would be these insane noises; I couldn't believe it was cows until finally one walked into our camp and started doing it. It was seriously something out of The X-Files or Lost--incredibly loud and otherworldly. Again, kind of cool...and a teeny bit creepy.

Anyway, very pretty up there, not overrun with people and an easy drive. I do recommend it!

Comment by Edith Grove on June 11, 2009 at 11:34am: I know that there can be cows around the San Pedro Wilderness area, but on our hike we saw none. The only evidence was a few ancient patties up around the meadow. They probably aren't much of an issue between the trailhead and the lake - that's not really grazing land.

I just spent a good chunk of time in the English countryside and walked by many sheep and cattle. Having big cows eye you as a stranger is an interesting feeling. I always gave them a wide berth.

Comment by Snak on June 11, 2009 at 11:37am: Interesting--we wondered if there was a certain time(s) of year that ranchers brought there herds up there or whether it was all the time. Sounds like maybe it's the former.

Comment by Dori on June 11, 2009 at 2:34pm: Grew up on a farm in the midwest, and cows can look awfully intimidating, but really they are just curious and unless they are a "whole" bull, won't hurt you. Little farm kids are safe driving them to pasture. However, I wouldn't advise "Playing with them" in their home turf LOL.

Comment by JMG on June 11, 2009 at 6:42pm: I agree that it's a gorgeous area. Probably a good idea to avoid it this weekend, though, as the Rainbow Family is about to descend on Cuba. Something like a million people will be camping in the mountains.... let's hope they don't do too much damage. After this, cow poop will be the least of our poop concerns in San Pedro Parks is my guess.