Kitchen Mesa Hike at Ghost Ranch

Join Bill Priedhorsky for a beautiful hike on Kitchen Mesa Trail at Ghost Ranch on Saturday, October 20. Kitchen Mesa is a gypsum-capped high point that stands above the headquarters of Ghost Ranch. It lies at the edge of the Colorado Plateau in a region of red rock cliffs and desert formations.

This is a difficult hike and participants should plan to hike six to seven miles with significant elevation gain. The group will hike to the edge of kitchen mesa and continue along the mesa tops to see additional terrain and more of Ghost Ranch. This hike involves one short off-trail section up through a sandstone defile.

Participants will meet at the Los Alamos Nature Center at 8 a.m. and carpool to Ghost Ranch, which involves a few miles of dirt roads. After checking in at the Ghost Ranch headquarters the group will shuttle cars to the trailhead and set out for the day hike. Due to the distance and off-trail sections, this trip should be considered physically strenuous and requires some familiarity with off-trail hiking.

Participants must wear long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, hiking boots and a hat. Bring water, snacks, and a lunch.

If there is an interest amongst group members, the group will stop for dinner in Abiquiu or Española on the drive back to Los Alamos.

Sign-up for this hike is through the PEEC website at https://peecnature.org/events/details/?id=25574. Cost is 8$ per member and includes the Ghost Ranch fee.