East Fork Jemez Wade/Hike

update 6/23: I announced a Mountaineers hike for Saturday and would like to carry one out. However, I have learned that Forest Road 144 is nearly impassable, so I’d like to offer an alternative. This is my favorite hike for the hottest times of the year. It does involve some wading. The plan is to hike down the East Fork of the Jemez from second crossing - the second point where the Jemez River crosses highway 4, coming from Los Alamos. We follow the trail until the trail climbs up out of the canyon, then continue along the canyon bottom, wading as necessary. Most of the hiking is still along rough trails, but one does get wet - which is the point on a hot day. When we decide to turn around, we can climb up out of the canyon to the south, connect with the main trail, and follow it in the upstream direction, then back into the canyon and retracing our route. Trailhead is pretty close, no more than a half hour drive from Los Alamos.

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Old plan, abandoned per the above: This is hike that I last did in 2012. Although Santa Clara Canyon is owned by the pueblo, sweeping views into it are accessible from the ridge to the north, in the Santa Fe National Forest. This is an out and back on the high trail, following hike #32 in the Salzmans' classic hiking guide. We drive up forest road 144 from Fairview, going about 27 miles past the trail to Chicoma peak, finally picking up a trail that runs just below the canyon rim, with views far below. If we hike to the end, the round trip is 9 miles, but we are unlikely to go that far. About 1300 feet of elevation is lost and gained in the full hike, a little bit at a time.
We will meet in Los Alamos at 8:30 AM on Saturday June 24, and carpool to the trailhead. Bring lunch, water, sunscreen, hat, and clothes suitable for the weather that day.