Rio Gorge West Rim Trail & Optional Hot Tubbing

The West Rim trail runs south for 9 miles from the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge to its far trailhead along highway 567, following the rim of the Rio Grande Gorge with regular views down to the river a thousand feet below. This is a relatively flat trail across the sagebrush country, shared by bikers and hikers. While not suitable for the hotter part of the year, this is a lovely exploration for the spring season. We will approach the hike from the southern, highway 567 trailhead, and hike north. If there is a fraction of our party who would like to hike through the full 9 miles, we can split the party midway, then drive around and pick them up at the end of the hike. The rest of the party will hike north as far as we like, then turn around and retrace our route. I expect to be out on the trail for 5 or 6 hours. After our hike, those interested can join us for a hot spring soak at Ojo Caliente and dinner at their Artesian restaurant. If you would like to join us, please let me know at bill@priedhorsky.net. The trip is subject to weather - we wouldn't go in case of extremely muddy, wet, cold, or windy conditions. Please bring regular day hike gear - rain clothing, cold weather clothing, water (at least 2 liters if it is at all warm), lunch, daypack, sturdy hiking shoes, etc. We will leave Los Alamos at 8 AM and carpool as much as possible.