Past Trips

Planning ahead, I have booked the entire 11-person trip for a 5-night descent of the Selway River, a 47-mile outing that starts in southeastern Montana. We will travel with Hughes Expeditions, who have impressed us with the quality of their service on the Middle Fork of the Salmon, for example on our 2016 trip . Per Hughes' writeup, "The Selway River Trip is a premier mountain wilderness, whitewater, camping, and fly fishing trip that flows through beautiful forested canyons.

8.6 mile loop around Banco Bonito which hugs the Western edge of the beautiful El Cajete meadow in the Valles Caldera National Preserve.  Expected ride time 3 hours.  Driving: 45 minutes drive one way.

Easy pace.  Mile 3 is a long uphill on somewhat rugged double track: walking parts of it is ok.

Please make sure your bike is in good working condition with air in the tires.

Bring a spare tube that fits, plenty of water, snacks.

Under 16 year old must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Because of the weather, we diverted last weekend's trip to another destination, so let's try again this Saturday. San Antonio is the very large dome just south of the Colorado line, seen to the west of highway 285 on the way north from Tres Piedras to Antonito CO. At 10,908 feet, it stands alone, a half mile above the sagebrush plains.  The hike will be a cross-country bushwhack of something like 2000 vertical feet and 5 miles round trip. From the top, we can look out for the long view over the Taos plateau.

Let's give this hike a try. It is a 12 mile loop, 1800 feet vertical, in the southwest corner of the Valles Caldera National Preserve. I have heard good things about it from other hikers. It is described on pages 116-121 of Coco Rae's VCNP hiking book. She calls it "a delightful trail passing through varied terrain, from otherwordly sulfur fields to pretty creek-line meadows to beautiful Valle Seco and Alamos Canyon, and offering great views of several valleys and peaks." We'll leave Los Alamos at 8:30 AM Saturday, meeting point TBD.