hiking

Here are some of our favorite day hikes in the area. If you are hiking in the mountains in the late spring—early fall, it’s best to plan your hike earlier in the day so you don’t get stuck in an afternoon thunderstorm. We recommend looking these up on AllTrails for more details and directions.

+ Tesuque Creek Trail — not too difficult, along a creek, starts in the quaint neighborhood of Tesuque.

+ Atalaya Mountain Trail — 6.2 mile fairly steep out & back trail, great workout + views, close to town.

+ Borrego-Bear Wallow-Winsor Trail — a beautiful loop through aspen groves up in the mountains, with some creek crossings.

+ Nambe Lake Trail — 6.5 mile beautiful hike to a lake in the mountains, challenging with quite a bit of elevation gain.

+ Chamisa Trail — beautiful loop in the mountains, but at a lower elevation.

+ Nambe Badlands — very scenic landscape, not too difficult. Great for hiking, running & mountain biking. More exposed landscape so better for cooler days or mornings. Beautiful place to watch the sunset.

+ Dale Ball Trails — an extensive, easy-to-navigate system of trails easily accessible from town, in the foothills. The route to Picacho Peak is a great one ending with a view.

+ Sun Mountain Trail — a short but steep trail up Sun Mountain, with good views and a great place to watch the sunset.

+ Las Conchas Trail — if you are looking for lush beauty in the mountains, this is it. It’s over an hour drive away up in the Jemez Mountains, but makes a great day trip if you bring a picnic. The trail is rather easy and winds along a river, through meadows and rock formations.