Thousand Mile Canyon Trail #9216, NM

Of all the mountain top trails leading off and away from Forest Road 64, this is the gem of the lot. Though it only runs for a bit over 1.5 miles, every bit of the trail is delightful. Starting from the top, you soon find yourself in a foot sliding, ankle twisting cascade of loose rock. Combined with the steeper slope of this trail, the chances for a slip and fall are there, but if the trail is dry, it is not too great of a challenge.


You are winding yourself down through a narrow tunnel of green. Unlike most of the wide open meadow trails, common to this ridge, this trail winds down the side of a narrow drainage, towered over by pine trees and closed in by young fir trees.You even get to enjoy a brief tree tunnel, where a giant tree has fallen interestingly across the trail, two large branches forming the vertical frame to each side as you pass under the barrier.

About halfway down the trail, you enter a smaller meadow, created by a manmade berm... a water catchment basin, now overfilled with an aspen grove. Just above this meadow area a giant of fir tree has split and shattered... the huge base still standing.

Below the Aspen grove,the trail re-narrows and continues it's tree lined descent down to the cattle corral at the lower trailhead on Sunspot Highway.

The steepness of the trail combined with the higher elevation gives this trail a higher level of difficulty. I spent 1.5 hours hiking down then back up the trail, at a soft pace... while I'm out of shape. Two hours would allow more time to stop and enjoy the great moments along the trail.

2012-06-05 imike