Roundup Ground Trail #107, NM

The Roundup Ground is composed of a broad meadow covered mesa offering extended views of the surrounding mountains and ridges, including the tilted Steamboat formation to the southwest. Overlooking Deadman's Canyon steep cliffs on the west side, and the various defiles of Alamo Canyon's lower drainages, this trail loops up and over the mesa winding around ledges and up moderate switchbacks.


The route can be hiked clockwise or counterclockwise, both routes accessed off of T104 (Alamo Canyon Trail). The trailhead can be found .5 miles up the drainage, crossing and exiting out of the dry river bottom and moving sharply up the hill. The trail re-intersects T104 at it's northeast end, 2.6 miles up from the T104 Trailhead.

The trail itself is 2.8 miles long.


The trail markers on both end may be missing. At the lower end, this is not as great a problem; the trail exiting the riverbed is fairly clear. The upper end is not so clear; look for a deep cut dropping into the drainage from the right after T104 begins to narrow. It might be best to first hike the route in a counterclockwise fashion, using the easier to find upper trailhead. If hiking the trail counterclockwise, as you cross the top of the ridge and cross over into the drainage leading back down into Alamo Canyon drainage, stay to the left side of drainage. The trail may fade in and out, but it moves down that side above the bottom of the wash. The tall grass may obscure the bottom sections of the trail as you near T104, but it is not difficult to make your way into the canyon bottom.

Turn left in the river bed (T104)and return down canyon to the point of beginning.


Note: T104 is a river bottom drainage and can amount to a lot of sand slogging, a bit too dull for some folks. It might be better to simply hike to the midway peak of the trail and return back down along the western slope, the way you came, enjoying the views of Deadman's Canyon... and avoid the trail problems and the sand.

Check out the Official Route and Triplogs.

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2009-05-04 imike