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Dog Canyon to Sunspot Observatory - 2 members in 14 triplogs have rated this an average 4 ( 1 to 5 best )
14 triplogs
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Mar 01 2014
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 Guides 253
 Photos 6,930
 Triplogs 2,467

75 male
 Joined Nov 05 2008
 Cloudcroft, NM
Dog Canyon to Sunspot ObservatorySoutheast, NM
Dog Canyon to Sunspot Observatory
Southeast, NM
Hiking avatar Mar 01 2014
imike • Triplogs 2,467
Hiking20.50 Miles 5,790 AEG
Hiking20.50 Miles   8 Hrs   55 Mns   2.70 mph
5,790 ft AEG   1 Hour   20 Mns Break
 no routes
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners partners
tarryon
Joined Terri, Brenda and Summer for a brisk paced ascent... and brisker descent, over this great route. I wish it was a great trail... alas, maybe someday? We plan to plug this into the monthly calendar starting in April... long weekend events.

Cool weather... 40's, upper 30's on top... windchill in the 20's!

5 hour 20 minutes to the Visitor Center. Passed one other hiker: training to start the Arizona Trail next month. He'd already found the HAZ site; downloaded GPS routes.

Great day!
_____________________
Ageless Mind... Timeless Body... No Way! Use It and Lose It. Just the way it is...
 
Mar 01 2014
avatar

 Guides 1
 Photos 4
 Triplogs 158

66 female
 Joined Oct 14 2012
 nm
Dog Canyon to Sunspot ObservatorySoutheast, NM
Dog Canyon to Sunspot Observatory
Southeast, NM
Hiking avatar Mar 01 2014
tarryon • Triplogs 158
Hiking22.00 Miles 5,900 AEG
Hiking22.00 Miles   8 Hrs   55 Mns   2.90 mph
5,900 ft AEG   1 Hour   20 Mns Break5 LBS Pack
 no routesno photosets
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners partners
imike
The beauty you see on this trail is wonderful. It is nice being out of the city & thus see only nature all around. The climbing up to the cabin is still the worst to me. There are many three to four feet step ups that I do not like. Also, I would love to see many of the loose stuff moved. It is an easy trail to follow though.

As you work your way to Sunspot it can get rather boring on the road. There is a long beautiful meadow though.

Brenda went with us and did so well. She said that she has not done anything for a month. I look forward to when she feels in shape.
_____________________
 
Oct 20 2013
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 Guides 73
 Routes 176
 Photos 10,174
 Triplogs 2,324

46 male
 Joined Sep 08 2006
 
Dog Canyon to Sunspot ObservatorySoutheast, NM
Dog Canyon to Sunspot Observatory
Southeast, NM
Hiking avatar Oct 20 2013
Jim • Triplogs 2,324
Hiking20.50 Miles 5,720 AEG
Hiking20.50 Miles   10 Hrs   10 Mns   2.14 mph
5,720 ft AEG      35 Mns Break8 LBS Pack
 
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
Woof! This was pretty hard after 23 miles yesterday. The cold in the shade made it a bit harder, with my muscles stiffening up after 10 minutes of being in temps probably in the 40s. On the way down, it was cool and breezy, so even if we made the forecast high, it didn't quite feel like it. I am tired from over 40 miles and 8800' of hiking, so I wonder if I will get out tomorrow. Maybe a relaxing, rather than challenging hike?

Another lovely descent, with the birds at the cliffs being the highlight. Good thing I can still summit Joplin Ridge, even if I don't go to Sunspot. Sun is setting earlier, and earlier, and this hike will be a little longer than I want on cold mornings with short days. Still want to do it once more this year, so we'll see.
foliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observation
Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated

water 1 out of 5water 2 out of 5water less than maxwater less than max Dog Canyon Light flow Light flow
Flow has come up a little each time I have hiked this over the last few weeks.
_____________________
🍭
 
Oct 15 2013
avatar

 Guides 73
 Routes 176
 Photos 10,174
 Triplogs 2,324

46 male
 Joined Sep 08 2006
 
Dog Canyon to Sunspot ObservatorySoutheast, NM
Dog Canyon to Sunspot Observatory
Southeast, NM
Hiking avatar Oct 15 2013
Jim • Triplogs 2,324
Hiking20.50 Miles 5,720 AEG
Hiking20.50 Miles   9 Hrs   30 Mns   2.32 mph
5,720 ft AEG      40 Mns Break8 LBS Pack
 
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
After moving yesterday's planned hike to Saturday to hope for better weather, I opted to hike this again today. It wasn't a disappointment, that is for sure. No, the weather and skies were not as good as last time, but it is still a very enjoyable hike and I really surprised myself with how fast I went. I parked outside the park gate and was at the scenic view by the Tower Observatory in 4 hours and 40 minutes, including 10 minutes of lunch on the West Side Road. I was down in 4 hours and 20 minutes.

I was concerned about clouds and wind today, as yesterday was rather nasty up high. It was a little cloudy, and overcast when up at Sun Spot, but it was pretty good overall, and the wind was not an issue at all. Chilly on the summit, but pleasant for most of the hike.

The hummingbird from last time was in the same pinyon. I think that his is territory.

I bumped up my miles and AEG as I parked outside of the park and walked around at Sunspot.
foliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observation
Autumn Foliage Observation Light

water 1 out of 5water less than maxwater less than maxwater less than max Dog Canyon Pools to trickle Pools to trickle
Some pretty good flow at the crossing.
_____________________
🍭
 
Oct 06 2013
avatar

 Guides 73
 Routes 176
 Photos 10,174
 Triplogs 2,324

46 male
 Joined Sep 08 2006
 
Dog Canyon to Sunspot ObservatorySoutheast, NM
Dog Canyon to Sunspot Observatory
Southeast, NM
Hiking avatar Oct 06 2013
Jim • Triplogs 2,324
Hiking20.50 Miles 5,720 AEG
Hiking20.50 Miles   9 Hrs   50 Mns   2.22 mph
5,720 ft AEG      35 Mns Break8 LBS Pack
 
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
Dog Canyon to Sunspot, that is what this hike is. Initially, I thought the miles may be off, but I suppose the road (FR 90B) was 2.9 miles as is stated in the description. If it was, I hiked at nearly 3 miles per hour for some time. I parked outside the State Park, at 4301', and Sacramento Peak comes in at 9255' per our mapdex, and adding in an additional 100' to account for rolling terrain and the drainage crossing, and it is at least 100 feet, I come up with 5055'. Not a bad day.

So far, of the 3 long hikes i have done in the last week, this is my favorite. Best hike overall, and best local hike in a long while. Great trail going up, smooth road on top, views, views, views, and a pleasant forest stroll terminating at a white monolith. It was all I could do to prevent myself from throwing partially broken cow leg bones into the air screaming! The views from the top are not cheapened by realizing you could easily drive here. I earned them, so they were sweeter.

Going down seemed to go really fast until it got dark, but I made very good time. I was back on the Dog Canyon Trail in 1:40 minutes. I guess I was going fast? I had to stop for a while to watch a humming bird, and again to observe the swallows under the west facing cliff that you hike under neath of, above the drainage crossing. The rock was warm in the sun, the air calm, and yet it sounded like a breeze was up from all of the little cigar shaped fighter pilot birds whooshing by me head. Also, they chirp a lot, and that is nice, too.

Caught the sunset from the second bench, and enjoyed Common Poorwhils calling in the canyon. I went very slow the last half mile, as I never wanted to turn on my lamp and alert campers of my presence. The moon went down behind the San Andreas Range like a thin red flame.

Good hike.

Edited 10/10: After using 2 existing routes, as well as satellite images and the GPS Route Manager, I produced a GPS route for up and down. I Synced it a few times, and got 5720' of AEG for the round trip hike! Way more than I thought. A few sections are crude, but they probably cause a loss in accuracy on the lower end. So, A solidly hard hike, overall. My miles will stay the same, as I parked outside the SP.
 Fauna
 Fauna [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Rufous Hummingbird  Wolf Spider
 Meteorology
 Meteorology [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Sunset
foliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observation
Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Moderate

water 1 out of 5water less than maxwater less than maxwater less than max Dog Canyon Pools to trickle Pools to trickle
Sounded impressive near the park, but very light flow at the crossing.
_____________________
🍭
 
May 26 2013
avatar

 Guides 253
 Photos 6,930
 Triplogs 2,467

75 male
 Joined Nov 05 2008
 Cloudcroft, NM
Dog Canyon to Sunspot ObservatorySoutheast, NM
Dog Canyon to Sunspot Observatory
Southeast, NM
Hiking avatar May 26 2013
imike • Triplogs 2,467
Hiking12.00 Miles 2,300 AEG
Hiking12.00 Miles
2,300 ft AEG
 no routes
Linked   linked  
Dog Canyon Upper
Partners none no partners
The plan... check out the waterfall formations that cut off access in both forks of San Andreas Canyon. I'd done the North Fork years ago, but never made it back to check out the South Fork. I was not expecting much from that canyon... but you never know.

Yubao wanted to search for antlers.

After pulling into the access road, we took off for the canyon off trail... the better to locate antlers? Found the first while still ranging high on the ridge, so set them aside and marked the spot on the GPS... and proceeded to drop over the cliffs. I was very surprised to find we were into an exceptional canyon cut. Once in the bottom, we trekked along, often enjoying bedrock sidewalks and rough surrounding cliffs. It went on and on... We finally reached the waterfall formation. Instead of being in the 40-60' range as expected, it was more like 150'... with an interesting arch at the top.

We stopped for lunch... enjoyed the vista views.

Climbing back out of the waterfall I noticed a nice ledge... perfect lunch spot that we'd overlooked climbing down. I thought we should spend some time there, so... and, sitting there I noticed a very distinctive trail on a bench down in the canyon bottom. Studying it further I recognized it as the Dog Canyon Trail (#106)... We were in the wrong Canyon!

I did have this canyon on my list to explore, but it was to be a year or more away... I had very low expectations for it. Now, here we were, and it was exceptional, possibly the best of all the mid elevation drainages. We had turned into the wrong Forest road, then since we immediately had gone off trail searching for antlers, I'd never noticed the mistake. The GPS unit had the contour lines turned off... a series of pleasant errors had brought us to the cut.

Yubao scored three elk sets and one complete deer set, with skull. Other than a nasty spill he took walking back (over flat ground!) it was a great outing.

Have to go back in the Fall for the color...
_____________________
Ageless Mind... Timeless Body... No Way! Use It and Lose It. Just the way it is...
 
Sep 09 2012
avatar

 Guides 253
 Photos 6,930
 Triplogs 2,467

75 male
 Joined Nov 05 2008
 Cloudcroft, NM
Dog Canyon to Sunspot ObservatorySoutheast, NM
Dog Canyon to Sunspot Observatory
Southeast, NM
Hiking avatar Sep 09 2012
imike • Triplogs 2,467
Hiking15.40 Miles 4,800 AEG
Hiking15.40 Miles   9 Hrs      2.01 mph
4,800 ft AEG   1 Hour   20 Mns Break
 no routes
Linked   linked  
Dog Point (Joplin Ridge via Dog Canyon)
Partners none no partners
Heavy rains forced a change in plans... the planned training trail would be way too muddy; even the approach drive would have been a mess, so with the cooler temps (69 degree high yesterday!) in tow we headed over to the never muddy, Dog Canyon trail. Yubao had never hiked that world class canyon trail; a double benefit.

Great start to the day with the clouds drifting around low in the canyon... camera out of commission right now, but the old pics of this hike would show the same kind of great day. We kept to a slower pace in keeping with my heart rate monitored hiking/training and enjoyed the great vistas. exiting the canyon and climbing above the cliffs and on to Joplin Ridge, I thought this might be a good day to check out a bushwhacking drop across and over into San Andreas Canyon. Yubao is a strong hiker, and though I usually only do exploratories solo, I figured he might enjoy the attempt... if nothing else it would give him an idea of what it is like to scrounge around in these southern cliff canyons.

He got a good idea... a bit too good. The route I picked worked down through some minor cliffs, then angled a bit too steeply down through scrub... and terminated at a 200-300' cliff. He had had enough (too much) before he got to the real cliff... he already felt as if we were dangling over the edges when we were 50-70 feet from the real drop over. I could not find any clefs to descend; I had not brought along any rope. We climbed back out. I did not realize the full extent of his bad moments until we were back on top of the ridge and I mentioned checking out another potential 1/2 mile further up canyon... then realized from the look on his face just what a bad idea that was. My idea of fun exploration was not the same as his. I do think I could take him back up there with a rope and find a safe route down... 300-400 feet of rope!

Instead of exploring more of San Andreas canyon, we hit the ridge and climbed to Dog Point, the highest lookout in that area... caught the old forest road from there around to the upper Dog Canyon trailhead, then did a slow and easy descent down the entire length of that trail.

8:30am departure... back to the truck at 5:30pm to a flat tire! I pumped it up...home before 6:30pm... days are getting shorter!

Now, got to hike up San Andreas canyon to spot a "real" access point through the cliffs for the cut over to Dog Canyon... if one even exists. It is stupid to attempt blind descents; I know that... not sure why I continue to do it. Usually, I am alone with no one to point out just how stupid it is to be doing. I think it is finally time for a SPOT device. When it was just me, no big deal... with these other hikers tagging along I need some way to get their bodies out.

Great day on the trail. First week of cutting: 221.6 pounds down to 216 today. Made the day a fasting day hike... no breakfast, no lunch, no dinner, no snacks... mixed 350 calories of OJ into my gallon of water bottles and drank it over the 9 hour hike. I had planned a protein shake recovery drink but do not feel as if I need it, so I'll let the fast stretch till tomorrow noon, after the morning hike. Did drink four no calorie Monster Drinks!
_____________________
Ageless Mind... Timeless Body... No Way! Use It and Lose It. Just the way it is...
 
Oct 16 2010
avatar

 Guides 253
 Photos 6,930
 Triplogs 2,467

75 male
 Joined Nov 05 2008
 Cloudcroft, NM
Dog Canyon to Sunspot ObservatorySoutheast, NM
Dog Canyon to Sunspot Observatory
Southeast, NM
Hiking avatar Oct 16 2010
imike • Triplogs 2,467
Hiking6.50 Miles 2,000 AEG
Hiking6.50 Miles   5 Hrs      1.30 mph
2,000 ft AEG
 no routes
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
HAZ - Event
Interesting to be hiking with a group again. This hike went off better than my normal group effort. I skipped taking a pack and carried instead an old shoulder satchel. Since the pace was going to be well below my norm, I carried some fluids, but refrained from drinking for the entire 5 hour hike, just to give a bit of stress to this midday effort. I drifted up and down the scattered out group taking pics... moving from the back to the front along the .75 miles of the varied paced hikers. They were a nice bunch, drove all the way from El Paso or Las Cruces with one guy showing up on a motorcycle from Albuquerque! Dog Canyon does justify the drive; it is an impressive canyon and a great hike. I talked up the potentials for off trail hiking in the Alamo area, but not sure if I really generated any interest. Time will tell. I guess I'll head out tomorrow for a longer hit and some more serious elevation.

18 other hikers in this group and lots of folks on the trail, including early morning trail runners enjoy this great setting. No one making the full trek to the top and back... oh, well.
 Culture
 Culture [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Historical Photograph
_____________________
Ageless Mind... Timeless Body... No Way! Use It and Lose It. Just the way it is...
 
Mar 06 2010
avatar

 Guides 253
 Photos 6,930
 Triplogs 2,467

75 male
 Joined Nov 05 2008
 Cloudcroft, NM
Dog Canyon to Sunspot ObservatorySoutheast, NM
Dog Canyon to Sunspot Observatory
Southeast, NM
Canyoneering avatar Mar 06 2010
imike • Triplogs 2,467
Canyoneering21.20 Miles 5,582 AEG
Canyoneering21.20 Miles   12 Hrs   15 Mns   1.73 mph
5,582 ft AEG
Canyon Hiking - Non-technical; no rope; easy scrambling; occasional hand use
A - Dry or little water; shallow or avoidable water; no wet/dry suit
 no routes
Linked   linked  
Gobbler Knob Trail #236
Escondido Canyon Trail #2027
Partners none no partners
This sounded so nice on paper, and looked pretty good on the map... oh, well.

I've waited for the snow to clear around the 7,000' level, but running out of time on my schedule, I finally decided to head out and finish this exploratory hike. The first section is the basic Dog Canyon hike, beautiful and steadily up. The next section is dull, trudging forest service roads for six or seven miles, and this is where the hike took a down turn... the snow was only partially gone, and where it was missing it had been replaced by either mud or ice! It took over 3 hours to get past all of that... not easy hours.

Once over and on the new trail and heading down into one of the side drainages of Escondido Canyon it got better once again... it even got nice... until the trail died out... just like the map said it would. It had seemed odd to have a nice trail headed down, and then another terminating that had risen from the bottom... and not very far apart (...on the map). But then as I began down climbing ever larger dry falls it occurred to me that there might be a really simple reason why they'd never been connected... and, sure enough... 20'...40'... rocky, tumbling falls with no easy accesses. I think I may have chosen the worse possible path to try to connect, and I have to think that there is a better way, and there may be, but given that I was nine hours into this hike and had yet to enter the main canyon section, of which I then had to hike down and out of, I did not feel like retracing my steps to try to discover the better path.

I made it to the upper meadow in Escondido, and because I had downloaded the potential trail to my GPS unit I was able to make good time finding the old track leading around and out and down... and I thought my day was moving in a good direction. I had done a number of things right: conservative, slow pace to allow me to make it through all the snow/ice/mud/ debris/falls... with a ready reserve. I'd brought an adequate amount of food and water, though for some reason I'd only drunk 20 oz over the first 6 hours (went on to drink nearly the entire 1.5 gallons). And, I had my GPS route.

I did not know then, but learned soon, that the worst part of the day was yet to come, and it was all about staying on that old trail. Overgrown!! Cacti, Daggers, Sotol... and a variety of spiny shrubs, sort of like catclaw, but over head high... I was sliced and diced... finally, put on some gloves just to be able to control some of the nicking... and, it did not end until I was nearly all the way back down and in the desert. Sort of rounded out the day.

Fortunately, caught a great sunset as I made my way back across to Oliver Lee State Park... I now know a trail that no one else need bother with until it has received some major trail maintenance!!
 Culture
 Culture [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  HAZ - Hike HAZard
_____________________
Ageless Mind... Timeless Body... No Way! Use It and Lose It. Just the way it is...
 
Jan 03 2010
avatar

 Guides 253
 Photos 6,930
 Triplogs 2,467

75 male
 Joined Nov 05 2008
 Cloudcroft, NM
Dog Canyon to Sunspot ObservatorySoutheast, NM
Dog Canyon to Sunspot Observatory
Southeast, NM
Hiking avatar Jan 03 2010
imike • Triplogs 2,467
Hiking3.00 Miles 900 AEG
Hiking3.00 Miles   2 Hrs      1.50 mph
900 ft AEG
 no routes
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
_____________________
Ageless Mind... Timeless Body... No Way! Use It and Lose It. Just the way it is...
 
Sep 25 2009
avatar

 Guides 253
 Photos 6,930
 Triplogs 2,467

75 male
 Joined Nov 05 2008
 Cloudcroft, NM
Dog Canyon to Sunspot ObservatorySoutheast, NM
Dog Canyon to Sunspot Observatory
Southeast, NM
Hiking avatar Sep 25 2009
imike • Triplogs 2,467
Hiking4.00 Miles 1,100 AEG
Hiking4.00 Miles   1 Hour   29 Mns   2.70 mph
1,100 ft AEG
 no routes
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
...hike cut short with bit of low grade fever... oh, well.
_____________________
Ageless Mind... Timeless Body... No Way! Use It and Lose It. Just the way it is...
  1 archive
Jan 14 2009
avatar

 Guides 253
 Photos 6,930
 Triplogs 2,467

75 male
 Joined Nov 05 2008
 Cloudcroft, NM
Dog Canyon to Sunspot ObservatorySoutheast, NM
Dog Canyon to Sunspot Observatory
Southeast, NM
Hiking avatar Jan 14 2009
imike • Triplogs 2,467
Hiking9.00 Miles 3,100 AEG
Hiking9.00 Miles   5 Hrs      1.80 mph
3,100 ft AEG
 no routes
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
...just hiked the lower portion, up and out of the canyon... stayed below the snow line!
_____________________
Ageless Mind... Timeless Body... No Way! Use It and Lose It. Just the way it is...
 
Dec 10 2008
avatar

 Guides 253
 Photos 6,930
 Triplogs 2,467

75 male
 Joined Nov 05 2008
 Cloudcroft, NM
Dog Canyon to Sunspot ObservatorySoutheast, NM
Dog Canyon to Sunspot Observatory
Southeast, NM
Hiking avatar Dec 10 2008
imike • Triplogs 2,467
Hiking8.00 Miles 2,800 AEG
Hiking8.00 Miles   3 Hrs      2.67 mph
2,800 ft AEG
 no routes
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
just hiking up to the edge of the canyon... maybe up to snowline with Angela
_____________________
Ageless Mind... Timeless Body... No Way! Use It and Lose It. Just the way it is...
 
Dec 02 2008
avatar

 Guides 253
 Photos 6,930
 Triplogs 2,467

75 male
 Joined Nov 05 2008
 Cloudcroft, NM
Dog Canyon to Sunspot ObservatorySoutheast, NM
Dog Canyon to Sunspot Observatory
Southeast, NM
Hiking avatar Dec 02 2008
imike • Triplogs 2,467
Hiking7.00 Miles 2,000 AEG
Hiking7.00 Miles   2 Hrs   45 Mns   2.55 mph
2,000 ft AEG
 no routes
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners partners
cheetah262
Maiden Hike...big surprise to discover this great canyon hike here just out of Alamogordo. caught a perfect day, clouds floating below us in the canyon, and temps just nice. Great to know I can drive down the hill, get out of the snow, and have this trek to enjoy. Susan visiting... keeping the pace brisk. One hour to the cabin at just under 3 miles. We hiked on up to the 3.5 mile point, then headed back down. Great picnic rock ledges below that, shortly after you leave the cabin and complete the steep climb onto the bench. Trail gets big time steep at mp 3.5... and beyond.

Had the canyon to ourselves! I like this.
 Flora
 Flora [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Ocotillo
_____________________
Ageless Mind... Timeless Body... No Way! Use It and Lose It. Just the way it is...
 
average hiking speed 2.19 mph

WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.

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