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| | | Mount Taylor - North Approach, NM | | | |
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Mount Taylor - North Approach, NM
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| Hiking | 2.00 Miles |
700 AEG |
| | Hiking | 2.00 Miles | 2 Hrs | | 1.00 mph |
| 700 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | This triplog describes the approach from the North side of the summit, which is a much shorter route than the typical Southern approach. Basically if you are short on time, and still want to take in the view, the is the best route.
This 2 mile hike took me roughly 2 hours to complete for a couple of reasons. I'm a bit under the weather and there was a fair amount of knee to waist deep snow which completely hid the trail and made progress slow. Thankfully, most of the snowbanks were solid enough to walk on...most, not all.
Once the snow finally melts, I'm sure the entire hike can be done in an hour, with plenty of time to snap a few photos along the way. The view from the top is certainly worth the effort. Even on a windy and dusty day like today, you can see a large chunk of North Western New Mexico - which gives an odd but stunning contrast of ponderosa forests, red rock cliffs, several enormous large lava plugs which rival even the famous Devil's Tower in height, all surrounded by green toped mesas and the ever changing colors of the high desert.
I met up with several groups at the summit who had come up the Southern route, and they had encountered little or no snow. One of the hikers, who was 20 days into the CDT trail mentioned that she had seen a solid flow of water coming out of Gooseberry Spring - which is of course where the trail gets it's name. I haven't lived here long enough to know how dependable that spring is, so I wouldn't count on it being a source of drinking water. According to my topo, it's located on the NW side of the South approach within the 1st mile of the hike - I'll post an update when I get a chance to confirm it's location.
Final notes: There's no water anywhere on Mt. Taylor, except for the various springs - which may or may not have water, and which may or may not be where the topo says they are. BRING YOUR OWN! Also, while you may get what appears to be a strong cell phone signal during the hike, don't count on being able to make a call. The only places I've gotten reliable service are on the summit itself, and a few of the forest roads on the south side of the mtn.
Getting there: Take Lobo Canyon Rd (547) 13.5 miles on pavement, then continue on 547 another 3 1/4 miles after it turns to dirt. Now, turn right on FR 453 at the sign for La Mosca LO. Once on FR 453, drive 4 miles to the saddle between the peaks (Mt Taylor and La Mosca), take the turn to the right - as opposed to continuing up to La Mosca lookout and it's "beautiful" collection of radio/cell towers. Continue about 200 yards and you should see a sign for the "Gooseberry Trail" - if you don't have a high clearance vehicle, you'll likely need to park at the fork in the road and walk in that last couple hundred yards. |
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| "Look deep into nature, and the you will understand everything better" Albert Einstein |
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