So I was just thinking, NM is a pretty cool state and much of the trail isn’t that exciting. If I were to throw the “official” CDT out the window and make my own route through to CO, where would I go? Any suggestions from folks out there? Where would you draw a line through the state to hit some interesting hiking?
She-ra
Hi, She-ra;
That’s pretty much what Jim Wolf did with his CDTS route-- make it as interesting and as scenic as possible, without always staying true to the Divide. In some areas like around Deming, his route is pretty far off it but it climbs into some interesting hills. The Wolf route is not perfect and crosses some fenced ranch land, and probably still has some sections with no trail tread. I know he’s still working on access issues. If you join the CDTS, you’ll get updates.
Garlic
The official route through NM is actually a great hike and is very interesting. More variety in NM than any other state along the trail.
Grumpy
As long as you choose the options that take you off the pavement and into the backcountry, you’ll be surprised at how beautiful NM can be.
Ginny
Thanks, that’s good to know. I think what it seems to boil down to, is don’t worry about being on “trail” all the time and just go north!
She-ra
I suppose it depends on how far off you would want to go but I would think the Grand Enchantment rout in NM could be more attractive. Leaving the Gila/Black range northbound, the GET walks numerous high crest lines through high desert mountains all the way up to Albuquerque.This is were all the good mountains are. From there get back to the CDT? Or thru hike the sangre de cristos from Santa fe, start of the Rockies (front range) all the way to CO, cross the san luis valley and jump on at CUMBRES.
matt
The Grand Enchantment route does sound nice. Just don’t confuse anyone by calling it the CDT.
wingnut
The New Mexico CDT isn’t the High Sierra, the Cascades, nor the heart of the Rockies. Rather, it’s Basin & Range country in the south, then Colorado Plateau, with a mix of desert and scattered peaks and ranges in the north. As such, the attractions, so to speak, tend to be similarly scattered, and you’re unlikely to find a continuous route that provides non-stop entertainment. This is true of the CDT, the GET, and anything else one might come up with for a thru-route across the Land of Enchantment. While the GET does use the CDT for about 40 miles (in the Black Range), the two routes are different beasts, providing different experiences. If the goal is to tour New Mexico in a roughly longitudinal direction, and to tie into the Continental Divide in the South San Juan, then following one of the CDT routes (your choice) across NM would be the easiest, most straightforward approach, and you could rest easy knowing that what you’re seeing and experiencing is actually pretty hard to beat, and also legal, with known water locations and hiker services. Investing a lot of research time and effort into going your own way, each step potentially fraught with doubt, would be doubly adventurous, but probably would offer diminishing returns if the goal is to have fun and see cool stuff.
blisterfree
Matt wrote: “Or thru hike the sangre de cristos from Santa fe, start of the Rockies (front range) all the way to CO, cross the san luis valley and jump on at CUMBRES.”
Update: This seems plausible, or at least as far as Latir Peak Wilderness in the NM Sangres. Northbound the Sangre de Cristos fall into private ownership (!) for a goodly spell. However the Rio Grande Gorge is nearby to the west, and the Carson NF resumes not far beyond.
On a smaller scale, a Grand Enchantment Trail spur to Wheeler Peak environs might be in the offing for someone who plays the cards right (to avoid land grant sensitivies) and who heads forth in-season (September, sobo). Public transportation will apparently take one as far as Questa, just a few miles from one of several potential put-ins.
That said, I’m not at all sure the lofty, extensive Sangres have much in common with the rest of the GET, which is always anchored to the desert to one extent or another. It’d certainly be fertile ground for further exploration, though, especially in thru-hiking mode which must be quite an exotic state of being in that hard-to-parse range.
blisterfree