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Recreational Activities
Home : Ranger
Districts : Española Ranger District
: Trails
Trail 153, Rio Quemado Trail
 
Length: 10 miles
Difficulty: Difficult
Use: Light
Seasons: Late spring, summer, fall and winterr
Highest and Lowest Points: 9,600 feet to 12,024 feet
Trail Access: Take State Road 503 through Nambe and Cundiyo. About
two miles north of Cundiyo, almost across the highway from the turnoff
to Santa Cruz Lake, turn east on Forest Road 306, and follow it
9.1 miles to Forest Road 435 and the turnoff to Borrego Mesa Campground.
Continue past the campground on FR 435, and follow the road uphill
to the north and east for another mile or two. The road will end
at a small parcel of private land with a cabin inside a gate. Park
just outside the private land where there is room for a vehicle
or two just outside the gate.
USGS Maps: Truchas Peak, and Pecos Wilderness Map (2003 edition)
Description:
The trail wraps around north of the small parcel of private
land, and may be hard to follow. Just after the private land
look to pick up the trail as it continues east towards the
wilderness boundary. At this point the trail resembles a small
road, and is easy to follow. The trail will climb along a
ridge to an elevation of 10,800 feet. Just before the high
point of the ridge, a post is encountered marking the intersection
of Trail 151. To continue along Trail 153, the traveler must
turn to the left, northwest along Trail 151 for fifty yards
and look for the post and sign marking the continuation of
Trail 153. At this point the trail branches off subtly to
the northeast and soon drops into the canyons of the Rio Quemado.
This portion of the trail is little used and may be hard
to follow. Soon the trail will meet up with a jeep road from
the town of Truchas. Trail 153 continues uphill and to the
east along this road for awhile before it again narrows into
a trail. From here the trail is again easy to follow, and
will climb steadily along the north fork of the Rio Quemado,
passing several small cascades, finally leading up to the
Quemado Falls, which can be a fairly spectacular waterfall
if it has been a wet winter. A short detour off of the main
trail is required to get a good viewing. Just upstream of
this waterfall, the river begins to fork as various tributaries
join from the headwaters of the Rio Quemado. There are a multitude
of trails along most of these tributaries. The main trail
continues to the boggy flats just west of the Truchas Peaks
ridge. This high alpine cirque is locally known as the Rincon
Grande. The views of the peaks are magnificent.
To find the trail to North Truchas Peak, follow the trail
along the southern most tributary to its headwaters just below
the ridge between North and Middle Truchas Peaks. |
Notes:
 This
trail offers a different approach to the Truchas Peaks area
than the more frequently traveled trails of the eastern side
of the Pecos Wilderness.
No
water along the trail is available until the south fork of
the Rio Quemado. Quemado Falls are one of the most impressive
waterfalls in the Pecos Wilderness.
The
final section of the trail up to the top of the Truchas Peak
can be difficult to locate. As with all peaks and exposed
ridges, Truchas Peak should be avoided during inclement weather
or lightning storms.
There
is a higher than average incidence of vandalism to vehicles
in this area. |
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