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Recreational Activities
Home : Ranger
Districts : Española Ranger District
: Trails
Trail 243, Horsethief Meadows Trail
 
Length: 3 miles
Difficulty: Difficult
Use: Light
Seasons: Late spring, summer, and early fall
Highest and Lowest Points: 9,800 feet to 10,750 feet
Trail Access: This short trail connects the Rio Capulin Trail
158 and the Skyline Trail 251, and is a historic route from the
Rio Frijoles to the Pecos River drainages, and can be accessed from
either side.
USGS Maps: USGS Sierra Mosca, Cowles, Truchas Peak, and Pecos
Wilderness Map (2003 edition)
Description:
Approaching from the Skyline Trail
251 at the north end of Horsethief Meadow, a sign post
marks the turn of the trail to the west side of Horsethief
Creek. A trail across the swampy meadow may not be obvious
at this point. Upon reaching the woods at the edge of the
meadow, two trails can be seen. The trail heading north alongside
Horsethief Creek is Trail 253. The trail turning west is Horsethief
Meadows Trail 243. These junctions may not be signed.
Within a quarter mile, Trail 243 crosses a small tributary
of Horsethief Creek and begins the steep ascent out of the
canyon. The trail follows this stream up a drainage for half
a mile before crossing it once again and ascending rapidly
up the ridge. The trail swings slightly north at this point
and travels to a lower saddle before turning west to follow
a small drainage down the valley to the Rio Frijoles. If the
visitor is coming up the trail from Panchuela West and reaches
this lower saddle with a fence just the other side, he must
be sure to turn southeast to continue up the trail and not
try to descend at this point. Good opportunities for camping
can be found along the last section of the trail to the Rio
Frijoles. Cattle can normally be seen grazing in the open
grassy meadows that characterize Panchuela West.
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Notes:
 This
trail is the shortest and most direct rout between two major
areas of attraction in the Pecos Wilderness.
The
area experiences a lot of treefall, and since this is not
one of the highly maintained trails, visitors can expect to
do a lot of scrambling over deadfall.
The
trail is extremely steep and can be somewhat difficult to
find in sections.
Due
to the steepness of the terrain, there are few areas suitable
for camping until the Frijoles or Horsethief basins are reached. |
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