Description:
This east-west section of trail runs the length
of the Santa Barbara Divide. Starting from Jack's
Creek Trail 257 on the west, there is first a junction
with West Fork Trail 25 to the north (Carson
National Forest) and then with Beatty's
Trail 25 to the south. Several more miles along the divide
brings one to Middle Fork Trail 24 to the north (Carson),
Pecos Trail 24 to the south, and
East Fork Trail 36 to the northeast (Carson).
Along this entire section of trail, there is
virtually no shelter and water is difficult to find. Continuing
along the ridge the trail finally drops to the saddle between
the Rio Valdez and the Rincon Bonito, intersecting the Rio
Valdez Trail 224, North Fork Trail
269, and Pecos River Trail
456. The trails can be difficult to follow in this eroded
hummocky area. Skyline Trail continues east through some forest
and then emerges into a large alpine meadow.
Continue to the east, looking for guide posts
and cairns. There is no trail tread visible in the ground.
At the junction with Trail 274 to Santiago Lake, the trail
turns sharply south and goes through a series of meadows and
wooded stands, following the edge of the Divide. Use tree
blazes to find where the trail enters the forest from the
meadows. The trail eventually intersects Gascon
Trail 239 in a large grassy area north of Cebolla Peak.
See Skyline Trail-Part
1, Skyline Trail-Part 2,
Skyline Trail-Part 3, Skyline Trail-Part
4, Skyline Trail-Part 5
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This
trail is in the Pecos Wilderness. Motorized equipment and
mechanized transportation, including mountain bikes, hunter
carts, and chainsaws are prohibited. 