Dog Canyon Trail is 10.3 miles in length, round trip. Out and back, it takes you up the steep side of the Sacramento foothills above Oliver Lee State Park. You then enter Lincoln National Forest land and scale back through the ruggedly scenic Dog Canyon, past the remains of an old stone lineman cabin, and… Read more: The Dog Canyon Trail and Frenchy’s Cabin

Nestled in the Organ Mountains, just off of Achenbach Trail, is a neat little hike to some Apache shelter caves. Only 3.4 out and back, this is an awesome way to explore a cave and get some fresh air. The way there is a little treacherous over tire-popping rocks. Once you reach the trailhead, though,… Read more: The Shelter Caves Trail

Like many other New Mexicans, we decided to visit Jemez Springs for our Labor Day Weekend. Jemez Springs has long been on my bucket list so it was great to finally visit. It did not disappoint. This is a green jewel in the heart of New Mexico. From Las Cruces, we followed I25 all the… Read more: Labor Day Weekend in the Jemez Mountains

Baylor Pass is a canyon that cuts all the way through the Organ Mountains, featuring rugged rock walls crusted with spiky desert flora and equally tough desert fauna. The 11.3-mile Baylor Pass National Recreation trail connects Aguirre Springs on the east face and Las Cruces on the west face of the Organ Mountains National Monument. … Read more: Sunday Afternoon on Baylor Canyon Pass Trail

On Hwy 185 between Radium Springs and Las Cruces, there is a neat short hike called simply the “Slot Canyon Hike.” This hike follows a very narrow slot canyon carved into the desert floor by eons of water flow. The hike is geologically fascinating and appropriate for any time of year. Not much sun gets… Read more: Slot Canyon Hike Near Radium Springs

Tucked in the Organs above Las Cruces, hides my favorite hike in the whole world – the historical and beautiful Dripping Springs! Dripping Springs offers an incredibly beautiful hike that takes you back to the Nineteenth Century. It also passes by the remjasmineains of Boyd’s Sanitorium, named one of the most haunted places in New… Read more: Dripping Springs and Boyd’s Sanitorium

With nothing better to do on an unseasonably warm February day, I decided, “I want to go explore Geronimo’s Cave.” So off I went. Geronimo’s Cave is in the Robledo Mountain Wilderness Area near Dona Ana. It’s the same area where the Prehistoric Trackways Monument is. There is so much history in these mountains, including… Read more: Geronimo’s Cave

With two other people I had never met before, we set out on the Dragonfly Loop Trail in Silver City on a cold, windy November day. A bottle of wine awaited us for when we made it back to the car. The trail was gentle, mostly flat. The views were sweeping. I took in the… Read more: The Dragonfly Loop Trail

My idea of a perfect Sunday afternoon…hiking the Pine Tree Trail in Aguirre Springs! Easter Sunday, most people were in church, but outdoors in New Mexico is my church. The wind ravaged the Tularosa Basin and I could barely see into the distance through the swirling dust. But I felt sheltered and safe, tucked into… Read more: The Pine Tree Trail