Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Tonuco Peak









The Tonuco Peak uplift area is one of the best places for  desert hiking here in southern New Mexico. It has petroglyphs, interesting geology, cool rocks(various colors of quartz crystals, barite, fluorite, obsidian), old mines, and great views of the Rio Grande Valley from the peak. I have hiked here many times and there is always something new to discover;like a small needle eye arch in a branch canyon, or encounter, like the time I took a " short cut ' down through the cliffs that tower over the  large sandy arroyo on the north side and accidentally roused a couple of great horned owls, whose appearance so startled me that I nearly tumbled down the rocky ravine I was so carefully negotiating.Be careful around the mines if you go. Also, there's a giant mystery hole on top of the flat peak- don't fall in it. There is no waste rock near it, so if it's a mine shaft, it must be connected to a tunnel further down on the side of the mountain.The loop hike I usually make is a moderate 7 miles, and uses the big sandy arroyo,Pictograph Canyon, and the road coming from the east to the peak, but there are several other old mine roads that I've used for exploring. Getting down into some of the small arroyos has been fun too.The final climb to the peak is steep,but fairly short. It's amazing the remote feeling you get in the hidden Pictograph Canyon on this hike, even though you're very close to I-25 on one side and the farms along the river on the other. Good directions can be found in Greg Magee's Dayhikes and Nature Walks in the Las Cruces/El Paso Area. Caution: there is deep sand on some vehicle routes, and some roads can turn from decent to dangerous without much warning, and the "road" to the peak isn't really a road at all, so unless you have a jeep or some other vehicle suited to these conditions it's best to do your adventuring on foot.








14 comments:

  1. I just did this hiking, amazing interesting place..

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  2. Just moved to the area and hiked to the peak a couple weeks ago. Where are the petroglyphs located?

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  3. They are in canyon on the northeast side of the peak that runs from the road down to the big wash on the north side of the uplift. It's the only canyon system of any size on the whole north side.

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  5. Ok, that is what I thought but your confirmaton is helpful. Thanks for taking time to respond.

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  6. I really want to do this hike, but I am really confused on how to get close to the mountain. Is there a way in from the west side? We tried the east side but, as you said, the roads were really bad in places, so we couldn't get within several miles of the mountain. Please help! Thank you!

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  7. It's going to be at least an three mile roundtrip hike to the peak. And that's if you are able to drive in deep sand of the big wash. Otherwise it's going to be more like 5 or 6 miles. Access roads on the west side necessitate crossing private property, for which you would need permission and keys to gates- which is unlikely to happen. I can email a google earth image of the routes I use, if that would help.

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    1. NO NEED FOR KEYS OR PERMISSION, THE PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNERS ARE THE KARSONS AND LACKS WHO CONDUCT ALL THE FARMING TGAT AREA.. THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY INTO THE FARMS AND OUT JUST OBEY THE SPPEED LIMIT ON THE DIRT ROADS AS IT IS POSTED AND JUST RESPECT THERE PROPERTY MANY PEOPLE PASS THROUGH THE PROPERTY AND ENTIRELT ACCESIBLE WITH 2 WHEEL DRIVE NO HARSH CONDITIONS..

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  8. I've always asked for permission from the Carson family to drive-thru and Park at the foot of the West Side of the Mountain close to the Carson house.

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  9. My first visit to this place was yesterday. I'll definitely be going back but I'm curious if anyone has figured out all the petroglyphs ? I've looked up most but can't find quite a few.

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  10. I believe I've been to the site you call Pictograph Canyon, though I don't recall seeing pictographs, only petroglyphs. Are there paintings in that area? Also, is that the only location for petroglyphs. I've heard of a site called the Talus Slope Site somewhere on the mountain. Curious if you've come across these on your adventures? Thanks.

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  11. It's called Pictograph Canyon on some maps, but there are not any pictographs. The talus slope site is at the base of the cliffs on the south side of the big arroyo. It's a bit of an adventure getting up there. There is also historical and recent graffiti etched into the rock and I believe at least some of the images there are not ancient but made by the same people who left their names up there. Some are surely ancient though. There are also more petroglyphs on some boulders on the west side of the mountain along with ancient pottery and 19th and early 20th century trash from mining and railroad days. See my blog " Tonuco Uplift Walkabout from February,2020 for images and such.

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