Robledo Mountains Hikes

micro landscape shot

ammonite fossil

petrified wood

 Moss in the very narrow stretch

December wildflowers

petrified wood

Iron ore rocks

Split Rock Canyon waterfall

Petrified wood

 I did two hikes in the Robledos last week. Both used routes I've travelled often to get to some places that are new to me. The first one was in the canyons and mesas just to the northwest of Picacho Peak. The BLM has moved the entrance from the frontage road to the road that runs along the east side of the airport. The old entrance is fenced now and has a handmade wooden sign pointing west saying only" Box Canyon." The new entrance is wide and surfaced with fresh gravel and is hard to miss just a short ways west from there.  Unfortunately, the improved road ends very quickly and we were back on the zero maintenance " way" towards Box Canyon which is getting to point where you will need four-wheel drive just to get to the trailhead parking, never mind the truly horrendous pitch down into the canyon just beyond. I drove down part of it but then availed myself of the  large secondary parking area past which things are really a mess with large rocks, deep gullies and a decidedly off-camber section. I probably could have made it, but when you are alone, why risk it?  Since I wasn't going to get to the area near the dam in a vehicle I took a more direct route going cross country and soon was looking down into Box Canyon. There was a nice little stair-step branch cut into the bedrock here, that allowed me down easily and so I was able to cross the canyon without too much fuss. I continued on to the road that would bring me up on the mesa to the northeast of Spring Canyon.

Spring Canyon

Box Canyon

Box Canyon

Spring Canyon

Pottery sherds and carnelian pebble

Spring Canyon

Spring Canyon

Box Canyon

South Branch of Apache Canyon, Organ Mts. in the distance

 Walking on the road wasn't super exciting, but at certain points  the views down into the canyons or off to the Organ Mountains were nice. I was searching for a certain someplace, that I won't go into detail about here that I was not finding. I turned around and decided to take a different route back utilizing a couple maneuvers I had done in the past. It was in and out of one canyon, onto the mesa, then using a stretch of Spring Canyon,  next returning to the road for bit before going cross-country on another mesa and then eventually ending back on the road for good all the way to my truck.

Along the way I did find the someplace, I think, in a spot that made a lot more sense  than where my plan  had initially brought me

The second hike, I started out a the Trackways trailhead, eventually heading into the Robledo Mountains Wilderness. Last year I  had  looked at a canyon on the eastern escarpment just to the south of Split Rock Canyon. This time I was going to take a look a two canyons just to the north. I initially overshot both of them and found myself looking down into the beautiful, big canyon I call Robledo Canyon. I also took a look at one of its large side canyons with massive layers of limestone in rust and gray, before turning around at a dry waterfall.

 I found the canyon I was looking for just over ridge to the south. It quickly became a very narrow affair, crowded with junipers and sotol. Although it eventually opened up downstream, it got to the point where it was barely wide enough for me to squeeze through. 

There was no actual pour-off type waterfall as with Split Rock Canyon and the neighbor to the south. Instead,  I was  looking  down a very steep jumble of large boulders trailing out onto the mesa below when I decided to move on.

A second canyon nearby wasn't much more than a crease, so I continued  on climbing up to get a look into Split Rock Canyon from the little peak on its south side. Fanstastic views from up there that I highly recommend to anyone who makes the effort to  get out here.

 Two warm winter days, but not too warm. Sunshine, blue skies with wispy white clouds. Two hikes that were longer than my usual ones nowadays, but all was good.