Cibola and Apache National Forests - Gallo and Datil Mountains Scenic Driving

 Forest Road 6, Datil and Sawtooth Mountains

Views from Forest Road 93

These were a couple of driving trips 13 months apart venturing out from the cabin at Horse Mountain. Conditions couldn't have been more different for each trip. The first one we went out looking for Webster Cabin on the north side of the Datil Mountains. It was late June, cloudy, rainy with cool temps in the 70s.  It had been a wet spring and it was green everywhere we went. The road  ( FR 6) gets steadily worse as we drove north up Davenport Canyon and then down Ox Spring Canyon. Although we were, I really advise against driving it if any rain is expected. Thankfully it stayed dry, but it's easy to tell that this areas roads turn into a muddy mess the further one drives out into the Alamocita  Valley. We did find Webster Cabin and even though the maps show it as being on Forest Service property, the well maintained, low slung log structure was within a fenced area and seemingly included in a small inholding of private property. A much more recent (and apparently inhabited) house was very nearby and I didn't even feel comfortable getting out of my car to get any pictures Oh well. It was nice exploring the area anyway.

 The  more recent trip, just a few weeks ago, found the forest area for miles and miles around extremely dry. Fires had already been burning near Quemado Lake and on Pelona Mountain weeks earlier. The reason we were just doing a drive is because it was too hot for any hiking. We went to Apache Creek and then headed north. This really could be a very scenic canyon, but for the near continual eyesore at its bottom, the hideously abused, water starved, long absent riparian area along the mostly dry (now) Apache Creek, which was looking all the worse for the drought conditions. Moving on, we turned onto Forest Road 93 which winds through the pines just south of Gallo Peak before turning to the north and then east skirting the rim as it climbs up  onto Slaughter Mesa. There were occasional places to pullout and enjoy the views down to the Gallo/Gallita valleys. 

The road is pretty good for the most part, but there was some severe washboarding on several of the steeper inclines, so it's probably a good idea to take it slow. Slaughter Mesa is undergoing being transformed back into open higher-elevation meadow area. It was a little sad to behold in its moisture-deprived state, but I do want to return when things green up a bit.

Slaughter Mesa

Slaughter Mesa

Slaughter Mesa

 On the mesa we turned onto FR13 where we eventually descended along Caballeriza Canyon (where we hiked last year) and then onto County Road A 095 which took us down Patterson Canyon and back out NM 12.