Chamisa Trail (Upper)

Dogs Leashed

Features Birding · Views · Wildflowers · Wildlife

From the parking lot, take the trail to the right, closest to the road. This trail starts up right away, then contours to a low pass and descends to Tesuque Creek and the Winsor Trail. It climbs steeply for 1/2 mile, then backs off and contours to the top.

You are climbing through a Ponderosa Pine forest on sweet and mostly smooth singletrack. At times the trail is narrow and slopes steeply but is wide enough to pass easily. As it contours up, it makes many twists and turns. The trees are spaced widely enough to see across these turns to the trail ahead.

Once you reach the saddle and start to descend toward the Winsor National Recreation Trail, the dominant tree type changes to spruce species as the aspect is more northerly and wetter. There is a small stream that runs in early spring and after heavy monsoonal rains. The tread of the trail is more rocky between the saddle and the creek but has nice sections of firm hardpack and duff.