San Vicente Creek Loop from Fairway

Dogs Leashed

Features Birding · Fall Colors · Historical Significance · River/Creek

Combines parts of an old pipeline road, the San Vicente Creek Trail, and an old railroad grade for an easy, pleasant loop hike close to town with surprisingly varied terrain.

Much of this trail is full sun, so it's best done in early morning or late afternoon. The restaurant at Scott Park Golf Course is a great place to rehydrate and recharge after your hike!

The trail leaves from an unmarked trailhead on Fairway Drive. A wide spot in the road can accommodate several cars. Follow the old road to the right to an old pipeline road through high desert vegetation. You may encounter a herd of alpine goats along the way, but despite their impressive horns, they are very friendly and will follow you asking for scritches. At 0.81 miles, take the right fork where the trail splits, and drop into a lush riparian forest.

Reach the junction with San Vicente Creek Trail at mile 1.36. Take a sharp left, cross the creek and hike uphill to the railroad grade at mile 1.44 miles. Follow the old railroad grade south along the opposite side of the creek, passing by the Old Chinese Gardens and the Upper Gila Watershed Alliance's bioreactors. Stay to the left at mile 1.82.

Cross the creek again at mile 1.93 and stay left to follow the old railroad grade. At mile 2.86, the trail turns right and goes uphill, through a recent washout. You'll pass a kiosk near the athletic filed at mile 2.92. At 3.09 miles, turn left onto Fairway Drive and return to the trailhead.

Along the pipeline and old railroad grade you'll encounter classic high desert vegetation such as mesquite, sacahuista, prickly pear and soaptree yucca. Once you drop into the arroyo, the vegetation is a lush mixture of Fremont cottonwoods, New Mexico locusts, one-seed junipers, threadleaf groundsel, wrights silktassel, yellow bird of paradise, fragrant sumac, broad-leaved sweet peas and possibly the largest weeping willows you've ever seen!

Part of the trail follows and old railroad grade for the Southwestern Railroad that ran from Deming to the mines near Silver City. The line was constructed in 1886 and abandoned in 1907. This route passes by the Old Chinese Gardens, where Chinese laborers operated a large farm in the late 1800s. Today it's the site of bioreactors operated by the Upper Gila Watershed Alliance to convert food and other organic waste into compost.