Five Gila Trails to Try
HAVING A VARIETY OF USABLE TRAILS is essential for experiencing the solitude that Aldo Leopold enjoyed, says Melissa Green, trails project coordinator of Gila Back Country Horsemen. “Keeping people…
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Category: Hiking
Fall for These Three Colorful Hikes
EACH FALL, NORTHERN NEW MEXICO’S glimmering aspen groves draw hikers and leaf peepers to bathe in the golden light. But for those willing to go farther afield, the Land of Enchantment’s color wheel…
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Meet Expert Hiker Cindy Brown
I N HER EARLIEST MEMORY , Cindy Brown was on a trail. “My parents took our family out hiking, camping, fishing, and boating,” she says. “I always loved being outside. Anyone looking for me could find me…
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Dust Off Your Boots and Hit the Trails
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: BEGINNER Soledad Canyon Loop. This easy, four-mile loop northeast of Las Cruces offers a rich experience of the Chihuahuan Desert microclimates of the Organ Mountain–Desert Peaks…
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Hike Flag Mountain for Panoramic Views
THE TRAIL DISAPPEARED INTO THE OLD BURN SCAR. Young aspen and oak, regrown since the 1996 Lama fire, shimmered in yellows, reds, and oranges. We pushed into the growth and scrambled up the ridge…
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Give These Desert Hikes a Try
MORE THAN 50 MILES OF TRAILS access some 33,000 acres of the park that are designated wilderness areas, where you can take in views of the Guadalupe Mountains rolling on into Texas, explore canyons…
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Carving New Paths for Adventure
ON A SUMMER AFTERNOON IN 2021, Peter Olson guided me out to some of the newest trail loops in the Galisteo Basin Preserve. But we had to walk before we could really ride. After briefly pedaling down a…
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Boot Up for These Longer Hikes
MELLOW LOOP HIKES cruise gentle slopes and meander through botanical gardens at state parks, while other hikes pack a bit of a punch for more ambitious or adventurous visitors. Those willing to put in…
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Happy Trails
KRYSTYNA GONZALEZ SEES HIKING as a form of therapy. A social worker, photographer, and Women Who Explore ambassador, she started hiking regularly in college, an activity that easily grew out of her…
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Outdoors Do's and Don'ts
A paved road circles Mesa Campground, which offers views of Lake Roberts below. Photograph by Jay Hemphill. DO: Make a plan, then a backup plan. Public-land use skyrocketed last year, and that trend…
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