“IT’S CRAZY WHAT people think about New Mexico,” says Adam White, author of New Mexico Summits: 40 Best Mountain Hikes to 50 Peaks (FalconGuides). “We are not all low, dry desert. We have forests and snowcapped peaks.”
Based in Tijeras, east of Albuquerque, White has spent the past 20 years marveling at both the state’s landscape diversity and its accessibility. “I want to inspire people to get out and see New Mexico,” he says of the 212-page book.
Over 53 weeks, the long-distance hiker and runner hit the trail nearly every weekend to summit as many New Mexico peaks as possible. Along the way, he mapped, photographed, and made detailed notes on every route. He also ran into snowstorms, encountered bone-rattling lightning, braved dangerous rockslides, and logged 20,000 miles on his Jeep. “It turned into one of the greatest experiences of my life,” says the Louisiana native, who first encountered New Mexico on a family road trip as a 10-year-old.
A view of Vallecito Mountain, near Tres Piedras.
Photograph courtesy of Mike Muscato.
A former Ski Santa Fe instructor who relocated to the Land of Enchantment after Hurricane Katrina, he tackled most of the hikes solo, requiring additional planning and care. “I learned where my limitations were on a few peaks and when and when not to push those limitations,” he says. “Maybe the most important lesson I learned was that preparation was the key to success.”
The result is a guide full of gorgeous color photos that contains routes of varying lengths and difficulties, some requiring technical scrambling and route-finding skills, while others are family-friendly and easy to navigate. “The Wheeler Cirque is probably my favorite route,” White says. “It’s not easy, but boy is it worth it.” If you plan on attempting it, White has some advice: “Folks should plan on added time for route- finding if it is your first time,” he says. “The ridge traverse does not have a definitive trail and some sections can be challenging.”
White is currently finishing up a master’s degree in creative writing at Southern New Hampshire University while working on a guide to 40 New Mexico waterfalls due out in 2027. “My next big goal is to canoe the entire length of the Río Grande,” he says. “I want to write a narrative book about the experience and use it to look at New Mexico’s water problems.”
For a lesser-known northern summit with sweeping views, try the hike up Flag Mountain in the Columbine-Hondo Wilderness.
Check out New Mexico Summits: 40 Best Mountain Hikes to 50 Peaks (FalconGuides) at nmmag.us/nmsummits.
OVER THE TOP
Conquer these enchanting peaks.
New Mexico’s terrain offers wildly different experiences. Adam White says these favorite hikes capture that diversity perfectly. “Contrary to popular belief, New Mexico’s landscapes offer so much more than empty deserts, and even the deserts are alluring as well and worth exploring,” he says.
Cookes Peak juts above the desert near Deming, feeling improbably alpine. This difficult and remote eight-mile climb begins among creosote and ocotillo, steadily gaining 2,969 feet in elevation until the world opens onto stunning views of the Chihuahuan Desert and distant mountains in Mexico.
Sheepshead Peak, in the Pecos Wilderness, rewards your efforts with deep alpine solitude. The 14.5-mile trail winds through spruce and fir, past frigid streams, waterfalls, and alpine lakes. Wildlife is common, crowds are not.
Latir Peak, north of Taos, offers a classic northern New Mexico summit. Aspen groves, summer wildflowers, and expansive alpine tundra lead to a summit with panoramic views into Colorado and across the Sangre de Cristo range. This 13-mile route is a perfect blend of beauty and challenge.
