“THIS LAND LENDS DEPTH TO MY LIFE,” says Pam Neely, author of The Santa Fe to Taos Thru-Hike Guidebook. “It’s utterly gorgeous in the high country.”
The Santa Fe–based writer feels most at home in New Mexico’s high mountain wilderness, and her new 193-page book is an attempt to share the land with others. “I want to give people a positive experience of the wild, so they fight to protect it.”
More than a decade in the making, the guide lays out the 132-mile plaza-to-plaza route over six segments with details on directions, accessibility, safety, water availability, and scenic beauty. The sections range from 20 to 26 miles and can be completed over 10 days by walking approximately 12 miles per day.
But the full hike doesn’t have to be done all at once. Neely trekked variations of the thru-hike dozens of times and worked to create routes accessible for children, seniors, single women, and those who can’t take a solid week or two of vacation. “I wanted to give working people a way to get out and, over time, experience the whole route,” says Neely, who provides resupply and mid-hike access points, alternate routes, and gear lists. Best of all, the book sports 57 full-color, detailed maps of the various route segments.
Take note, however: This is not an “easy” thru-hike. Elevations range from 7,000 feet at the plazas to above 12,000 feet along the Santa Barbara Divide. “The elevation has to be respected,” Neely says. “So too summer storms.”
She has founded a nonprofit organization to support thru-hikers. Membership allows trekkers to access storage and resupply points along the route, as well as secured lockers where hikers can send supplies.
“I want folks to know this is accessible—that you can do it,” Neely says. “Somebody’s got your back. If you can do this, you can do anything.”
TRAIL MIX
Pam Neely dishes on her favorite parts of the thru-hike from Santa Fe to Taos.
Pecos Baldy Lake to the Santa Barbara Divide. “This is beautiful,” says Pam Neely of the highest part of the route, “like nothing you’ve seen.” The 7.7-mile stretch features stunning views of Truchas Peak, groves of weathered evergreens, and the not-to-be-missed Trailriders Wall—a long narrow mesa at nearly 12,000 feet that was described by conservationist and author Elliott Barker as a “hogback.” “I find that I am the best version of myself when I’m that high up,”
Neely says.
The Connector. This is the kind of place ripe for slow exploration. “Nobody goes there,” she says of the route that treks through thick stands of aspen and high alpine lakes. “It’s full of beaver ponds, bugling elk, loads of water, big trees, and even bigger views.” The 6.4-mile section pulls you in with each passing moment. “You just might find yourself wanting to spend a few days roaming around.”
Camino Pequeño along the Santa Fe River. “This is like one of those hidden, overgrown paths you find as a kid and you think it’s all your own,” Neely says of this 1.3-mile, willow-shrouded stretch from Santa Fe’s Patrick Smith Park to the Dale Ball Trails system. “It feels like magic every time I walk it.”
