Confirmed traffic on the Santa Fe to Taos Trail for 2026 season

441 hikers registered as of June 26 These are only registered hikers who have filled out the registration form. This does not include SF2T members who have not registered yet.

Bar chart showing confirmed traffic on Santa Fe to Taos Trail for 2026 season.
Santa Fe to Taos Trail 2026 Registered Hikers Compared With Estimated Annual Finishers on Other Long-Distance Trails ____________ Notes: SF2T 2026 figures are registration counts, not finisher counts. “SF2T 2026 as of June 26” reflects 441 registered hikers to date. “SF2T 2026 projected by Oct. 15” is a straight-line projection (894 hikers) based on the current registration pace from March 11–June 26, rounded to 900. Other trail figures are rounded estimates of annual full-route finishers or end-to-end completions, based on available trail-organization reports and voluntary completion rosters. Registration does not necessarily mean a hiker starts or finishes. This chart is intended as a scale comparison, not a precise census.

With current traffic levels, this is how the Santa Fe to Taos Trail’s usage compares to other long-distance trails

We are likely to surpass the usage of the Colorado Trail, and potentially positioned to meet or surpass traffic on the Pacific Crest Trail.

My first reaction when I saw this comparison was “that can’t be possible.” And yet, there are the numbers. If you think the numbers/estimates are wrong – and you have documentation to prove that (like reliable numbers of how many hikers complete the PCT or the Colorado Trail or other trails every year) – please send that information. I want this to be as accurate as possible, though I realize knowing exact numbers of hikers on trail is tricky.

Hopefully these figures will explain why I so aggressively want to prevent influencers from promoting the trail.

Key question/s to answer: How closely do registrations translate to actual hikers on trail?

  • How many people do the SF2T but don’t register?
  • How many people register but don’t actually do the trail?

I have enough data to do a whole talk on this, or a video should I ever get one hot second to make videos. At the very least, at some point I should do a Trail Conditions blog post about this. At the moment, though, I am up to my eyebrows communicating with and supporting hikers on trail and about to arrive. When I have spare moments I work on the projects and documentation that is giving me this valuable data. Things like a finisher survey…

Map showing confirmed Santa Fe to Taos Trail hikers for 2026 season with red markers.

Total registered hikers (as of June 19, 2026)

  • 207 registered groups
  • 404 registered people
  • Average group size: 1.95 people

New Mexico hikers (June 19, 2026 data here and below)

  • 65 groups
  • 126 registered people
  • 32.0% of groups
  • 31.8% of people

Out-of-state U.S. hikers

  • 138 groups
  • 270 registered people
  • 68.0% of groups
  • 68.2% of people

Top states after New Mexico by groups

  • Texas: 33 groups (16.3% of groups), 56 people (14.1% of people)
  • Colorado: 30 groups (14.8% of groups), 54 people (13.6% of people)
  • Arizona: 16 groups (7.9% of groups), 41 people (10.4% of people)
  • California: 15 groups (7.4% of groups), 31 people (7.8% of people)

International hikers

Australia: 4 people
Mexico: 2 people
Netherlands: 1 person