Trail Conditions

See the homepage for moment to moment updates. TL;DR: The SF2T has significant trail closures that prevent an end-to-end thru-hike until September 15. In other, drastically less urgent news from 8/16… The Frijoles Fire is 9,338 acres and is at 12% containment. Check for official updates here: https://www.Facebook.com/FrijolesFire or on Inciweb. Air quality readings have…

Topics: Both forests are in Stage 2 Fire Restrictions until September 30th or until rescinded Water updates Altitude sickness I am getting word of or communicating with several hikers who have gotten altitude sickness and have had to get off trail. It tends to happen right around when people are at Santa Barbara Campground or…

A few highlights of recent developments: Water conditions Hikers wandering into private property I received a complaint from a property owner along the Camino Pequeno section about hikers wandering onto private property. Please stay on the trail corridor through this area. If hikers continue leaving the trail here, we may lose access to this lovely…

Jack’s Creek Campground and Horsecamp is also closed until September 30th, as is the road to Jack’s Creek from Cowles. Per the Closure order: “The Described Road is in San Miguel County, north of Cowles, New Mexico, at the junction of New Mexico State Road 63 and NFS Road 555 starting at the middle gate…

Lower elevations are clear, but at least one section of trail is still dangerous enough that most hikers won’t be comfortable with it. Might be cleared by late next week. Water sources are fine, but water flows are at critically low levels for this time of year.

Fire conditions Santa Fe National Forest has been put under Stage 1 fire restrictions. These are effective until September 30th. Stage 1 means: I greatly appreciate the SFNF doing this. It’s a big relief. Carson National Forest has no such restrictions yet, but I hope they will implement them soon. There’s a good article in…