Registered hikers for the 2026 Santa Fe to Taos Trail season
528 hikers registered for the 2026 SF2T season as of July 29, 2026. These are only registered hikers who have filled out the registration form. This does not include SF2T members who have not registered yet.
With current traffic levels, this is how the Santa Fe to Taos Trail’s usage compares to other long-distance trails
Current SF2T registrations surpass estimated annual Colorado Trail completions; projected 2026 registrations are on par with estimated Pacific Crest Trail completions.
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 here are wrong – and you have documentation to support that – 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. Remember that the SF2T is largely unfunded and run by one person working 90+ hours a week plus an only recently hired 10-12 hour a week assistant.
Key questions 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. For now, 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…
The Santa Fe to Taos Trail has demonstrated significant public demand and impact. It now requires—and merits—funding commensurate with its scale.
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