Diablo Canyon
Listen to this Hike of the Week >>> Project 101.5
with Kent Little of Sangre de Cristo Mountain Works
Hike Rating: Easy and Flat
Hiking Distance: 6 Miles
Hiking time: 3 Hours
Altitude: 5450 feet to 5850 feet for approximately 400 vertical feet of climbing depending on route.
Seasonal And Weather: This is a hot hike in the summer and better hiked in the Fall or Spring. If you hike in the summer, please hike early.
Driving Distance: 38 Miles, about 1 hour 30 minutes depending on the roads.
Directions: Take NM 599 (Relief Route). Follow 599 to Camino La Tierra exit some 4.2 miles west on 599. Follow Camino La Tierra to the first 4-way stop. At this stop go straight ahead. Follow the road until the road splits with the right branch going to Las Campanas and the left branch going to La Tierra – go left to La Tierra. Occasionally the road is divided by a tree-covered median: stay in the right lane and go straight ahead through all intersections. Four miles past the intersection with the relief route, the pavement ends and turns to dirt wash boards. Stay on the dirt road and after four miles you will pass a windmill and a livestock corral on the left. Mark your mileage at this point. Look for the Canada Ancha Arroyo on the left. This arroyo follows the edge of the Caja del Rio plateau. Ahead you will see the large columnar basalt escarpment or the entrance to Diablo Canyon. At 4.3 miles from the windmill you will see a road going to the left toward the canyon. This will lead you to an open parking area at the mouth of the canyon – park here to begin your hike.
The Hikes: The Diablo Canyon is an arroyo hike which takes you through the large columnar Basalt Cliffs of Diablo Canyon. These magnificent cliffs rise nearly 300 feet and are often used by local rock climbers.
The Diablo Canyon winds its way down the arroyo for three miles. Hikers will move from the Diablo escarpment into the washes of the arroyo – here the landscape gives way to layers of ash and cinder cones on its way to the river.
Continue your hike for three miles through the arroyo to the mighty Rio Grande. On a hot day, this is a great place to dip your feet in the water. For the more adventurous, Diablo is a good place to scramble among the Basalt formations, off trail. the area is filled with hidden caves and petroglyphs from the area’s earliest settlers. The Diablo canyon hike should take the average hiker about three hours to complete, and is a great cooler season place to hike and explore.
Kent Little- Sangre de Cristo Mountain Works
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: Hiking in and around Santa Fe, Outdoor Gear and Adventures, Having Fun Outdoors
