Santa Barbara – West Fork
from Kent Little of Sangre de Cristo Mountain Works
Santa Barbara – West Fork
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USGS Map: Jicaritta Peak
Salient Features: This trip travels through the north end of the Pecos wilderness. Following the west fork of Santa Barbara Peak, This hike will take the hiker along a beautiful stream that has forged its way through the canyon on it’s way to its confluence with the Embudo river. The hike travels through lush meadows, Aspen and Conifer forests all the way to alpine tundra depending on how far you choose to travel.
Hike rating: Strenuous
Hike Distance: 12 Miles
Time To Hike 7 HOURS
ALTITUDE RANGE 8800 FT TO 9880 FOR A TOTAL GAIN OF 1100 FEET.
SEASONAL CONDITIONS: Road closed to Santa Barbara Campground in the winter months. September-November is Hunting Season.
Drive Distance and Time 143 Miles with a drive time of 2.5 hours.
Directions: From Santa Fe take US 84/285 north to Espanola. In Espanola continue on US 84/285, which follows to the left. Continue on enjoy the scenic drive trough Velarde to the mouth of the Rio Grande gorge headed towards Taos. You will drive through the river town of Velarde and continue along the Rio Grande to Embudo. Turn Right on NM 75 and Continue through Dixon and Penasco. When you come toward the end of Penasco NM 75 Turns a sharp left toward Vadito, do not turn ere. Keep going straight ahead toward Rodarte. After about 1.5 miles the road will turn right. Look for forest service road 116 that will go off to the left; this is a maintained dirt road with signs directing you to Santa Barbara Campground. There is a day parking area here for Hikers. Santa Barbara is a fee use area.
The Hike: When beginning the hike look for a trail that that starts to the right of the parking area entrance. This trail skirts the Campground and after 10 minutes or so begins the ascent of the Santa Barbara Creek through a large aspen grove.
The Rio Santa Barbara Trail offers the hiker some beautiful vistas of the Rio Santa Barbara Canyon as well as an abundance of wild flowers. The Trail follows the Rio Santa Barbara that is made of three river forks originating high in the mountains of the Truchas Peaks. The Santa Barbara Trail is well maintained and travelled, thus easy to follow. As you follow the trail at mile 1.6 you will come to a wood bridge that crosses over the river before continuing your gradual climb up the canyon. This is the first section of the trail and a good place to turn back if you are hiking with kids. From here the trail begins to increase in its rate of ascent. After 2.6 miles you will reach the confluence of the West Fork and the Middle Fork of the Rio Santa Barabra. Follow Trail 25, the West Fork Trail to continue on. There are usually logs crossing the river here to continue on the west fork trail. In the rainy season the river can swell very quickly as rains from the high country make there way down canyon, pay close attention to the levels and use caution when crossing streams in the backcountry.
After crossing the confluence of the east and the middle forks, you will again find yourself walking through Aspen forest on your way to the West Fork of the Santa Barbara. As you gain elevation, The West Fork will be visible, but sometimes hard to access as it is protected by steep forested terrain. . Continue to follow the trail as you gain elevation heading towards vistas of Santa Barbara Canyon and eventually Chimayosos Peak. As you gain elevation the gradient of the stream changes as it is slowed by large Beaver Damns. The upper Meadows are filled with wild-flowers like paintbrush, Wild Iris, Mountain Blue Bells and Marsh Marigold closer to the river. At Mile 6 you will reach the top of the meadows and a sign that directs you another 6 Miles to the Santa Barbara Divide. This is the turn around point for the hike. After a long and gradual climb of 1100 feet, you will now enjoy a gradual down hill all the way home to the car.
This is big and beautiful Alpine country offering the hiker much in the way of flora, fauna and scenic vistas. Remember that Hunting Season has started and it is good to make yourself visible to the other people using this wilderness area.
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