We reach the trailhead an hour after we begin our search.
We’ve backtracked by car and foot on the back roads of Elephant Butte Lake State Park.
We hiked nearly half a mile from a campground to a cliff overlooking the Fra Cristobal Mountains. Lovely, but not the trail.
We get back in the car yet again to start looking for a different trailhead. My even-tempered husband’s level of grouchiness is now approaching mine. Then he spots our destination: West Lakeshore Trail’s northern terminus, tucked in the opposite corner of the campground from where we were searching.
The trail snakes a neat, pristine rock line over mesas bushy with creosote. Except for the footsteps in the sand, it looks like the trail builders just finished yesterday.
We round a bend. The lake’s turquoise glints through a notch in the cliff. The trail winds over a ridge, then drops us into an arroyo. The creosote stands as tall as we do. Eight-foot yucca stalks loom.
We make the only visible creature movements on this treeless landscape. All others lie burrowed in the cool and dark. Sun rules the land. Occasionally, a lizard scrambles from one bush to another.
The sky hangs bright and cloudless. The air is so clear I’m sure I could reach out and touch the Fra Cristobals.
As we hike back, the other mountain ranges on the horizon slot themselves into my mental map. The San Mateos with their thumb of rock. The jagged Magdalenas, last week’s snow dusting the peaks.
Back at the trailhead, my husband cools off with a Santa Fe Pale Ale from the trunk.
I take a picture of a sign honoring the unseen occupant who rules this landscape.
Hike length: 3 miles, plus .75 miles out to the cliff
Difficulty: easy
Trail traffic: only one other human
Wildlife spotted/heard: lizards, raven
TIP: The South Monticello campground is gorgeous, quiet and clean and would be a great base for doing this hike at sunrise or sunset when it’s cooler. You could go as far as you wanted – the trail is 12 miles.
Woman Seeks Elevation 