View Full Version : Socorro, NM hiking?
So I just found out that I'm being sent to Soccoro, NM the first week of February for work. Being from Kentucky I'm definitely not used to that kind of scenery. I'd love to do some hiking, but I'm not at all familiar with the area. Any suggestions?
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Great centralized town just a bit south of Albuerquerque to be for some awesome NM hiking. You have Gila NF not far including the Gila River/Hot Spring/Cliff Dwellings, Mogollon Mts/10k+ Whitewater Baldy, Diamond Peak, Black Range, Mimbres Mts, Magdalena Mts, Manzano Mts, 10K+ Sandia Crest, Cibola NF, etc etc Check out the Grand Enchantment Trail. It runs all through there. Great change of hiking scenery from what you're used to in Kentucky. I just spent 5 wks in AZ/NM hiking the GET and some areas in the spring followed up by hikes in OK/AR and then 4 wks in Kentucky on the Sheltowee Trace in the fall. Good diversity. Embrace the differences and you'll love the hiking there. I'd be envious if I wasn't going to be in Hawaii in Feb. Enjoy.
Thanks for the response. I believe I will be driving right through the GET when going south from Albuquerque.
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James GAME2009
01-20-2015, 23:30
I spent several months living just outside Socorro. There is some beautiful wilderness near there, much of which I explored. Head out of town up toward Datil. You will pass the Very Large Array (referred to locally as the VLA), which is worth a quick tourist stop. The movie Contact with Jodie Foster was shot partially there and it is an interesting place. Just past Datil you will get to Pie Town, which is directly on the CDT. Hiking is simple there.
If you're a rock climber, there is some fantastic climbing nearby at the Enchanted Tower. It's certainly the best sport climbing in New Mexico, and is a really fun and unique destination. The Socorro Box (box canyon) has decent trad climbing and bouldering.
There are many other interesting locales for hiking near Socorro and Datil. The wilderness is such that one can hike cross-country without trails and have a really fun adventure. Be aware that water sources can be extremely limited. Buy topographical maps and plan out a fun adventure. I really love the area and will return (although primarily to climb). Other things worth noting/paying attention to include the Old Timers Festival in Magdalena (between Socorro and Datil...just a short drive from Socorro), and that you will see more stars than almost anywhere else. The reason the VLA is there is that there is literally nothing out there as far as light pollution, and there are also very few radio signals.
garlic08
01-21-2015, 08:43
White Sands a couple hours south is pretty cool, too. The Bosque del Apache is very close to Socorro and has some good trails.
The CDT through Pie Town is basically a bunch of road walking, though Pie Town itself is interesting especially if you walk there and spend a day there camping in the park.