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Where's the Trail in New Mexico?
The CDTS route is approximately 650 miles in
length in New Mexico. The designated route often tracks the Continental Divide
more closely, but it relies excessively on highways and roads and misses many
points of special scenic or historic interest. Apart from the section between
Ghost Ranch (on the Chama River) and Grants (on Interstate-40), there is very
little overlap between the CDTS route and the designated CDNST.
The segments, as described in Guide to the Continental
Divide Trail, are:
-
Carson National Forest
Segment. The
route follows the eastern perimeter of the Tierra Amarilla Grant and then
continues south to Ghost Ranch. It is mostly on jeep roads, with some short
cross-country portions. Water sources are infrequent. The Forest Service has not
yet designated portions of the route from the Colorado boundary to the Santa Fe National
Forest.
-
Santa Fe National Forest
Segment. The Forest Service is working actively to build new trails
that will remove the CDT from most of the existing jeep road locations. The San
Pedro Peaks Wilderness is the scenic and physical highpoint of the segment.
-
Piedra Lumbre Segment.
This is an isolated rolling section, on public lands administered by the
Bureau of Land Management. The New Mexico Mountain Club, in cooperation with BLM,
has done an outstanding job of marking an inviting trail location away from
roads. Water availability is a primary concern.
-
Mount Taylor Segment.
Most of the segment is in the Cibola National Forest, largely on primitive
roads. The CDTS route crosses the summit of Mount Taylor (11,301'), the highest
point on the trail in New Mexico. An official route has not been designated, but
it may involve a lower location to be constructed on
the western flanks of the mountain. Water sources are infrequent.
-
El
Malpais Segment. The CDTS route traverses a portion of the Cibola
National Forest, crosses the Malpais lava field, follows jeep road through the
El Malpais National Conservation Area, and continues to Pie Town by way of
county roads. A few windmills provide water.
-
Tularosa Mountains Segment.
The route, largely on secondary roads,
includes both forest and grassland settings. There are several springs as well
as occasional windmills.
-
Gila
Wilderness Segment. The CDTS route follows deep canyons along the Gila River
and its Middle Fork -- both with innumerable fords. Floods resulting from
snowmelt or storms might occasionally give rise to hazardous conditions. The
route passes the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument.
-
Mimbres
River Segment. The CDTS route follows an eastward course, on Gila
National Forest trails, to the Black Range.
-
Cookes
Range Segment. The CDTS route employs county roads and cross-country
travel on its way to the city of Deming. After leaving the Black Range, the
trail crosses open grazing land. The ruins of old Fort Cummings, where army
troops guarded the historic trail through Cookes Canyon, are of special
interest. Windmills are the primary source of water.
-
Florida
Mountains Segment. The CDTS route terminates at the Mexican boundary
near Columbus, New Mexico (a considerable distance east of the designated route
to the state's "bootheel"). It includes an optional trackless climb at the
southern end of the Florida Mountains, with opportunities to view introduced
ibex. Water sources are limited.
Maps
-
The designated route. (The
entire State. The northern New Mexico portion includes a route through the
Carson National Forest, as recommended by CDTS, but not yet officially selected.
The southern New Mexico portion reaches the Mexican border in the "bootheel.")
-
Southern
NM Map. (The CDTS route to the border at Columbus as well as the designated
route. This is the map that appears in the Guide to the Continental
Divide Trail.)
Click
here for Tom Bombaci's website
regarding the Trail in New Mexico. (It includes an index map showing coverage of
BLM and Forest Service maps, information about towns, and a great deal more
useful information.)
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