Pecos Wilderness

Holy Ghost Creek/Panchuela Creek

By Devon Fletcher

I fished the Pecos Wilderness twice in one year. On a very hot June day, I had the pleasure of fishing the Wilderness section of Holy Ghost Creek all by my lonesome. It was a perfect summer day of fishing. I caught over a dozen eager browns, all on attractor dries. Walking out, I passed a fisherman working the section in the campground and couldn't imagine that he was having the kind of day I just had. I dodged the potholes I hit on the way in, and drove back to Santa Fe all smiles.

In November I went to Panchuela Creek and caught nothing. The few actual opportunities I had, I squandered. On the way out, I saw a fisherman coming in from his day on the Pecos River. Curious, I quickly turned into the NMDGF parking area only to realize I was practically going over a cliff. I literally bounced my wife's Corolla down to the bottom!

I chatted awhile. His day was much better than mine.

I then turned to the daunting prospect of getting up the deeply rutted, STEEP entrance. My first attempt succeeded only in burning rubber. I retreated, banished the thought of getting towed out of there, and steeled myself for a second attempt. I carefully looked at my choices and determined that I needed to go to the left, balance on the high points of the ruts and somehow get my left front tire onto the grass to the side of the collapsed border between pavement and dirt. By some miracle it worked on the first try.

I gave abundant thanks and thought my good fortune in getting out of there was more than adequate repayment for my poor luck on the stream. I checked under the car for any obvious damage and saw nothing. I worried for awhile, but slowly came to realize we had emerged unscathed.

The next day there wasn't time for fishing, so I did a little 4 mile loop hike in the forest near Santa Fe. The trails were practically like highways compared to what I'm used in most parts of Gila. It was nice ,but I was about a month late for the fall color.

Note to fisherman: Holy Ghost Creek in the wilderness is very narrow, with abundant trees, shrubs and plants along the banks, so there’s not a lot of room for casting and you’ll need to stay out of the water.

There’s more room in the campground, but fewer fish and more fishermen. Panchuela is more open and wide enough for real casts in some places, but the fish were very spooky, so maybe it sees more pressure. Also you’ll need to pay a parking fee at both places. At Holy Ghost, you’ll need to park outside of the campground and walk in to fish, unless you are actually camping.

Devon Fletcher
http://southernnewmexicoexplorer.blogspot.com/

Jacks Creek
By Devon Fletcher

More properly, Northern NM-Sangre de Cristo & Pecos Wilderness.

We camped in Northern New Mexico twice this summer. In June we went to Jacks Creek, back on the southern edge of the Pecos Wilderness. It was still pretty cold: low sixties in the day, mid thirties at night. Our second day there it rained all day. Up on the peaks, they got several inches of snow.

We hiked the Cave Creek trail one day, and the old Windsor Creek trail another. I did some fishing in Jacks Creek, but without much success. We had fires every night. Played Spades with our friends Edan and Eric. We also ate absolutely gigantic green chile cheeseburgers at Bobcat Bite.All in all, it was a really nice trip.

In July we stayed at Black Canyon, the first Campground on the Ski Basin Road. It's only about seven miles to the plaza in Santa Fe. I'm pretty sure we were closer than my stepson who was staying at a motel on Cerrillos Rd., and we were only paying $10 bucks a night. It's a great way to see Santa Fe on the cheap, and the sites are reservable too.

Although the main reason for the visit was seeing my stepson and his girlfriend, who were in town, my wife and I also hiked to Nambe Lake and I caught a couple of nice trout in the Rio en Medio. I was surprised to find this nice little fishing stream so close to Santa Fe.There weren't a lot of fish, but I don't think it sees a lot of anglers either.

We all visited Bandelier on a hot and humid day. The Rio Frijoles was very low. We also visited a distillery in a house in a suburban subdivision outside of Los Alamos. Another great trip.

Devon Fletcher
http://southernnewmexicoexplorer.blogspot.com

The Pecos Wilderness outside of Santa Fe offers outdoor activities for all ages and abilities.

From casual afternoon strolls along established trails, to rigorous multi-day hiking ventures into the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, visitors pick how they enjoy this part of New Mexico’s beauty