Rincon del Cuervo

New Mexico Outdoor

Roughing It In Luxury-Abiquiu, New Mexico 505.901.7321

Rincon del Cuervo

We live on a mesa at about 6,300 ft perhaps 400 ft above the Chama River Valley in North Central New Mexico..between..but to the West of Santa Fe and Taos.

A few hundred yards to the East..we have an Arroyo (Canyon) ..that we call Endless Arroyos because it's 7 miles wide and about 10 miles long ..and full of thousand of dry washes ..buttes ..and a few ATV trails. Vary rarely ..you'd run into anyone else in this vast backpacking area. We haven't! Download Garmin Route after this Trail Report on this page.

We wanted to hike ..North ..and up to a peak..which we can see from home ..that's about 6,900ft and perhaps 4-5 miles. We call it Rincon del Cuervo Peak. We see only the very top of the peak from our place.

We took the dogs..and it on the "leeward" side of our mesa..and down in the canyon..it can get toasty, even in Winter. The dogs got thirsty..found a patch of snow..and were hydrating with it.

Following the rim of the canyon a couple miles..we then began to bushwhack..line of site and up the peak. I wanted to way point an ATV Trail for possible return route.

Gabriela taken looking back toward our place:

We had to scramble up some sand and rocks to the peak ..perhaps 400 ft higher than our place but at least 800-1000 ft above the canyon bottom.

Once on the peak..it's very prominent in the area..and the views to Santa Fe-Truchas Sangre de Cristos:

Back toward our place:

Are Amazing! Gabriela built a small cairn to mark our presence.

We did find that the ATV Trail Leads directly there..so this Hike can be Moderate using it, or difficult bushwacking thru the arroyos and dry washes keeping the peak "line of site".

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UPDATE (The Bottoms)-

Rincon del Cuervo-Rincon - A canyon only 750 yrds to our East is a micro climate! When it's 35-40 here..it can easily be 60 in the "bottoms". At the North end of this 5 mi by 9 mile "Endless Arroyos" ..is a Peak about 700 ft above our mesa we call Rincon Peak that we hiked again..but thru "The Bottoms"(below again..the summit from our place:

From Up On The Canyon Rim Down To The Bottoms:

Once Down in the Bottoms it's nice and balmy 60-ish:

Endless Dry Washes With Caves (coyote dens) to hunker down & slots to hunker down (but watch for flash floods):

Plenty of Dry Wood for Campfire!..BUT Cliffs/Crevasses Just HAPPEN...Be Careful:

Scenery Spectacular:

CliffFaces Awesome..and Up There Was Our Last "Rim" Hike:

And Once Atop Rincon Peak..some 800 ft above "The Bottoms" from last hike:

And looking back to our mesa..about 10 mile total loop. Trail=Easy Bushwhacking The Canyon=Difficult!

Where you been hiking recently? Dan

The Rincon del Cuervo Rim Trail is easy but moderate if you count the there and back mileage (8 1/2-9 miles). This Route, while normally..I'd advise is a good very good faith line drawing on a map ..but this Route was drawn from a Track (exact footprints!)..so it's very accurate to "Rincon Peak". Where the Route ends and the peak waypoint Cuervo R is...it's line of sight and only a few hundreds yards!

Download Route From NMO to Rincon Peak on the Rim Trail

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Also See:

Vista de Pedernal