Still Digging, Not Blogging

I have plenty of plans to post summaries of this past summer's trail rehabilitation efforts here, but the ground isn't frozen and there is still tons of dirt to move in a productive way. I've also been trying out Everytrail, a mapping and trail sharing app on Android and iPhones. I'm hoping to find a way to link the Everytrail maps and trips to the official County website, but my employer still lacks a social media policy. So I'll try it here and see if it works.

Below is the new Water Canyon Trail completed last month from State Road 501 to Sawmill Meadow. If you haven't checked it out, go for a hike!

I’m on

bikeandhikenm
5 trips
see my profile

Recent trips by bikeandhikenm

Check out EveryTrail mobile travel guides

Valle Canyon Trail Ready for Boots and Bikes

Valle Canyon has long been one of my favorite local haunts. It has history (the road up the canyon has been used for at least 150 years), some running water, an impressive summer collection of wildflowers, and monster conifers to shade parts of the path. Running from New Mexico Highway 501 to the boundary of the Valles Caldera National Preserve, the trail/road also provides a modest challenge by gaining 1200 feet over 3.2 miles. On foot and on bike, I've traveled the length of the canyon maybe 50 times over the past 25 years.

The trip was severely altered on June 28, 2000. About 1.5 inches of rain fell on the upper watershed that 6 weeks before had been intensely burned by the Cerro Grande fire. In less that an hour, a section of trail was transformed into a 6-foot deep trench.

In July 2000, June Fabryka-Martin and Eric Peterson survey the damage brought by the June 2000 storm in the Valle Canyon Watershed

 But wait. It got worse.

Approximately the same spot of the 2000 photo above in May 2011, post-Las Conchas Fire

After a storm dumped more than 2 inches of rain in less than an hour on the watershed in August 2011, many sections of the old road were radically altered.

The old road covered by snowy rocks in November 2011. The trail followed the old road here.

To speed up the rehabilitation process, the Forest Service brought in a mini-bulldozer in April 2012. The first quarter mile of the old road was spared the dozer blade, leaving a rocky stretch, but the next half mile of the old road was restored with the dozer blade.

A mini-dozer called a Sweco graded the lower stretch of the Valle Canyon Trail in April 2011

Near the location of the erosion channel from 2000 pictured above, the dozer was stopped by steep terrain. It was time for old-fashioned trailbuilding with hand tools and the sweat of the young. The Forest Service Recreation staff--Lynn Bjorkland, Jennifer Sublette, and Miles Standish--joined me in the difficult task of laying out a bypass route around the doubly-entrenched erosion channel.We knew that in June, the Los Alamos Family YMCA Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) crew, a highly motivated group of young adults who had cut their teeth building trails for me on County Open Space, would be trained on trail building in burned area on this difficult stretch.

Lynn Bjorklund gracefully balances on a steep sideslope while laying out the Valle Canyon bypass route in May 2012.

Trail layout is a lot like sequencing words in a book. There's a rough draft followed by endless edits.When the YCC crew arrived, the crew leaders had their own version of the story, and the final route was a combination of the ideas of all the authors. We collectively settled on a trail that climbs the north side of the canyon wall for about 100 feet, stays above the erosion ditch and the cliffs that border it, then in 0.3 miles descends to the original road to continue up the canyon. The bypass of the erosion channel crosses a 45-degree slope. The beauty of working with such a skilled, dedicated trail crew is when all is decided, the leader says, "Build it," and through hours of hard work, it happens. 

The YMCA YCC crew was composed of 8 members from Los Alamos and 8 members from outside Los Alamos.  Over the past 4 years they have completed projects such as the Tent Rocks Trail, the Fireline Trail, and the Zipline Trail.

The bypass route was a difficult task, but the crew rose to the challenge and created a legacy project. The trail has two switchbacks to maintain an overall 5% grade as it ascends and descends the slope above the post-fire erosion channel.

The lower switchback on the bypass route

The trail corridor traverses a steep slope. The grades are reasonable, but there are several trees close to the trail that will be a problem for mountain bike riders.

Above the YCC crew's bypass route, the trail returns to its former route along the old road. Sections are washed out, overgrown, or rocky as they pass through the post-fire flood zone. But the entire route is open and easy to follow to the Valles Caldera fence. The uppermost half mile of trail is still intact.

Makeshift crossings, debris flow drainage cuts, and narrow trail treads mark the upper  1.5 miles of the Valle Canyon Trail.

Overall, the Valle Canyon Trail is back. It's still a great trip, moderate on foot and challenging on a bike. I counted 54 species of wildflowers in bloom this week, so it's a great season for exploring the canyon.


UPDATE, November 2012: After three intense summer/fall storms, the trail is holding up very well. Users are wearing in the tread and the trip up the canyon is less rough than it was right after it was rebuilt. In late October, a group of mountain bike riders improved the upper switchback by moving heavy rocks and increasing the turn radius. It's pretty sweet now.

Cañon de Valle Trail at EveryTrail

EveryTrail - Find the best Hiking in New Mexico

Post-Las Conchas Trail Rehab Underway

'Tis the season: I've got six trail projects going right now. At work, the focus is on some of the trails that have been pounded during the almost-full-year closure of the Santa Fe National Forest around town. Check out the work of the Family YMCA's Youth Environmental Service Corps along the Perimeter Trail and a soon-to-be-opened reroute on the East Fork Trail behind the golf course.

Off-hours, lots of us are concentrating on stabilizing trails in the Las Conchas Fire burn scar and in the canyons affected by floods. Last night, 10 of us worked in Pajarito Canyon to re-establish the trail and provide some water control before the rains come.

We'll need another half-day work session to finish the entire Pajarito Canyon/Nail Trail loop. That is if we can get 15 to 20 volunteers. Here are the details:

When: Saturday June 23, 2012 8:30 AM to 1 PM
Where: Pajarito Canyon Trailhead (see map below)
Plan: Hike in about one mile and work the eroded side slope section before the entire trail washes away
What to Wear: Sturdy shoes, long pants, safety or sun glasses, long-sleeved shirt, work gloves
What to Bring: water, food, sunscreen
Tools and hard hats will be provided

Hope to see you there!


View Larger Map

Santa Fe National Forest Opens Trails in the Los Alamos Area

Trails Update, June 5, 2012


All trails on the Los Alamos County Trail Network are open.


Most trails on Bandelier National Monument, including trails in the backcountry, are open. The Falls Trail below Upper Falls on Frijoles Creek is completely washed away


Access to Bandelier via Forest Road 289 and other roads on the Santa Fe National Forest is closed to motorized vehicles


All trails and areas on the Española Ranger District are open. This is basically the eastern side of the Valles Caldera rim and includes:



Pajarito Canyon



Cañon de Valle



Water Canyon



Upper Pipeline Road

 Upper Guaje Ridge Trail



Guaje Canyon and trails north of the canyon



Many of the trails are severely eroded and trail users should use caution in the burned area.

Drying Out: Most Trails Are 95% Mud and Ice Free

As the trails dry out, it's time to start a new season of maintenance work. I cleaned the water diversions on the Perimeter Trail between Quemazon and the Mitchell Trail, and the entire stretch was dry. It looks like trails on north-facing slopes (like the Bayo Canyon Trail that heads from the stable area into the canyon) are still snow-packed, but sunny bench trails and south-facing slopes are in good shape. The Perimeter behind Arizona Avenue has lots of soft, muddy spots. But the Quemazon, Woodland, North Bayo Bench, Walnut Canyon Rim, Dot Grant, the South Pueblo Bench trails are mostly dry.

One thing I've noticed is lots of spots where the trails have gotten wider over the winter. In places the Perimeter Trail looks like Forest Road 144 instead of a sweet single track. We need to get these narrowed back to trail width before the trailside vegetation gets trampled to death and the trail does become as wide as a road.

There's plenty of stuff along the trails that can be used to cover the wide spots: logs, oak sprouts cut by Las Canyon fire crews, bark, rocks. If we all take five minutes out of every trip to squeeze a wide spot back to 24 inches or so, we'll get it done before there's permanent damage. I'll post photos of what I have in mind as soon as I get a chance.

50 Hikes: The Classic Returns in 2012

"Many years ago, Frances Arnold, Carol Carlson, and Maxine Ellis created a 50 Hikes trail list for friends who wanted to explore our beautiful mesas, canyons, and mountains.  The Santa Fe National Forest later adopted the list as a convenience for visitors.  Despite subsequent publication of a number of hiking books for the area, the list still serves its purpose as a quick introduction to the east side of the Jemez Mountains. "---from the introduction.

This little handout guide is a popular item at the Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce and is routinely given to new arrivals to town. The tireless Dorothy Hoard revised the guide for at least 20 years, and she and I just completed a 2012 revision. Of course, in the post-Las Conchas fire world, some of the trail descriptions are a bit fuzzy (what will be the fate of the Water Canyon Trail?) but overall the short descriptions are up-to-date.

You can go to the Chamber to pick it up, or download a copy by clicking the link below:

50 Hikes in Los Alamos

Ice and Mud

Most of the trails in and around Los Alamos are snowpacked, icy, and muddy. Using traction devices that attach to shoes are a great way to enjoy a safe trip until the spring thaw. I use STABILicers and they are great, but they tend to fall off my boots once every three miles or so. The $49 model has an extra strap and might be worth the added $20!

As spring approaches, be aware that strong winds can topple live trees along trails. The late January windstorm that produced gusts up to 72 mph blew down at least 18 trees that fell across trails. Be especially aware that trees recently killed during the Las Conchas fire are particularly vulnerable to windthrow. Avoid trails in the burned area when the wind is strong enough to make you hold onto your hat.

Trail users need to be particularly sensitive to their potential impact on trails this time of year. Staying on the trail, no matter how icy or muddy, helps prevent inadvertent widening of the trail or damage to the trail corridor. Here's the International Mountain Bike Association's Rules of the Trail Number 2:

Leave No Trace: Be sensitive to the dirt beneath you. Wet and muddy trails are more vulnerable to damage than dry ones. When the trail is soft, consider other riding options. This also means staying on existing trails and not creating new ones. Don't cut switchbacks. Be sure to pack out at least as much as you pack in.

This applies to all trail users, not just mountain bike riders. It's a tough rule to follow, but it helps reduce the amount of trail maintenance come spring.