With so many sunny days in Taos, many people continue to hike through the winter. If you do, you will enjoy some uniquely beautiful sights and will stay in shape and not have to regain fitness in the spring. Hiking is fun, so you are likely to continue doing it and a hike of an hour burns 300 -500 calories, depending on your weight. It is a great way to improve your overall strength and stamina.
Yerba Canyon (Trail 61)
Difficulty:Moderate along creek; more difficult to ridge and Lobo Peak.
The hike:Yerba Canyon Trail is the closest hike to town on the Ski Valley Road. Head up State Road 150 toward the Ski Valley. The trailhead is located just after mile marker 10.
The trail begins at 8200 feet and climbs to a ridge at 11,800 feet and Lobo Peak at 12,115 feet. The trail follows a creek and if you hike one to two hours up the trail, you will cross the creek as many as 16 times.
Right now, there are several inches of snow on the trail, so use caution and consider some of the special equipment listed in the accompanying story or consider hiking with a friend. Many parts of the creek are frozen over making it easier to cross.
However, use extra caution on warmer days and during the spring when the snow starts to melt and the water starts to rise. The hike may be more thrilling than you anticipated, if you step through the ice into a rushing stream.
You begin in a canyon with rock formations and hike into a wooded area with aspens and evergreens. Even in the winter, you might see some wild life, including a pair of large pheasant- like birds known as dusky grouse along with their chicks.
You will also see the tracks of other animals crossing the trail to get to the creek. Among the unusual features to look for on this trail are two wooden crosses nailed to a tree at creek crossing No. 4.
The snow provides a quiet, meditative mood and during this time of year, many trails are lightly traveled. When the wind blows, the snow often glitters off the trees into the air in a most magical way.
Although there is usually too much snow right now, if you continue up the trail after the 16th creek crossing, you will begin a climb up away from the creek. You can continue on another hour and a half or more to reach the ridge and an additional half hour to reach Lobo Peak.
It is 3.9 miles to the ridge and 4.3 miles to Lobo Peak.
Directions:From downtown, take Paseo del Pueblo Norte (US 64) to the intersection of US 64, State Road 522 and the Ski Valley Road. Turn right at the Ski Valley Road (State Road 150). Take this road through Arroyo Seco; bear left at the old school; look for the sign that says Ski Valley with an arrow pointing left. Continue up to just past miles marker 10. There is parking off to the right side; the trail is on the left.
Special equipment for winter hiking:The most important piece of equipment is a pair of waterproof boots. After hiking for years in the same boots, last year I bought a new pair of waterproof boots. Hiking is so much more comfortable and so much more fun when your feet are dry.
As you hike more, you may want to consider additional equipment to increase your enjoyment and safety, including:
- Gators, a pair of covers, usually waterproof, for your boots and lower legs to keep the snow out of your boots. - Yaktrax, a pair of coiled wire platforms to strap onto the bottom of your boots, to help with traction on icy sections of trail. - Poles, ski poles or specialized hiking poles that allow you to steady yourself and pull yourself up steeper sections of trail. Poles provide extra stability on creek crossings. - Snowshoes, webbed platforms that you strap on your boots that spread your weight evenly across heavy snow, allowing you to walk on top of the snow. Good for higher elevation hikes.
