McKittrick Canyon is known as the most beautiful place in Texas during the fall. Last year, we tried to do it but were met with a full parking lot with several hour wait. Blah blah.
DISTANCE is ~15 mi round-trip, out and back or loop.
ELEVATION GAIN is ~5500 ft gained. May be more because of ups/downs.
FEES: None. Of course, if you carpool, please compensate your driver for gas!
DURATION: All day. All weekend. Finish by early afternoon.
PET FRIENDLY? Yes. Bring a muzzle (you shouldn't be need to be told to bring a leash).
SKILL LEVEL is NOT beginner friendly. No whiners!
TERRAIN includes inches-deep streams, rock wall climbing, climbing from high desert to alpine forest to exposed mountain tundra. Please bring appropriate gear.
WEATHER may include thunderstorms. Will be cold & windy on ridgeline.
AFTERWARDS we may stop by Pepper Pot (Hatch, NM). Cash only.
MEET for carpool at:
- Las Cruces: 6:40 am, east of NMSU's Pan Am Center. See map (OpenStreetMap or Google Maps).
- Las Cruces: 7:30 am, K-Mart parking lot on North Main/US 70 and Del Rey, near Shell. See map (OpenStreetMap or Google Maps).
- Las Cruces: 7:30 am, in/outside Milagro's Coffee at Pan Am Plaza. See map (OpenStreetMap or Google Maps).
- El Paso: 7:00 am, I-10 and Transmountain Road Shell. Meet and park at the gravel parking lot to the west of the gas station. See map (OpenStreetMap or Google Maps). Note: your organizer is not meeting here, please self-organize!
- El Paso: 6:45 pm, Walmart at Transmountain/US 54 at the west-most parking lot towards US 54. See map (Google Maps). Note: your organizer is not meeting here, please self-organize!
- Cloudcroft: 9:00 am, Mountaintop Mercantile. See map (OpenStreetMap or Google Maps).
- Sierra del Cristo Rey: 6:00 am, bottom of the mountain See map (OpenStreetMap or Google) or instructions below.
- Ruidoso: 9:00 am, Ruidoso Downs Walmart parking lot, northwest corner, on US 70. See map (OpenStreetMap or Google Maps). Ruidoso Downs is a mile or two west of Ruidoso on US 70, and the Walmart turn-off has a traffic light—you can't miss it.
MORE information:
- Resource one
- Resource two
