East of Santa Fe, in the Santa Fe National Forest, the Pecos Wilderness encompasses the high country that feeds the headwaters of the Pecos River. Our first trip to the Wilderness in Spring 2011 was a scouting mission to familiarize ourselves with the area. With the high peaks of the Sangre de Cristo mountains still under partial snowcover, we stuck to the lower mesas and canyons for this initial exploration, but immediately began plotting future trips to the high alpine lakes and craggy ridges.
Photos from an overnight trip from Iron Gate Campground to Hamilton Mesa, Beatty Flats, Pecos Falls and Rio Valdez.
