Hiking in the Southwest

Hey all,

I'm looking for the best places to go hiking or "touristing" in the southwestern USA. Anywhere in the general area is fair game. I'm currently trying to make a list of good spots to visit as the fiance-to-be and I might want to make that a part of the honeymoon. Where are your best spots? The more obscure/less traveled the better!

There is Grand Canyon, everybody should see the big hole in the ground at least once. Riding a donkey from the rim to the bottom was pretty cool and the colorado river has some great whitewater rafting opportunities. There are also many mountains in that area if you like mountain climbing.

Canyonlands National Park and Arches National Park, both near Moab UT.

You can 'base' yourselves in Moab or Sedona and have myriad outdoor opportunities at each area, plus nice hotel, restaurant options. You did not mention season...October is great at both. Avoid summer heat in August September. Or, Tucson is nice in November. Overall, there are few 'untraveled' 'nice' spots in the SW anymore, but the crowds are certainly less in the Fall. Congrats and enjoy!

The only spot I've been in the Southwest is Albuquerque, NM. I loved hiking the La Luz trail (nearly) to Sandia Crest. I was there in March, so morning temps were in the 30s and afternoon in the low 70s. There was still hip deep snow to posthole through near the crest. Not sure what the conditions would be when you go. There are also plenty of other hiking and recreational opportunities. You can day trip to Santa Fe. It is a place I'd love to get back to.

Santa Fe area. Also, Lincoln County and town of Lincoln in SE New Mexico. Site of the escapades of William Bonney (or Kid Antrim) also known as Billy the Kid during the Lincoln County War and its aftermath.

Grand Canyon or Sedona. Not saying other places aren't as beautiful but those are my picks in AZ. Sedona also has nice hotels, jeep tours, helicopter tours, resorts , nice restaurants in case you want to do more than just hike.

I generally hike at South Mountain, which is an amazing place...I believe it is the largest municipal park in the country, if not the world

You want off the beaten trail. Head for Canyon De Chelly. IMO the most beautiful canyon there is. I am biased though. I grew up not to far from there. Chaco Canyon. There are lots of places. If you give me more details regarding time and what you want then I can point you in some other directions.

The Grand Canyon, I agree, is a must see. Sedona = Tourist and over hyped. A recent fire pretty much destroyed Oak Creek Canyon.

Another local az spot is the in the superstitions Peralta trail. Not as challenging as others but very scenic especially during the spring when the desert flowers bloom

Thanks for all the suggestions! As to when, this is pretty far off (we're talking a year at least), but I wanted a general idea of some good spots! I remember going to Sedona as a kid, and the Grand Canyon too, but they're definitely going back on the list, as it's been quite some time and I love the colors of those rocks!

A word to the wise. Keep in mind that much of the southwest is over a mile above sea level, even the cities. Santa Fe is about 7000 feet up, and the mountains go up from there. Myself and several scouts thought for a while that we might have to haul a man out of Lake Katherine over a 10,000 foot pass because he passed out while just standing, talking to us. He was a flat lander, from NYC, IIRC.

Just be sure that your lungs are up to whatever trail you choose.

Big Bend National Park in Texas is awesome. I've heard it described at the least visited NP in the lower 48. Desert mountain environment. Beautiful, open desert landscapes. You can even do a side trip to Boquillas, Mexico. It was an informal border crossing before 9/11, then it was shut down. It opened back up a few years ago. It's probably the smallest border town on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Most folks hike in the Chisos Mountains where the elevation is the greatest and it's cooler. I've mainly hiked in the SE part of the park in the Deadhorse Mountains. The Marufo Vega trail goes up in the DH Mountains and then down to the Rio Grande River. Absolutely beautiful. I've done a two night trip on the trail and we only saw one other couple.

You have to pack all your water though which will weigh your pack down. Also, late Fall and early Spring is the best time to go as Summer temps can be brutal.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Texas also the state highpoint, Lincoln National Forest around Cloudcroft and Ruidoso NM, Wheeler Peak which is the state highpoint of NM, Pecos Wilderness, Gila Wilderness in NM, or head to Flagstaff AZ and take on Humphreys Peak which is the state highpoint for Arizona. I'm hiking it in October. Have fun.

Hiking in Pecos Wilderness


More Pecos Wilderness


White Mountain Wilderness


More White Mountain Wilderness

Palo Duro Canyon south of Canyon, Texas (that's our neighbor just south of here; Amarillo).

I really liked the Tent Rocks National Monument in between Santa Fe and Albuquerque. It's a ways off the beaten path, but has great and unique scenery.

+1 on Big Bend and Palo Duro. Also, the Franklin Mountains are just north of Big Bend and Caprock is near Palo Duro. Both are worth the extra trip if you find yourself at either Big Bend or Palo Duro.

If you do grand Canyon, can't recommend the north rim enough. Gorgeous, out of the way, and cooler (temp) than the south rim. LOTS of opportunities in NM, Santa fe, Pecos, Southern Colorado has a lot of accessible high peaks to scale

I know it's not what you think of, but i lived in Vegas for a little while, and there's some great hikes around there. I'm not really a gambling guy, and when you live there, you can't afford to go to shows all the time, so i went hiking. All the time. Anyway, lots of good stuff, including some out-of-the wa hikes, even for other Vegas outdoorsy types.