Southern New Mexico Explorer
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A blog about exploring the natural areas of New Mexico focusing on but not limited to Dona Ana, Luna, Otero, Sierra, Grant, Lincoln,Socorro and Catron counties.
Southern New Mexico Explorer
12h ago
Angostura Arroyo tributary
Hackberry trees
Near the confluence of the tributary and the main arroyo.
Rough passage.
Angostura Arroyo
Conglomerate boulder
Looking down Angostura. Redhouse Mtn. in the distance.
Looking across Angostura to Sierra Alta
This rough little hike took two outings to complete my planned route. We had started it one afternoon a few months ago in early December, but didn't have enough daylight to finish. I went out solo in March to finish it off. The highlight of the ..read more
Southern New Mexico Explorer
1w ago
South Rocotillo
Apache Canyon
Robledo Mountains
gastropod fossils
Little Apache Canyon
brachiopod fossil
Rock fall in Little Apache Canyon
South and North Rocotillo Canyons
Picacho Peak
I needed to get out quickly before the predicted wind hit. My previous two hikes on this spring break to the Good Sight Mountains, and then the Florida Mountains, involved long drives. That wasn't going to do. I had been slightly intrigued by the narrow passage of Little Apache Canyo ..read more
Southern New Mexico Explorer
1M ago
Good Sight Mountains
Barrel cactus. West Potrillo Mountains in the distance
Pile of rocks in an alcove
Wall in the ravine
Florida Mountains in the distance
Nest in the cliff
Old juniper on north facing slope
Dry cascade I was able to walk up
Yucca that was at least 25 feet tall
Cooke's Peak in the distance
I guess I was determined to get out to the Good Sight Mountains at least once before the weather warmed up. I feel obligated, but I'm not totally ..read more
Southern New Mexico Explorer
1M ago
I have seen this arch from below, but I hadn't ever seen it from above. I had half-heartedly tried a couple of times to locate it on the ridge without success. A few weeks ago I had the rare opportunity to take my fellow adventurer Doug Scott on a hike here in my own home territory. We went out to Lichen Canyon (a tributary of Broad Canyon) to visit its little box section and 100 foot dry waterfall. I told our little group (Doug,Doug's son Talus, and friend Weston) about the arch. We hiked up out of the canyon and began wandering around the crags and towers that are perched 200 feet ..read more
Southern New Mexico Explorer
1M ago
Juniper
Sierro Kemado
Fence at left
Undercut layers
stone structure
Structure in center of photo
I'd been wanting to look at this area on the east end of Sierro Kemado for a while now. I took the opportunity a couple of weeks ago on President's Day. I parked across from the corral area on County Road E006 and began heading south after my first of many fence transits. I got a little off of my plan by heading too far south and had to circle back to look at a couple of canyons that intere ..read more
Southern New Mexico Explorer
2M ago
River of grass
Sierra de las Uvas in the distance
One of several rock dikes the canyon has cut through
Golden river
We hiked down Silva Canyon starting near the old blown out dam at Coyote Tank just off of the Corralitos Road. Silva Canyon starts out as a narrow defile cut into the bedrock higher up in the mountains, but where we were walking it is one of several wide " rivers" of grass in the Sierra de las Uvas. I'm assuming the high water table in these arroyos allows for these tall thickets of grass to flourish. It al ..read more
Southern New Mexico Explorer
3M ago
We did this little hike back on December 30th, 2024. It was a warm winter day (50 degrees) and the wind was mercifully light. I have scoped out many ruins sites within a reasonable trip from our cabin at Horse Mountain. Most are on private lands and are off limits but some, like this one, are on State Trust Lands and a few are on BLM and Forest Service lands as well. It was a bit muddy with the snow that had been falling earlier in the week now melting in the lowlands, but we got to our destination with little problem. I had read that this ..read more
Southern New Mexico Explorer
4M ago
Brilliant yellow lichen
My scotties think about getting a drink
This was another hike on the long branch (arm?, tail?) that extends south for several miles from the main body of the Sierra de las Uvas. It is sometimes referred to as Magdalena Ridge probably because of Magdalena Gap, a pass where the Butterfield Trail went through. We started at theApache Flats valley on the west side of the ridge near a windmill and cattle tank and began hiking up an old very un-maintained road. It was a little chilly at first but soon turned into ..read more
Southern New Mexico Explorer
4M ago
micro landscape shot
ammonite fossil
petrified wood
Moss in the very narrow stretch
December wildflowers
petrified wood
Iron ore rocks
Split Rock Canyon waterfall
Petrified wood
I did two hikes in the Robledos last week. Both used routes I've travelled often to get to some places that are new to me. The first one was in the canyons and mesas just to the northwest of Picacho Peak. The BLM has moved the entrance from the frontage road to the road that ..read more
Southern New Mexico Explorer
5M ago
There is an archway opening in the cliff here
Eagle Nest
Eagle Nest
Late blooming ocotillo
Eagle Nest
I visited the Butte Peaks and Eagle Nest in the far southeastern part of Luna County a couple of weeks ago. I've been wanting to visit these little mountains that rise very steeply from the desert plains and playas for awhile now, but until recently I had not really scoped out the best way to get out there. Well, I've got it figured out now and despite the face that I ended going all the way to Columbus, NM and then backtracking, the r ..read more