Rim Vista Trail

New Mexico Outdoor

Roughing It In Luxury-Abiquiu, New Mexico 505.901.7321

Rim Vista Trail

It’s one of those glorious fall days in northern New Mexico

, just perfect to hit the trail. We spontaneously decide to hike Rim Vista in Carson National Forest. The trail-head is about 20 miles drive from our home in the middle of Red Rock Country and Ghost Ranch Valley near Abiquiu

. Our two red heelers Ruby and Weezer accompany us. They love to get out on the trail as much as we do and whenever we can, we them along:

To get to the trail-head we drive on Hwy 84 north and shortly after Piedra Lumbre Education Center we take a left on Forest Road 151. It’s the road that brings you also to the Monastery of Christ in the Desert and follows for the most part the very scenic Chama River, a popular spot for canoeing. To get to the trail-head of Rim Vista though, we only drive about 0.7 miles on FR 151 and then take a narrow dirt road going right, signed “Trail 15”

. From there it’s a short drive to the end of the road and the Rim Vista trail-head. The name already says it: Vista = Views galore right from the very start

The trail-head is marked and the actual trail is well-defined. Despite this fact we do not encounter anybody during our entire hike. It seems like the world is ours. The round trip hike is about 5 miles. The trail starts climbing almost immediately and it’s a steady climb, interrupted by some pretty flat stretches while on a small mesa or rim.

The trail is mostly rocky/sandy. Good hiking shoes are a must and even though we consider this hike easy to moderate, one should have a minimum of hiking experience to do the entire round trip hike. However even the less experienced hikers can enjoy spectacular views just about 15 minutes into the hike by reaching a little mesa, a perfect spot to have a nice pick-nick while taking in the breathtaking views and then turn back down.

We continue on the trail, which slowly wends its way uphill toward the cliff face to the north, passing through pinons and junipers. At this point we start to see old blue diamond trail signs. These blue diamond markers continue the entire length of the hike. We can’t help but to stop often and turn around to take in the beautiful views towards Abiquiu lake, Ghost Ranch valley and Cerro Pedernal

. Not only the beautiful views catch our attention but also a little black animal with long hairy legs who’s name starts with a T is out and about on the trail (video below).

A short distance from the top we hear two gunshots. Yes, October is hunting season in northern New Mexico. (So here is our tip: when you decide to go hiking in the fall, make sure to do your homework and inquire before with the Forest Service whether your planned hike goes through hunting territory.) Since we don’t feel like getting in the hunters’ way, we decide to turn around. We are almost at the top anyway, and the views can’t get any better than they already are.
The way back down is pure enjoyment with the most scenic views wherever we turn our heads.