New Mexico · Hiking · Columbine-Hondo Wilderness · Near Arroyo Seco

Cow Lake

6.4 mi
round trip
1,532 ft
climb
11,327 ft
high point
Out and back
route

Is Cow Lake open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 2 alerts for Carson National Forest.

As of · Source: USFS · Carson National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Cow Lake is a hard hike in the Columbine-Hondo Wilderness, part of the Carson National Forest's Questa Ranger District in northern New Mexico. The trail is an out-and-back that climbs from about 10,000 feet to a high point of 11,327 feet, with a total elevation gain of 1,532 feet over a round trip of about 6.4 miles. The Forest Service manages the land, and the route is natural-surfaced and open to horses. The trail is open from March 15 to November 15, and it is not open to bikes. The climb is steep, so plan for a full day on foot. Dry Fork and Gavilan Canyon are both within a mile of the trail. Columbine and Twining campgrounds sit about 3.8 miles away, and Goose Lake Fishing is about 3.2 miles off.

Around this trail

Add any of these when you start a trip
  • Sleep close

    Italianos

    Campground

    Campground · 2.9 mi from the trail
  • Eat after

    Amizette Inn & Restaurant

    Restaurant

    On your way back · 3 mi
  • If it rainsKhlnmusa, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

    Harwood Museum of Art

    Museum

    Museum · 16 mi from Arroyo Seco

Places © OpenStreetMap contributors · Photos: Khlnmusa, CC BY-SA 3.0 (commons)

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