Cowboy
- 1.6 mi
- round trip
- 505 ft
- climb
- 10,142 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
Is Cowboy open right now?
Alert in the area
The Forest Service lists an alert for Magdalena Ranger District.
Magdalena Ranger District Bear Trap Campground Closure Order #03-03-03-26-01
Agency alert covering Magdalena Ranger District · Order 03-03-03-26-01 · USFS · Magdalena Ranger District
As of · Source: USFS · Magdalena Ranger District. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Cowboy is an easy hike of about 1.6 miles in the Apache Kid Wilderness, part of the Magdalena Ranger District of Cibola National Forest in New Mexico. The Forest Service manages the land, and the trail is a short out-and-back with a one-way climb of about 505 feet, from a low point of roughly 9,615 feet to a high of about 10,142 feet. The trail is natural-surfaced and allows horses, so it works well for riders. Bikes are not permitted. For more time on foot, Milo Trail #349 lies about a mile away, and Nave and Apache Kid are both within about 2 miles. Climbers can find Upper Park about 7 miles off.
Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive
Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Chimney
~31 min drive
2.39-mile out-and-back trail in New Mexico with 1,398 ft elevation gain.
Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Potato Canyon
~33 min drive
11.46-mile out-and-back trail in New Mexico with 640 ft elevation gain.
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Milo Trail #349
~2 min drive
0.68-mile out-and-back trail in New Mexico with 347 ft elevation gain
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Burma Road
~12 min drive
13.27-mile out-and-back trail in New Mexico with 2,831 ft elevation gain.
Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Monica
~35 min drive
Monica is a 3.68-mile out-and-back trail in New Mexico with 334 feet of elevation gain.
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Apache Kid
~3 min drive
24.44-mile out-and-back trail in New Mexico with 4,029 ft elevation gain.
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Nave
~3 min drive
2.83-mile out-and-back trail in New Mexico with 1,166 ft elevation gain.
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Grand Enchantment Trail
~12 min drive
15.57-mile out-and-back hike in New Mexico with 2,790 ft elevation gain.
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Maverick Trail
~7 min drive
0.92-mile out-and-back hike with 1,268 ft gain in New Mexico.
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Smith
~5 min drive
8.20-mile out-and-back trail in New Mexico with 3,196 ft gain
Route details
- Distance
- 1.6 mi round trip
- Climbing
- About 505 ft
- Summit
- 10,148 ft
- Difficulty
- Easy
Season
Season: Year-round.
Questions about this route
How long is the Cowboy on San Mateo Peak?
About 1.6 mi round trip.
How much elevation gain is on the Cowboy?
About 505 ft of climbing round trip.
How hard is the Cowboy?
It is rated easy.
When is the best time for the Cowboy?
Year-round.
Conditions and forecast on San Mateo Peak
Daily highs and lows, wind and the chance of precipitation at the summit and route start for the next 7 days, from the Open-Meteo model.
