New Mexico · Hiking

St. John's

St. John'sPhoto: BFS Man from Webster, TX, USA, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
1.3 mi
round trip
298 ft
climb
7,864 ft
high point
Out and back
route
Apr–Jun, Aug–Oct
best months

St. John's is an easy, out-and-back hike in New Mexico, about 2.5 miles from Santa Fe. It covers roughly 1.3 miles with a total elevation gain of about 298 feet, climbing from a low of 7,558 feet to a high of 7,864 feet. The trail is a natural-surface route that is open year-round and allows mountain bikes. Its short length makes it an easy fit for a quick outing close to town, and the surrounding area offers several other routes and trails within a short drive. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show highs around 73°F in May and 66°F in October, while July and August average highs near 86°F with about 11 wet days a month. That station sits roughly 860 feet lower than the hike's high point, so temperatures on the trail run cooler. Atalaya and the St John's Arroyo Trail both lie within half a mile, and the Atalaya Trail (170) is about half a mile away. Black Canyon (New) Campground, about 5.4 miles off, is the closest campground.

Local outfitters

Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.

  • Best time to go · Apr–Jun, Aug–Oct

    Best time to visit St. John's

    Best months: April–June and August–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

    1. Jan

      43° / 21°

      5 wet

    2. Feb

      47° / 23°

      5 wet

    3. Mar

      56° / 29°

      5 wet

    4. Apr

      63° / 34°

      4 wet

    5. May

      73° / 44°

      4 wet

    6. Jun

      84° / 54°

      6 wet

    7. Jul

      86° / 57°

      11 wet

    8. Aug

      83° / 56°

      11 wet

    9. Sep

      77° / 50°

      7 wet

    10. Oct

      66° / 39°

      6 wet

    11. Nov

      52° / 28°

      5 wet

    12. Dec

      42° / 21°

      6 wet

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Santa Fe Seton, NM, 4.9 mi away at 7,000 ft. The station sits about 900 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

AtalayaPhoto: Bryan Ungard from Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Atalaya

Next door

Atalaya is a 4.68-mile out-and-back trail in New Mexico with 1,745 feet of elevation gain.

St John's Arroyo TrailPhoto: Lars Plougmann, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

St John's Arroyo Trail

Next door

4.1-mile out-and-back trail in New Mexico with 534 ft elevation gain.

HIKE

Baldy

~6 min drive

12.60-mile out-and-back trail in New Mexico with 2,677 ft elevation gain.

HIKE

Sun Mountain Trail

~2 min drive

1.6-mile out-and-back trail in New Mexico with 849 ft gain and 7,925 ft max elevation.

Dorothy Stewart TrailPhoto: BFS Man from Webster, TX, USA, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Dorothy Stewart Trail

~1 min drive

1.08-mile out-and-back hike in New Mexico with 351 ft elevation gain

HIKE

Picacho Peak Trail

~2 min drive

1.75-mile out-and-back hike to Picacho Peak with 1,604 ft gain in New Mexico.

Bear Canyon TrailPhoto: Matt Lavin, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Bear Canyon Trail

~3 min drive

2.3-mile out-and-back hike in New Mexico with 803 ft gain/loss.

HIKE

South Summit Trail

~5 min drive

5.46-mile out-and-back trail in New Mexico with 1,266 ft elevation gain

Ann Nitze Hiking TrailPhoto: KathyKnorr - Santa Fe - New Mexico, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Ann Nitze Hiking Trail

~4 min drive

0.62-mile out-and-back hike with 212 ft elevation gain in New Mexico.

HIKE

Vespa Trail

~7 min drive

4.82-mile out-and-back trail in New Mexico with 1,047 ft elevation gain and loss.