New Mexico · Hiking

Viejo

5.5 mi
round trip
793 ft
climb
8,160 ft
high point
Out and back
route
May–Oct
best months

Is Viejo open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 2 alerts for Santa Fe National Forest.

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

Viejo is a hard hike of about 5.5 miles on the Espanola Ranger District of the Santa Fe National Forest in northern New Mexico, managed by the Forest Service. The trail is an out-and-back with a one-way climb of about 790 feet, from a low point of about 7,618 feet to a high of about 8,160 feet. The route is on natural surface, and bikes are allowed. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from the nearby Gascon weather station, at a similar elevation, show July highs around 76°F with lows near 47°F, while winter brings highs in the mid-40s and regular snow days from December through March. Several other hikes sit within a few miles, including Rio En Medio about a mile away and Capulin at about 2.2 miles. For an overnight stay, Aspen Basin campground is about 4 miles off and Big Tesuque is about 4.8 miles away.

Local outfitters

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

  • Best time to go · May–Oct

    Best time to visit Viejo

    Best months: May–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

      44° / 18°

      5 wet · 5 snow

    2. Feb

      45° / 20°

      5 wet · 5 snow

    3. Mar

      51° / 24°

      6 wet · 5 snow

    4. Apr

      57° / 29°

      6 wet · 3 snow

    5. May

      65° / 36°

      6 wet · 1 snow

    6. Jun

      75° / 43°

      7 wet

    7. Jul

      76° / 47°

      12 wet

    8. Aug

      74° / 46°

      12 wet

    9. Sep

      69° / 41°

      7 wet

    10. Oct

      61° / 32°

      5 wet · 1 snow

    11. Nov

      52° / 24°

      4 wet · 3 snow

    12. Dec

      44° / 18°

      4 wet · 4 snow

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Gascon, NM, 24.3 mi away at 8,250 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

Tesuque CreekPhoto: steveilott, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Tesuque Creek

~7 min drive

6.96-mile out-and-back trail in New Mexico with 2,987 ft elevation gain.

Winsor Trail (254)Photo: feverblue, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Winsor Trail (254)

~7 min drive

8.64-mile out-and-back trail in New Mexico with 3,063 ft elevation gain and loss.

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

Lower Nambe

~7 min drive

3.08-mile out-and-back trail in New Mexico with 160 ft elevation gain.

Windsor Trail (254)Photo: steveilott, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Windsor Trail (254)

~7 min drive

1.62-mile out-and-back trail in New Mexico with 388 ft elevation gain/loss

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

Ravens Ridge

~10 min drive

4.18-mile out-and-back trail in New Mexico with 1,815 ft elevation gain

Winsor Trail (254)Photo: Bryan Ungard from Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Winsor Trail (254)

~8 min drive

6.74-mile out-and-back trail in New Mexico with 3,252 ft elevation gain and loss.

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

Nambe Lake

~8 min drive

2.12-mile out-and-back trail to Nambe Lake in New Mexico with 993 ft gain.

Tesuque Creek Trail (152)Photo: feverblue, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Tesuque Creek Trail (152)

~8 min drive

0.80-mile out-and-back trail with 157 ft gain in New Mexico.

HIKE

Rio En Medio

~2 min drive

Strenuous canyon creek trail with significant elevation gain near Santa Fe.

HIKE

Capulin Trail (158)

~6 min drive

20.38-mile out-and-back trail in New Mexico with 4,708 ft elevation gain/loss.