Hike Leader: Corey Norman
Hike Date: March 7, 2021
Hike Distance: 7.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 1100 feet
The Little San Pascual Mountains are part of the the Little San Pascual Wilderness Unit, one of three units within the greater Bosque del Apache Wilderness (the other two being Chupadera and Indian Wells). With so little information on the area, Corey Norman and members went out to do some exploring and see just what the area was like. (All used photos from Corey)
If you’ve ever gone to Bosque del Apache to look at the wildlife, at some point along your visit you may have noticed some low mountains off to the southeast. These mountains are the Little San Pascual Mountains, the central feature of the Little San Pascual Wilderness Unit, and the eastern boundary of the Bosque del Apache Wilderness. I have always been curious about these mountains, so I figured it would be a fun day to head out and see just what lies within these boundaries.
We started the day at the end of a long road on the north end of the Antelope WSA. From here we headed toward the river to investigate a potential ruin, which we didn’t locate. We did find petroglyphs within the wilderness boundary, but exactly where will have to be left to your imagination.
After enough poking around down low, and a pleasant snack break with great views of our next objective, we started hiking up the mountain. These mountains felt very similar in character to the Caballo Mountains down south, but far less dramatic. Nevertheless, the rock is interesting and the views only get better the higher you go. Once gaining the crest, the going was relatively “easy” to get to the high point of the mountains. There were a couple sections of steep uphill, but they were short and separated by some pleasant and level hiking.
After signing the summit register, those of us who wished too anyways, we hiked over to the peak with the benchmarks just to the south, which provided us with spectacular views! It was fun to identify the Bosque del Apache lakes, the San Mateo Mountains, the Fra Cristobal Range, and the Jornada del Muerto lava fields all from our lunch perch.
After finishing, we descended down to the east via a combination of ridges and canyons. Prior to dropping in to the last canyon, we found a nice tiny rock window in the limestone, JUUUUST big enough to fit myself through. Once down low, we hiked to a series of hogbacks on the eastern side of the mountains. We followed these, crossed the fence back into the Antelope WSA, and followed game trails back to the cars.
These are definitely not dramatic mountains, especially when comparing them to any of the mountain ranges you can see off in the distance from the peak. However, the geology, solitude, and views make it a worthwhile place to explore. A wonderful day out exploring with the New Mexico Mountain Club!