It’s got a reputation as the king of the local day hikes. It’s long. It’s difficult. It’s steep. Making it to the summit is no small feat. But many Santa Feans shy away from Baldy for fear they can’t make it to the summit, and that the hike is somehow punishing. Monster mistake! Santa Fe Baldy is in fact about ten wonderful, amazing hikes rolled into one. There are scads of reasons to attempt it and if you can’t or don’t want to summit, to make a diversion along the way. Each is a worthy destination: Nambe Lake, Puerto Nambe, and the saddle a few hundred feet below the summit.
Reason 1: Gorgeous Nambe Lake
You’ll start at the Santa Fe ski basin and walk a series of switchbacks up to the gate to the Pecos Wilderness, about 600 feet above the trailhead. From there, you’ll stroll (and probably trip, because it’s rocky here) through a gorgeous aspen grove, across some flat terrain, and down the side of the slope. After a bit you’ll see a trail sign for “Elevator Shaft” on the left, clearly meant to be ignored.
About a mile farther down, you’ll see the sign for the trail to Nambe Lake, which is reason #1 to try Baldy: it’s simply the best bail-out hike on the planet. The streamside climb up to the lake is tricky and strenuous and the trail disappears a bit at times, but using a bit of common sense gets you up to the lake. It’s a fantastic reward.
On the upstream side of the lake (which lies at about 11,400 feet) you’ll see a talus slope and Lake Peak overhead. Spend time exploring the trail and head down the way you came, and you’ve just done a wonderful hike in about four and a half hours.
Reason 2: An alpine meadow called Puerto Nambe
Don’t need or want to bail at Nambe Lake? Stay on Windsor trail past the turn to the lake, and across a pair of streams. You’ll climb a few switchbacks to a trail junction about four and a half miles from the ski basin, and this’ll then open up to a remarkable and beautiful alpine meadow at about 11,000 feet, called Puerto Nambe. After having climbed along rather skinny aspen-, spruce-, and fir-lined trails, Puerto Nambe comes as a surprise, and it’s beautiful. There are often more than a few campers there, and it’s a gathering spot, a worthy destination in itself.
Reason 3: The Saddle
It’s important to take trail 251 (Skyline trail) at the Puerto Nambe junction. Now a bit of hard work begins, as you climb up a rather long series of switchbacks and reach a saddle, from which you’ll take in astounding views to the north (toward Colorado) and to back toward Deception, Lake, and Penitente peaks.
Baldy is set off a bit on its own from these and father north; the saddle bridges that gap. In my opinion, it’s the most beautiful and rewarding part of the hike. You’re approaching treeline, so the spruces and firs are smaller, the boulders striking, and the New Mexico sky immense. If summiting seems implausible at this point, head down. You will have done a wickedly nice hike.
Straight Up to The Summit
Still got it? Lungs not that angry? Strike for the summit. This section is steep, rough, and rocky. As is typical of trails near mountain summits, they diverge, become hard to see, and disappear in places, but the objective is obvious. You’ll have to stop briefly a few times to remain on good terms with your lungs, and it’s important here (and all along the trail) to stay very well hydrated. After an hour or an hour and a half, you’ll walk along a ridge with a view down to Lake Katherine.
Then you’ll reach the summit, with its clear views in every direction — and its ridiculously giant cairn. Enjoy a half hour or so at the summit before heading down the way you came, and depending upon your speed, you’ll reach your car anywhere from five to eight hours after you left. A caution: Alpine hikes like this one are best NOT attempted in rainy season when storms and lighting at the peaks are a possibility, so it’s best to wait ’til after monsoon season to give it a shot during the fall, before the early snows. The best trail book to consult is still (in my opinion) The Sierra Club’s “Day Hikes in the Santa Fe Area.”
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