Camp May Road Route Photos

A squashed, homeless Casper the Friendly Ghost? Naw, it's just someone's security blanket tossed near the route. The route gets very trashy around any of the areas where people can drive in or drive by.


I used to go straight but now have to detour left around the fallen tree. This is next to the Ocean, a picnic area at the top of the first steep curve on Camp May Road. The Camp May Road Route is on Santa Fe National Forest land and travels in a thinned forest south of Camp May Road.


The route is marked with cairns - perhaps a bit overdone. Originally it was marked with both blue and orange plastic flagging.


On the south side of Camp May Road, the route passes two parking areas - one known locally as the Ocean and 4 dead end dirt roads. This golden grass area is near the second dead end road (the first turnoff past the Ocean). It's splendid in late afternoon when sunshine makes the grass glow golden.


A baby ponderosa growing on the route.


These aspens put on a brilliant show in the fall - especially when their golden leaves are backlit by the sun.


That's Guardrail Hill coming up. It doesn't look like much but it's steep! The route follows along the right side of the photo and then cuts across the top of the hillside.


Why did it take me several years to notice these twin widowmakers dangling above my head? I now go behind the tree, on the right.


This portion of the route runs alongside the guardrail on the south side of Camp May Road in a mechanically thinned forest. This tree fell in the last month. I now go around it on the left. The guardrail is there because the hill is steep here and this means the flattest path is near the guardrail and the road but at least it's off the shoulder-less Camp May Road with its speed racers.


This is at the left end of the fallen tree above. What flower is it? It's on a tall, skinny stem. The basal rosette of last year's leaves have a pinkish tinge. I'm wondering if the long skinny needle-like parts are seeds from last year. It's a mystery to me!


A short part of the route follows the abandoned remnant of a bike trail, complete with jumps made with logs and earthern ramps. The Camp May Road Route goes left here while the bike trail goes out to the intersection of FR2998 and Camp May Road.


The winds have been busy toppling a giant ponderosa pine over FR2998. Vehicles have already found a way around it. The distant view to the north is of the Pipeline Road area.


The turnoff to FR2998 is a little less than two miles up Camp May Road. The area surrounding it was burnt in the 2000 Cerro Grande Fire. This is the burned east side of Pajarito Mountain. The aspens transform the area into an unbelievably golden tapestry in the fall.


Click on this picture to enlarge it and see the orange plastic flagging (just off center, looking like tiny flames) that's marking part of the route of the 50 mile run that the High Altitude Athletic Club will hold May 17. This is the end point of the Camp May Road Route but you could continue on, following the flagging, and end up at the bottom of the Townsight Lift of Pajarito Mountain Ski Area. From there, you could follow bike trails all over the north face of Pajarito Mountain.


The Wooton's Senecio flowers have heeded God's command to be fruitful and multiply!