Las Conchas Canyon: A Pretty Canyon in the Jemez Mountains, New Mexico

In Ski Touring in Northern New Mexico, Second Edition, by Sam Beard, there is a section on the Peralta Ski Touring Area that mentions Las Conchas Canyon Trail. Beard writes "Seldom skied, this trail leads southeast past old beaver dams and up a short steep canyon with several meadows to the south end of Calzada Trail at the junction of Peralta Canyon Road (Route 280) and Route 282. Beard says the canyon is 1.3 miles one-way, and goes from 8480' to 9192'. Beard calls it a former hiking trail. I found it on the south side of NM4, approximately .8 miles west of Corral Canyon Trailhead. (Corral Canyon is 12 miles from the intersection of NM4 and NM 501, according to the booklet 50 Hikes in the Los Alamos Area, available at the Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce.) There is a large parking pullout on the north side of NM4, just east of Las Conchas Canyon.

I had to go under a very well-maintained barbed wire fence to get into Las Conchas Canyon. Maybe I'm missing an easier way in. I'll look more carefully next time I visit. Seems since this is public land that a less dangerous way to get into the canyon should be provided.

I spooked myself in one of the wooded sections. Noticing fresh pee in the dirt, I alerted and looked around for animals. Imagine my shock and horror when I saw through the trees a small, underfed bear nosing around on the forest floor. Then, horror upon horror, I saw a larger but equally skinny bear and here I was in a narrow canyon, alone with a mother bear and her cub!! Forcing myself to look more closely, I was relieved to realize they were only a mother and daughter deer!!


I'm not sure what this piece of concrete with the hole in the middle is but it looks like it could have been a cover for a spring. This concrete monstrosity is located near the beginning of the canyon. The USGS Redondo Peak topo map shows a spring about a half mile up Las Conchas Canyon.


Grazing fence, with gate, crosses the canyon. Gate was closed so I left it closed - the law of the West!!


A pretty view north (down canyon). Las Conchas Canyon is in Santa Fe National Forest, the Jemez Ranger District. It's within the topographic Valles Caldera, beneath the caldera's south rim, but is not part of the more famous public land, Valles Caldera National Preserve, much of which is ironically temporarily closed to the public.


A broader portion of Las Conchas Canyon that has a view of the top of South Mountain, 9795', one of the ring fracture domes of the Valles Caldera, located in Valles Caldera National Preserve.


I was walking along, peaceably minding my own business, when I was suddenly stunned to see this enormous felsenmeer rising above me. Believe me, if you are standing at the base of it, it positively towers over you!! It is on the west side of the 9360' unnamed peak that's tucked between Corral and Las Conchas Canyons.


It surprised me that the canyon was so clear but I saw no evidence of recent clearing until well into the hike when I saw this recently cut log. I'm glad that someone is watching out for the trail.


The trail was of stone and dirt and very walkable. Later I did encounter some deadfall but that may be because I lost the trail. I'll have to go back to try to find the trail better where I blundered through the deadfall. It was fairly near to where Las Conchas Canyon Trail intersected the Calzada Trail.


The trail went alternately through meadows and woods. There were several pretty meadows like this one. I can envision coming here for a picnic one day and staying to enjoy the canyon instead of just passing through.


The map has the Las Conchas Canyon waypoints showing my path through the canyon. 001 is the wide turnout off NM4 where I parked. 002 is the mouth of Las Conchas Canyon. 004 is a meadow. 005 is at the stupendous felsenmeer. 006 could be the meadow where the Las Conchas Canyon Trail split and I took the left fork, saving the right fork for another day's adventure! CALZAD is where the Las Conchas Canyon Trail meets the Calzada blue diamond cross country ski trail. 007 is where the Calzada Trail meets Peralta Road.