Winsor National Recreation Trail

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Features Birding · Fall Colors · Lake · River/Creek · Swimming · Views · Wildflowers · Wildlife

A well-used trail.

The trailhead at Tesuque is a little hard to find the first time around. Turn off of Bishops Lodge Road (County Road 73A) onto County Road 72A, at a sign here that reads 'Big Tesuque Canyon'. Watch for the two small areas on the right identified as trail parking areas. Park here, and follow up the road to a pair of adobe pillars, and follow the trail across the stream and behind the residences to a dirt road. Turn left on the road, and then follow the trail east as it passes through more private land to the forest boundary which is about a half mile from the parking area.

Soon after entering the National Forest, the trail forks. The main trail is to your left. The fork to the right crosses Tesuque Creek, and then follows an old road, passes a junction with the little used Juan Trail #399 and eventually meets up with the main trail in about a mile. Continuing on the main trail, you'll pass through a lower elevation forest of pinyon pine and juniper, which will soon give way to ponderosa pine in the canyon bottom.

There are numerous stream crossings, and in about 3 miles you'll reach some nice meadows and the junction with Chamisa Trail #183 to the south. In another mile, you'll pass the junction with Bear Wallow Trail #182, and then a mile after that the junction with Borrego Trail #150. Many loops are possible with all of these trail junctions. For the next mile and a half the Winsor and Borrego trails share the the same tread, and the next trail junction is with Big Tesuque Trail #152. A half mile after this junction, the Winsor Trail will cross Forest Road 102, also called Pacheco Canyon Road.

Here the Winsor and Borrego Trail part company, the Borrego following down the road for a couple miles, and the Winsor continuing across the road to the northeast. The trail climbs through a pine forest with scattered aspen, and crosses several small side canyons with the occasional stream. The trail will bump against NM 475 at the Norski Trail #255 Trailhead, crossing the parking lot, and then descends into the mixed conifer forest again. Meeting the junction with the Rio en Medio Trail #163 to the west, the trail joins with Trail #163 and continues to the Ski Santa Fe parking lot, and Trailhead #10 on the Pecos Wilderness Map (2003 edition), at the end of NM 475.

From here, follow the highly used trail over the mountains to the village of Cowles.

Bighorn sheep, elk, mule deer, marmots and pikas.