Guided Day Hikes
Get out of town! Hiking rejuvenates and restores, and lets you see a different side of New Mexico. With a variety of terrain and elevations, hiking is a year-round activity here.
It's your choice: private hiking tours may be leisurely and educational, or energetic treks to surrounding peaks. Choose easier trails, or more rugged and remote areas. Trail time (exclusive of travel) may vary from 2 - 6 hours for adventures ranging from half-day jaunts to full-day tours. Even a short walk can give you lots of information that you won't get from a guidebook or likely see on your own.
Your Outspire hiking guide will work with you to plan the perfect hiking tour for your interests and needs. With Outspire, you dictate the pace. We take care of all the details, so you you don't have to worry about schedules or equipment. We'll provide the use of a day pack stocked with water, rain poncho, and adjustable trekking poles. Your hiking guide will carry maps, snacks, and emergency supplies. Hikers need only bring appropriate clothing, sturdy shoes, and a desire for fun!
It's your choice: private hiking tours may be leisurely and educational, or energetic treks to surrounding peaks. Choose easier trails, or more rugged and remote areas. Trail time (exclusive of travel) may vary from 2 - 6 hours for adventures ranging from half-day jaunts to full-day tours. Even a short walk can give you lots of information that you won't get from a guidebook or likely see on your own.
Your Outspire hiking guide will work with you to plan the perfect hiking tour for your interests and needs. With Outspire, you dictate the pace. We take care of all the details, so you you don't have to worry about schedules or equipment. We'll provide the use of a day pack stocked with water, rain poncho, and adjustable trekking poles. Your hiking guide will carry maps, snacks, and emergency supplies. Hikers need only bring appropriate clothing, sturdy shoes, and a desire for fun!
Rocky Mountain Hikes and Fall Color Hikes - Summer and Fall
Santa Fe spreads its low adobe walls at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the southernmost range of the Rocky Mountains. Cool and green in summer, and bright with aspen in fall, the mountains beckon hikers to explore.
The densely wooded ridges and canyons of these western slopes are laced with trails that can be reached with short drives of only 20 to 30 minutes. And the scenery is a glorious mix of conifer forest, aspen groves, and beautiful meadows dotted with wildflowers. In autumn the great aspen forest of Big Tesuque and Aspen Basin glows with golden light.
You can choose hikes of 2 to 4 miles length, or more, depending upon your day's schedule and your party's stamina. Although you'll be hiking at high altitudes, from 8000' to 11,000', some hikes involve little elevation gain and are delightful for families or small groups. For a greater challenge you can choose steeper paths that gain as much as 1500' elevation and bring you to the edge of alpine tundra. But if you need a gentle, short, or simply lower-altitude walk, we can arrange that as well.
You'll enjoy the characteristic mixed-conifer forest of the Southern Rockies at middle elevations, and the fragrant spruce-aspen forest higher up. Wildflowers dots streamsides and sunny meadows, changing constantly with the transition of summer into fall. Early autumn hikes catch the peak of the aspen color, but fall color persists in lower elevation canyons. We keep track of the leaf changes to help you choose the most spectacular displays.
Travel time: 30 minutes. Typically on trail: 2-4 hours.
The densely wooded ridges and canyons of these western slopes are laced with trails that can be reached with short drives of only 20 to 30 minutes. And the scenery is a glorious mix of conifer forest, aspen groves, and beautiful meadows dotted with wildflowers. In autumn the great aspen forest of Big Tesuque and Aspen Basin glows with golden light.
You can choose hikes of 2 to 4 miles length, or more, depending upon your day's schedule and your party's stamina. Although you'll be hiking at high altitudes, from 8000' to 11,000', some hikes involve little elevation gain and are delightful for families or small groups. For a greater challenge you can choose steeper paths that gain as much as 1500' elevation and bring you to the edge of alpine tundra. But if you need a gentle, short, or simply lower-altitude walk, we can arrange that as well.
You'll enjoy the characteristic mixed-conifer forest of the Southern Rockies at middle elevations, and the fragrant spruce-aspen forest higher up. Wildflowers dots streamsides and sunny meadows, changing constantly with the transition of summer into fall. Early autumn hikes catch the peak of the aspen color, but fall color persists in lower elevation canyons. We keep track of the leaf changes to help you choose the most spectacular displays.
Travel time: 30 minutes. Typically on trail: 2-4 hours.
Spectacular Canyon Hikes - Winter and Spring
West of Santa Fe lies a volcanic plateau deeply incised into canyons by the Rio Grande. Wild, arid, glowing with light and little visited, this is a wonderful landscape to hike in the cooler months of the year, when mountain trails are cold and icy.
Much of this country is part of the Pajarito Plateau, the great expanse of warmly-colored volcanic tuff that forms the famous cliffs in Bandelier National Monument. The rocky landscape is dotted by piñon and juniper trees, an ecosystem unique to the western slopes of the Southern Rockies.
We can choose among a variety of hikes, from gentle walks along canyon rims, to challenging descents more suitable for energetic hikers. A favorite moderate choice leads down a secluded tributary canyon, then contours along the rocky walls to a spectacular vista above the Rio Grande. For those hikers willing to make the rugged descent (and ascent!) of White Rock Canyon, we can visit some of the most remarkable petroglyph panels in northern New Mexico.
Travel times: 45 minutes. Typically on trail: 3-4 hours.
Much of this country is part of the Pajarito Plateau, the great expanse of warmly-colored volcanic tuff that forms the famous cliffs in Bandelier National Monument. The rocky landscape is dotted by piñon and juniper trees, an ecosystem unique to the western slopes of the Southern Rockies.
We can choose among a variety of hikes, from gentle walks along canyon rims, to challenging descents more suitable for energetic hikers. A favorite moderate choice leads down a secluded tributary canyon, then contours along the rocky walls to a spectacular vista above the Rio Grande. For those hikers willing to make the rugged descent (and ascent!) of White Rock Canyon, we can visit some of the most remarkable petroglyph panels in northern New Mexico.
Travel times: 45 minutes. Typically on trail: 3-4 hours.
Fill out our reservation request form for an email response, or call (505) 660-0394 with questions.
Please note : We can design an outing or workshop around a particular activity like photography, nature journaling, wildflower identification or other interests. See the About Us page for more details.
