Star Mountain Hikes
History of the Pecos Wilderness
General History. The Pecos Wilderness was originally formed in 1964 with an area of under 200,000 acres. A 55,000-acre addition was formed in 1980 bringing the total protected acreage to 223,667 acres. According to Wikipedia, very little archeological or historical research has been conducted in this wilderness. However, artifacts have been found that date back as far as the Paleo-Indian Period (7000 – 6000 B.C.) although, most artifacts are from the Archaic Period (900 B.C. to 400 A.D.) These artifacts were from Pueblo and Anasazi times. No evidence of any long-term occupation has been noted. It is thought that the Pecos Wilderness was only used seasonally for hunting and gathering by native peoples. The Spanish began occupation of the Pecos in 1598. New Mexico was not annexed by the United States until 1846. Mineral prospecting began in 1875. This topic brings us to historical significance of individual trails or areas within the Pecos.
Beatty’s Cabin. George Beatty was an early prospector and pioneer who built a cabin at the junction of the Rito del Padre and the Pecos River. The cabin, flats and trail are named for him. There is a book called “Beatty’s Cabin” that was written by Elliot Barker that chronicled the authors experiences working as a ranger, guide and hunter in the old west. The first edition was published in 1953.
The Winsor Trail. First, the Native Americans used the trail for hunting and gathering. Then, The Winsor family moved here from Kansas for health reasons. Moving to the dry climate of the southwest was popular at the time for people who had Tuberculosis. They built a dude ranch near Cowles, NM called Winsor Camp. Later, the name was changed to Winsor Resort and Boarding House. They also built two sawmills, one at what is now called Tres Lagunas further downstream along the Pecos River, and one at Cowles. Henry Dyke Winsor raised cattle and contracted with the Santa Fe Meat Market to provide beef. He packed the beef and game over the trail to Santa Fe. It is assumed that this is how the Winsor Trail got its name. The ranch was sold in 1911 to Henry and Flora Ball. They owned and operated the ranch until 1949. It was purchased in the 1970’s by the forest service and the buildings were destroyed at that time. Anyway, the bells had an uncle named Tom Stewart. Stewart lake is named after that gentleman. Also, the nearby Los Pinos Ranch was owned by Katherine Chaves Page, and Lake Katherine was named after her. Finally, just a side note, but a frequent visitor of the Los Pinos Ranch was J. Robert Oppenheimer, theoretical physicist and the leader for the Manhattan Project that first created the nuclear bomb. The Winsor Trail is now an official National Scenic Trail. *The information obtained on the Winsor Trail was written by Margaret Alexander for the Santa Fe, New Mexican Jan 6, 2017 issue of the newspaper.
Borrego Trail. The Borrego trail was famous for Sheppard’s from the Truchas and Chimayo area to herd their flocks to market in Santa Fe. It may have been a route used by blanket makers in Chimayo to take their goods to market too. It was a popular route due to numerous water sources along the way as opposed to dry desert conditions at lower elevations. Also, the Aspen Ranch near the southern end of the trail was used as a boarding school and a summer camp. I am under the impression that it is now owned by the Tesuque Pueblo. Please respect private property as you pass next to the ranch on the trail. *The information about the Borrego trail was also written for the Santa Fe New Mexican by Margaret Alexander.
Hermits Peak Trail. One of the most interesting historical tales that takes place in the Pecos Wilderness is the one about Hermits Peak. This mountain was named for an Italian Munk who lived on the mountain in a cave for three years in the 1860’s. His name was Giovanni Maria de Agostini. He was an intrepid traveler who traveled much of Europe and South America. It is said that he crossed the Andes twice. Apparently, he came to New Mexico with a wagon train. He refused to ride in the wagons or sleep in a tent. When he got to his mountain, he lived off the land foraging for food and getting his water from a spring. Every Sunday he would hike all the way into Las Vegas, NM to attend mass. Eventually, he inspired a following called the “Sociedad de Ermitano.” This translates to Society of the Hermit. The main practice of this society was to trek to top of the peak and to his cave to pray and erect crosses. Some of the stories told by early society members was that he could “heal” them of their illnesses, and that he created a spring on top of the mountain by hitting the ground with his staff. He had also previously developed followings in other countries where religious freedoms were not allowed such as Brazil and Mexico. He was banished or exiled from both countries. A small group still exists in Las Vegas today that treks up to the top of the mountain to pray and erect crosses. He eventually was killed in another part of New Mexico. *This information was obtained from Smithsonian Magazine Dec 2019 issue written by Jennie Rothenberg Gritz.
Unfortunately, in 2022 a controlled burn being done by the Pecos-Las Vegas district of the Santa Fe National Forest escaped. It was named the Hermits Peak fire and it destroyed the area as well as the entire east flank of the Pecos Wilderness. As far as I know, it is still closed to the public due to flash flooding, hazardous snags (trees killed by the fire), and other risks associated with heavily burned forest. It was the largest and most devastating fires in New Mexico's vast fire history.
On a personal note: I used to advocate for controlled burning on public lands. I think it is a necessary tool forest managers, and 99% of the time it works wonders for controlling fuels buildup and mitigation of the risk of catastrophic wildfires. However, I am changing my viewpoint after too many have escaped. Unfortunately, I feel the agency responsible for this management activity, the U.S. Forest Service, is incapable of doing it safely. In my opinion, the forest needs to be manually or mechanically thinned before burning in order to reduce the risk of crowning fires prior to a controlled burn. There needs to be enough resources available to keep it under control, and most of all, they cannot do controlled burning in the spring when the conditions are too hot, dry, and windy!
Geology
The most common rocks in the Pecos Wilderness are granite. Quartz and mica are also common. The Sangre de Cristo mountain are an uplifted range. Glaciation is a common factor in sculpting the higher elevation areas. There are a few U-shaped valleys formed by glaciers as well as cirques and moraines. Most of the lakes in the area are created from glacial activity.
Forest Types and Ecology
The Pecos Wilderness has a wide variety of forest, meadows, prairie, and alpine terrain. These forests and ecosystem types are dependent upon many factors such as elevation, aspect, and topography. These will be described in this section of the book starting with the lowest elevation areas of the Pecos Wilderness first.
High Desert or Pinion-Juniper Forest
In the Pecos Wilderness, this forest type is usually found only on southern exposures at elevations which are between 8,000 and 9,000 ft. As described by the name, the main overstory species are Pinion and Juniper trees. You may see an occasional stubby looking Ponderosa Pine too. Understory species such as Gamble’s Oak, various cactus species, and yucca species associate with this forest type. I believe that I’ve only found this type of forest in the Borrego Triangle part of the Pecos Wilderness.
Ponderosa Pine Forest
This forest type is usually found at lower elevations also, but not as low as the Pinion Juniper forest. As implied the overstory is made up of a single species called Ponderosa Pine. You may find an occasional clump of aspen or a meadow opening within a Ponderosa Pine forest. At higher elevations it begins to mix with other species depending on aspect, meaning what side of the mountain the trees are located. Typical understory species are again Gambles Oak, but also other species such as grasses and herbaceous plants. You’ll again find this forest type around the Borrego Triangle, but you may see this forest around El Porvenir or other lower elevation areas of the Pecos. This forest often has a two layer or multilayer canopy that is cause by periodic fires under-burning the forest. These fires tend to kill the smaller trees with thinner bark that does not protect them from fire. As the forest reseeds under the larger trees with thicker bark, another layer of forest begins to grow causing the multilayer effect. Stand replacement fires in this type of forest were once rare, but now with climate change and past fire suppression activities, it is becoming common.
Mixed Forest
This forest is the most diverse in tree species for the area. It may contain Ponderosa Pine, Douglas Fir, White Fir, Aspen, Limber Pine, Southwestern White Pine, Colorado Blue Spruce, Gambles Oak, and an occasional Engelman Spruce in the higher elevations. It may also contain a wide variety of understory species too. At lower elevations 8,000 to 9,000 feet, you will find this forest type on the northern aspects of canyons and mountains. At higher elevations up to 11,000 feet, you will find these forests on all aspects. These forests join with the subalpine forest at higher elevations. My favorite area of mixed conifer forest in the Pecos Wilderness is probably along the Holy Ghost trail. This is a good area to find flower species in the understory too. The trees in this type of forest are typically more resistant to fire due to thick bark and spacing between trees, but stand replacement fire are common.
Subalpine Forest
Engelman Spruce trees dominate the Subalpine regions of the Pecos Wilderness. These forests may be mixed with some Aspen, subalpine and Corkbark fir. The elevation range is approximately 10,000 to 12,000 ft in elevation. Subalpine forest is probably the most common type of forest in the Pecos due to consistently high elevation of the area. The spruce trees of this forest type are currently under attack from the Bark Beetles (Dendroctonus Sp.). Vast tracts of forest are dying due to this insect and this has already happened in much of Colorado. Be careful in these dead forests as falling limbs and entire trees will soon become a problem as will the threat of wildfire as dry fuel accumulates. I will assume that eventually these forests will burn due to lightning strikes and be largely replaced with aspen. Aspen is a species that populates quickly after a fire. Fires in this forest type happen every few hundred years and they tend to be a stand replacement event.
Riparian Forest
Riparian areas are the narrow strips of forest that are found along creeks. I would consider cottonwood trees and willows to be the primary species of riparian zones in the Pecos Wilderness. However, you will find many other species as well. Alder and boxelder are common understory species. You may find Rocky Mountain Maples too along with the ever-present Aspen trees. Also, you may find Colorado Blue Spruce growing along these corridors too.
Prairie Grassland
This is the best way that I can describe the areas on the tops of low “bald” ridges in the Pecos Wilderness. A good example of this is Hamilton Mesa. These are important areas for wildlife that graze such as elk and deer. You will find many types of wildflowers growing in these areas.
Meadows
Most people consider meadows to be any grassy areas amidst the forest. However, I consider meadows to be areas that used to be lakes that have filled with silt and are now grassy, and sometimes swampy. These are common in cirque areas in the alpine and subalpine zones. Also, beavers can create ponds that eventually fill with silt and become meadows too. These are good places to see wildlife because of the edge effect created by these meadows, and the typically provide good forage for deer and elk.
Alpine Tundra
This zone is found typically above 12,000 ft in the Pecos Wilderness. Specialized plants can be found here, and of course, the best views can be found here too. Often, bighorn sheep are found grazing the mountainsides in these areas. You will obviously find only dwarfed and windswept Spruce trees and Rocky Mountain Bristlecone Pines at these elevations.
Common Wildlife
Predators
Black Bears (Ursus Americanus). Are the largest omnivore species in the Pecos Wilderness. These species are more common in the seldom visited areas of the Pecos, such as the western portions. They can be found in every ecological and forest type in the Pecos.
Mountain Lions (Puma Concolor). Mountain Lions or Cougars are the primary predator species of the Pecos Wilderness. They will prey on deer, elk, and bighorn sheep. They are very reclusive and are rarely seen. The also inhabit every forest type in the Pecos.
Bobcats (Lynx Rufus). Bobcats primarily feed on the game that Mountain Lions find too small to sustain themselves with. They feed on squirrels, rabbits and birds. They are found in all environments of the Pecos with the exclusion of the alpine areas.
Coyotes (Canis latrans). Coyotes are the most populous predators in the Pecos Wilderness, and they have been known to attack dogs around Aspen Basin. They can travel individually or in packs. They are commonly seen in all environments of the Pecos.
Deer Species
Rocky Mountain Elk (Cervus canadensis nelsoni). This is the largest and most populous species of deer in the Pecos Wilderness. They are an important species for hunters in this area. They can be found in all areas of this wilderness. They are commonly seen in grasslands and the edge of meadows.
Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus). Mule deer are also found all over the Pecos Wilderness. They are also found most often near grassy or meadow areas.
Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis). Technically not a deer species, but for general purposes I have placed them in the deer category. They are most often found in the Alpine zone but can be seen at lower elevation near streams to get water. They feed on the grass and plants of the highest slopes in the Pecos Wilderness, and it is quite common to see them along the Skyline Trail.
Moose (Alces alces) Recently, there have been moose spotted east in Mora and even as far South as the Santa Fe Ski Basin. It has been said that it was just a rogue male searching for mates, but I feel like the heavy moose population in Colorado is moving South into New Mexico as there have been more and more sightings every year.
Rodents
Beaver (Castor canadensis). These are the largest of the rodent animals in the Pecos Wilderness. They do not seem to be very common here. I have seen signs of them in the Holy Ghost creek area. I wish that fish and game would release them into some fire scarred drainages such as the Rio Nambe. In this drainage, there is heavy new aspen growth that beaver could use for food, and their dams would keep the stream from eroding into Nambe Lake and increase the trout population and help restore the ecosystem.
Yellow Bellied Marmot (Marmota flaviventris). The next largest species of rodent in the Pecos is the Marmot. It is the largest member of the ground squirrel family. They make a very loud chirping sound to warn others of approaching danger. They feed on grasses in the alpine zone, and they live generally in rockier areas where they find shelter. They feed on grass and are often seen in meadows next to rocky talus areas next to larger boulders.
Pika (Ochotona princeps) A relative of the rabbit that lives in talus slides and gathers grass for the winter. They have a loud call that sound like "Knee". Like in the Monte Python movie the knights that say "Knee"
Other species: Albert’s Squirrels (Low elevation Pine Forests), Chickaree/Red Squirrels (High Elevation Fir & Spruce forests), Racoons, skunks, weasels, rabbits, voles, and mice.