Overview:
The Osha Peak Trail is a classic ramble in midstate New Mexico. This out-and-back trail initially runs along the west side of the Manzanos National Forest and then turns abruptly east, barreling up a rib to reach the crest. Along the way you traverse Upper Sonoran (juniper), Transition (ponderosa) and Canadian (Douglas fir) life zones. It is a short walk along the crest to the summit of Osha Peak. Views extend west over the Rio Grande Valley to Ladron Peak and Mt Taylor. Looking east will reveal the enormous dry sweep of the Estancia Basin and the Chupadera Mesa.
The down side? The six mile road that brings you to the trailhead is in truly horrible shape. A high clearance vehicle (and full daylight) is currently necessary.
Driving Directions:
On this date I took the following route, which should work well for people traveling south on Interstate-25 (I-25) to Los Lomas. This exit is about 20 miles south of Albuquerque, NM.
- From I-25, going south, take exit 203 signed for Los Lomas.
- At the end of the ramp turn left onto US-6 (signed)
- After 3.4 miles on US-6, at a light, turn right onto NM-203 (signed)
- After 0.6 mileson NM-203, at a light, turn right onto NM-47 (signed)
- After 2.9 miles on NM-47, just past a Family Dollar store on your right, turn left onto Tome Road (signed). Note, Tome Road has many speed bumps.
- After 0.4 miles on Tome Road, at a T-intersection, turn right onto La Entrada (unsigned ). This gravel road turns to pavement after 0.5 miles.
- After 0.8 miles on La Entrada, at a 4-way stop, go straight ahead onto R. del Oro Loop. There are no signs naming the roads at this junction.
- After 3.0 miles on R. del Oro Loop, at at a 4-way stop, go right onto Bona Vista Blvd (unsigned, Bona Vista Blvd turns to gravel after 0.6 miles).
- After 1.1 miles on Bona Vista Blvd, at a T intersection, turn left onto Rio del Oro Loop. I don’t recall seeing a sign naming the roads at this junction. Make sure to reset your odometer, as the next junction can be especially hard to identify.
- After 3.7 miles on Rio del Oro Loop, at an unsigned junction, turn right on Trigo Road North-South. The corner of the intersection on the far-right is a mound of dirt having an angle iron jutting up from the top. That angle iron is painted orange and has two tires around it. (The tires were not hanging from the post on this date). The angle iron can be hard to see in dim light. At 1.8 miles on Trigo Road North-South you will hit what seems to be a T-Intersection, but is really an excuse for you to briefly turn right to go over a cattle guard and then the road immedately bends left to resume its southerly course.
- After 3.3 miles on Trigo Road North-South turn left on a gentle bend that will put you onto Trigo Road East-West. Within 100 feet the road goes through a white metal gate and heads directly towards the mountains. This “road” is profoundly gullied and is frequently boulder-covered. You will need a high clearance vehicle to get to the end.
- After 6.4 (brutal) miles, just past a cattle guard and just before a metal gate, turn left into the trailhead parking lot. The trail leaves the far end of the parking lot on the uphill side (the side nearest the mountains).
If you are traveling north on I-25 (e.g. from Truth Or Consequences) then the following directions might be more efficient:
- Take Interstate-25 (I-25) to exit 190.
- After 0.3 miles, at the end of the ramp, segue directly onto Main Street/I-25-Business-North and reset your odometer.
- After 1.9 miles on Main Street, at a stop light, go right onto Reinken/NM-309
- After 2.4 miles on Reinkin, at the junction with NM-47 (stoplight), go straight ahead onto the Manzano Expressway and reset your odometer.
- After 6.5 miles on the Manzano Expressway veer onto the right-turn lane and then turn right onto South Rio del Oro Loop (signed). This road turns to gravel after 0.4 miles but the quality of the gravel bed is currently excellent.
- After 6.3 miles on S. Rio del Oro turn right onto Trigo Springs Road North-South (unsigned). The corner of the intersection on the far-right is a mound of dirt having an angle iron jutting up from the top. That angle iron is painted orange and has two tires around it.
- After 3.3 miles on Trigo Road North-South turn left on a gentle bend that will put you onto Trigo Road East-West. Within 100 feet the road goes through a white metal gate and heads directly towards the mountains. This “road” is profoundly gullied and is frequently boulder-covered. You will need a high clearance vehicle to get to the end.
- After 6.4 (brutal) miles, just past a cattle guard and just before a metal gate, turn left into the trailhead parking lot. The trail leaves the far end of the parking lot on the uphill side (the side nearest the mountains).
Trailhead:
The trailhead is a large, fenced, gravel pad. There are no water, toilet or trash services. Gullies have formed in this parking area – park carefully. To reach the start of the trail go to the trailhead corner that is furthest from the road and nearest the mountains (the northeast corner). There you’ll find an engineered gap in the fence and a faint trail that heads towards the mountains.
Data:
- lowest elevation: 6140 feet
- highest elevation: 9313 feet
- net elevation: 3173 feet
- distance: 5.2 miles (one way)
Hike Description:
From then northeast corner of the trailhead lot go through a gap in the fence onto a faint trail across a meadow. In about 100 feet pass a trail information kiosk in need of repair. After 0.1 miles go past a rusty metal sign saying “Manzano Mountain Wilderness”, through a gate in a barbed wire fence, and come to T-intersection with the Commanche Trail 182. Go left onto trail 182. (But, first, study this junction so you will know when to turn on the return trip).
Initially the trail traverses the foot of the mountains, always staying uphill of the barb wire fence. This fence has several gates and there are places where the fence has fallen. Animal tracks go through these gaps, but the Commanche Trail always stays on the uphill side of the fence. The first mile is an easy walk on brown and sandy tread, save where water has carved up the terrain. At one mile from the trailhead pass two large water tanks – one is blue plastic and the other is galvinized steel. The trail rises briefly and arrives at a junction with a brand new trail and a sign saying “Osha Trail 100”. Head uphill in the Osha Trail. The tread is initially steep, but then soon settles into a pattern of rise-and-bench. The steep parts are made much easier by carefully engineered switchbacks that have received some recent TLC. On the switchbacks take a moment to look over the Rio Grande Valley. Ladron Peak is the lonely mountain a little south of west, while Mt Taylor is the tremendously broad peak a little north of west.
This is the domain of single seed juniper, a few aligator junipers and pinyon pine (at least, a species of short-needled pine). There is cactus aplenty under foot as well as yucca. Not getting stabbed is usually the best policy. The trail attains a rib top and then stays there for almost the entire venture to the crest. Navigation is easy. There are a places where almost every direction can look like a trail. Don’t be alarmed. Just stay on the rib-top and you will soon regain a recognizable trail. Above 7500 feet the ponderosa arrive. There are may small trees, suggesting that a fire occurred here about 25 years ago or so. The needles are heavy on the ground and can sometimes obscure the tread. As you rise higher the trees get taller and thicker. It may be that the lower trees are just more water and temperature stressed, or it could be that an earlier fire was suppressed before it could reach the high terrain.
At about 8000 feet, amid numerous Douglas firs, the terrain steepens and the rib narrows. The switchbacks narrow into a fall-line tread. Surveyor’s tape becomes noticable. There is no navigation issue, however, as water has dug the trail deeply into the soils. At 8600 feet the forest gives way to subalpine domains. Meadows open and in places the terrain benches are almost level. These would make good camp sites. Currently there is a spring with water in it (I didn’t take a waypoint, but it may have been at around 8900 feet). Above the spring there is a broad and flat bench. Fast growing meadow grasses populate this bench and makes it harder to find the tread. It can be helpful to look at the neighboring trees for evidence of limbs that were sawed away. The trail makes a gentle ascent off of this bench to reach the Manzano Crest Trail at 9200 feet. If you are continuing to Osha Peak then, again, study this junction for your descent.
Go south (right on ascent) to take the Manzano Crest Trail. In about 0.3 miles, as it passes the Osha summit, you will find yourself in a burn. To reach the summit, leave the trail and follow the edge of the burn directly uphill. Stay away from a brushy thorn bush with oval leaves – it is mean stuff. The summit has a daunting curtain of scrub oak, but cleft in the rocks is visible where the brush thins. Go up the cleft and the summit is marked by a cairn. I did not find a summit log, but the views east and west are grand. Have a bite. Take some snaps. Return the way you came.
Recommendations:
Go! This gorgeous hike is tragically under-celebrated and it badly needs more boots to keep the tread open.
Don’t go if it is wet. You don’t want to guess about the depth of the gullies on the approach road.
On a calm day you could make a loop with the Trigo Canyon Trail. Be aware, however, that there is a stretch of burned snags north of Osha Peak. Don’t make the loop when the winds are high.
Bring extra water. The spring near the crest had water in it, but that might be due to the recent rains as well as an exceptionally productive monsoon season. It is clear that many animals frequent this water source and it was very murky. If you hope to use the water then bring a good filter.
On the crest, and particularly on the short off-trail leg to the summit, watch for prickly plant life. There are some rugged thorn bushes in these mountains.
Big, big thanks to both New Mexico Volunteers for the Outdoors and the folks at New Mexico Wild. This trail was once a disaster area (see the Stav Is Lost link, below). But their huge, hard effort has transformed the disaster into a gem!
Links:
The New Mexico Volunteers for the Outdoors reports on this trail can be found here.
Will Ribbans describes a New Mexico Wild outing that worked on the Manzano Crest Trail in 2018
There is an Osha Trail near Cloudcroft NM and an Osha Mountain near Angle Fire, NM. In your internet searches you might want to insist on “Manzano Mountains” to avoid confusion. Of course, there is the Occupational Safety And Health Administration to confuse things even further.
Stav of StavIsLost reached Osha Peak by using the adjoining Trigo Canyon Trail and made a report in 2017. At that time the trail system near the summit block of Osha Peak was described and “prickly” and “hard to find”. Things have much improved!
New Mexico Meanders 