Pecos National Historical Park + Pecos Mountains & State Park NM

Pecos National Historical Park & Exploring the Pecos Mountains

In this video we are exploring all around Pecos, New Mexico

The Pecos mountains is a section of the Santa Fe National Forest just NE of Santa Fe. It can be accessed from the town of Pecos, NM and the wilderness opportunities are abundant! This is a very popular wilderness area for backpackers.

We start our day trip visiting the Pecos National Historical Park. This was a National Monument until it converted to a National Historical Park in the 1990s. Ruins from the ancient pueblos are here, along with the remnants of the Franciscan church that was established when the Spanish came through and tried to convert the natives. This area is the site of the notable 'Battle of Glorieta Pass' which is known as the Gettysburg of the West. The Confederate soldiers were trying to take over the West, and in this key battle in 1862, the Union Army defeated the Confederates in just three days of fighting. The area is so deep with history, and the views are incredible!

After visiting the Pecos National Historical Park, we make our way up highway 63 to explore the Pecos Wilderness and stop in to a few campgrounds. I was curious how this area fared after the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire this past year. This canyon survived the blaze, the forest is still damaged from the fire reaching the other side of the mountain, so erosion and flash flooding will continue to be a problem.

Many areas along 63 are now designated a state park with the newly formed "Pecos Canyon State Park' There are a few new campgrounds that have been established with the State Park. Pecos Canyon State Park is still under development.

We stop in at the intersection in Tererro, NM where the highway crosses the Pecos river and the highway goes to the Holy Ghost Campground. We stop at the Cowles Ponds and see the turn off to Winsor Trail. Winsor Trail is a 13.5 mile out and back (13.5 miles round trip) hike to Santa Fe Baldy at 12,632'. From this stop we traveled three more miles to Jack's Creek Campground, one of my favorite campgrounds in the Pecos. It was surprisingly empty over Labor Day Weekend.

On the way back home, we find a historical marker with a memorial to the volunteers who fought with the Union Soldiers at the Battle of Glorieta Pass on highway 50.

I hope you enjoyed this tour of the Pecos!

If you like this video, these historical sites in New Mexico may also interest you:
Coronado Historic Site:    • Visit New Mexico's Coronado Historic ...  
Things to Do Taos:    • Taos New Mexico - 10 Things to Do  
Bandelier National Monument:    • Bandelier National Monument - New Mex...  

Chapters:
00:00 Pecos National Historical Park
08:30 Pecos Mountains Intro
08:56 Pecos Canyon State Park
09:36 Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire Info
10:01 Tererro - Turn off to Holy Ghost Campground
10:39 Cowles Pond & Winsor Trail
11:08 Jack's Creek Campground
12:15 Battle of Glorieta Pass Memorial

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