It's hard to decide which of the 1,000 miles of nearby national forest trails to tackle. Four wilderness areas are nearby, most notably Pecos Wilderness, with 223,000 acres east of Santa Fe. Also visit the 58,000-acre Jemez Mountain National Recreation Area. Information on these and other wilderness areas is available from the Santa Fe National Forest, P.O. Box 1689 (1474 Rodeo Rd.), Santa Fe, NM 87504 (tel. 505/438-7840). If you're looking for company on your trek, contact the Santa Fe branch of the Sierra Club, 1472 S. St. Francis (tel. 505/983-2703). You can pick up a hiking schedule in the local newsletter outside the office. Some people enjoy taking a chairlift ride to the summit of the Santa Fe Ski Area (tel. 505/982-4429; www.skisantafe.com) and hiking around up there during the summer. You might also consider purchasing The Hiker's Guide to New Mexico (Falcon Press Publishing Co., Inc.) by Laurence Parent; it outlines 70 hikes throughout the state. Frommer's Great Outdoor Guide to Arizona and New Mexico (Wiley Publishing, Inc.), written by yours truly, details many of my favorite hikes. A popular guide with Santa Feans is Day Hikes in the Santa Fe Area, put out by the local branch of the Sierra Club. The most popular hiking trails are the Borrego Trail, a moderate 4-mile jaunt through aspens and ponderosa pines, ending at a creek, and Aspen Vista, an easy 1- to 5-mile hike through aspen forest with views to the east. Both are easy to find; simply head up Hyde Park Road toward Ski Santa Fe. The Borrego Trail is 8 1/4 miles up, while Aspen Vista is 10 miles. In recent years an energetic crew has cut the Dale Ball Trails (tel. 505/955-2103), miles of hiking/biking trails throughout the Santa Fe foothills. The easiest access is off Hyde Park Road toward Ski Santa Fe. Drive 2 miles from Bishop's Lodge Road and watch for the trail head on the left. If you're looking for "outspiration" (versus inspiration) on a guided day-hiking experience, call Outspire tel. 505/660-0394; www.outspire.com). They'll set you up with a guide and design just the hike for your ability level and interest. A 3- to 4-hour hike runs at a flat rate of $150, with prices going up from there. Outspire also guides snowshoeing trips.
Trail Closures -- The drought that has spread across the Southwest in recent years has caused the U.S. Forest Service to close trails in many New Mexico mountains during the summer in order to reduce fire hazard. Before you head out in this area, contact the Santa Fe National Forest (tel. 505/438-7840).
