"I hiked up Walter and Wheeler, then I wanted to go on to Simpson and Mike, but when I got to Simpson I heard static. It wasn't raining and the clouds were only kind of dark, but I got out of there and not long after lots of thunder came in. " — matthewanderson • Jun 6, 2026

"Amy and I are preparing to hike Kilimanjaro at the end of the summer. This is our 5th peakbagging hike, plus lots of cardio hikes together. (Blasting up the Sandia Mountains for an hour, regrouping then blasting down.) I thought it would be good preparation for us to reach over 13,000 feet in elevation. This is my 6th time hiking Wheeler Peak. Amy and I left Calvary Church in Albuquerque at about 5:45 AM, August 9, 2025. We drove to the William’s Lake Trailhead, south of the Taos Ski area. We were hiking at about 8:40 AM, taking a little less than a 3 hours drive. It was a cool clear morning, 52 degrees. The starting elevation was 10,261 feet. I carried 18 pounds, including 4 pounds of water. The trail to the top is magnificent and quit varied along the way. We hiked through the bottom of the Taos Ski Area, over an enchanting little bridge, followed a beautiful little stream through a wildflower filled, green grass, forest. At about 2 miles the trail divides and we headed up the mountain following switchbacks. Timberline in New Mexico is about 12,000 feet and when we reached that elevation the world opened up. There were incredible views in all directions. Once we reached that e..." — Phil-Robinson • Aug 9, 2025

"Got started on this hike around 7:30 and finished at 1. The hike is well laid out for a gradual but challenging ascent of Wheeler Peak. I also made a quick addition of its neighboring peak, Mt Walter. The New Mexico state high point now gets checked off. That’s only state high point #7 for me. I got a long way to go to make a dent in that challenge." — MikeTeeples • Jul 24, 2024

"It is very difficult for me to hike peaks which I already have, without getting something new, but it is always fun to go with people that have not hiked those peaks. Our goal was Wheeler Peak, 13,161, the highest peak in New Mexico and maybe hike some other peaks close by. Seven of us men from a Calvary of Albuquerque Bible study group began our adventure, meeting at the Calvary parking lot at 10:00 AM, Friday July 19, 2024. (Phil C, Adam F, Ravinder S. Travis D, Dean H, Billy L, and myself Phil R) I am used to leaving early, 3:00 AM to 6:00 AM. It felt kind of nice leaving late for a change. Two in our group had to work, and were planning a moonlight hike to meet us. I pretty much have peakbagged every peak that can be seen from the area, so to rectify my need for “something new” I picked a random higher point X on a map, a spot I have not been to. We drove 2 vehicles and proceeded through the Taos Ski area to the Williams Lake parking lot. My ultralight luxury backpack is usually about 30 pounds including food and water, but to make our adventure special for the other men I carried an extra 20 pounds of treats and group gear. I had my Dragonfly MSR stove, fuel, and my 10-liter K..." — Phil-Robinson • Jul 19, 2024

"This cirque route ran the ridge up and down about a half dozen 12-13k peaks over the entire traverse. Wheeler Peak, Mount Walter, Simpson Peak, Rich Peak, Lake Fork Peak and Kachina Peak to name some of them. My legs are absolutely smoked. Driving south to Texas to bag the highest peak there tomorrow. Guadalupe Peak in Guadalupe Mountains National Park." — wiweasel • Sep 29, 2023

"Zach and I stayed at a VRBO in Taos after making it to the top of Pikes Peak just a couple hours earlier. We awoke to snow at 4am and and immediately knew we were in for trouble. Driving as far into the ski resort as possible, we tried to find the Williams Lake Trail for the most direct route to the summit. Conditions were bad and getting worse, the snow picked up and fog set in. Wayfinding was near impossible with fresh powder, poorly marked trail no tracks. Under the fresh snow was about 3-4' of snow pack. Snow shoes were a must just for normal travel but as the slope angle increased closer to the peak, it became apparent that we were going to have to turn back. We were making slow progress and the snow was relentless. We had to head back to Colorado for Elbert the next day, so 1000' from the summit of the highest point in New Mexico, we retreated back to the car. We cut our losses on Wheeler, but we'll be back again for another attempt." — wiweasel • May 11, 2023

"View from the top was gorgeous and it was definitely worth the hike. Came out here and started on the trail at 4:30AM and got up quick enough to see the sunrise from (almost) the top. There were no other hikers until atleast an hour or two after I summited at around 7AM. I will say though that the wind in the morning during this time of year is brutal at the saddle between Wheeler and Walter and you’ll definitely want to remember to bring something to protect against the wind." — paandooo • Oct 1, 2022

"I have not been hiking many peaks recently because there are not many more peaks that I am interested in hiking. I do a little mountain jogging each week to stay in shape. In the Book “New Mexico’s High Peaks,” by Mike Butterfield, he lists the Peak 12,728. He shows it with a prominence of 150 feet. This is a great NM peak informational picture book and lists all the 80ish 12K and 13K peaks. I decided to get that peak and maybe something else in the area. So that I would be able to get an earlier start I drove to Red River, New Mexico to spend the night. I got up at 4:00 AM, July 16, 2021, and drove an hour to Williams’s Lake parking area south of the Taos Ski area. You do not need a 4WD vehicle to get here. There were no clouds in the sky and the temperature was in the upper 40s. I started hiking at 5:45 AM at an elevation of 10,253 feet. It is a 2-mile hike on a very nice trail to William’s Lake, from there it is bushwhacking until the timberline. There were deer in the meadows going up. I knew that it was going to be very hard climbing up the hill on all fours so I was kind of kicking myself the night before for what I knew I was getting myself into. It was a chug getting to the..." — Phil-Robinson • Jul 16, 2021

"Came up from Williams Lake and once above the tree line the views were amazing. Saw a couple bighorn sheep on the trail. Made good time up to the summit and back down before rain came in. " — daviddeang • Jun 25, 2021

"Made it as far as Frazer before the fatigue from climbing the day before really set in. A long section of unavoidable deep snow at treeline that was already starting to soften at 8 would have been pretty dangerous by the time I got back. Also my phone battery somehow drained from 60% to 18% while turned off overnight so there were many signs not to summit. Hope to return this summer!" — cheeseishappiness • May 29, 2021