South Mountain Passport II

To get the South Mountain Passport to the Pajarito Plateau II rubbing, I took an unconventional approach. I had read that you should call the Valles Caldera National Preserve Visitor Center ahead of time to see if South Mountain was open but I didn't want to do that nor did I want to drive my sedan on the Preserve's gravel roads. So, on Mother's Day, I drove to the Preserve entrance, parked to the side, outside the gate, completely out of the way, hung my national park pass from my rear-view mirror and started walking in on the entrance road to the Visitor Center. The entrance road is 2 miles one-way. At the Visitor Center, I told the ranger what I hoped to do, asked if that was all right and happily, got the OK to proceed. My plan was to walk from the Visitor Center just to the South Mountain trailhead, get the rubbing in my Passport II and walk back out to my car for an 8 mile round-trip hike.

East Fork of the Jemez River as seen along the entrance road. The orangish streamside vegetation looks like willows bundled together to keep the stream banks from eroding. I could see little ties holding the bundles in place. Whatever they are, they are picturesque! The pointy mountain, background left, is Las Conchas Peak, and then to the right of that is Los Griegos (and maybe that's Cerro Pelado in between the two). The green mountain, nearer and on the right, is a shoulder of South Mountain.

Victory! The rubbing plate is on the upright log below the South Mountain sign. I was almost ready to concede that I would never reach the actual trailhead. I'm glad I didn't give up. It's very green and pretty here. From the Visitor Center, I walked probably a mile on a graveled road to the cabin area where I went left onto a dirt road closed to vehicles. I must have followed that at least another mile to this trailhead. The last mile was pretty - in a valley pass between South Mountain and Redondo Peak - but seemed so long because I didn't know for sure I was following the correct road. Lots of little streamlets come down from Redondo and cross the road. Eventually, the road split. To the right, a road continued north and to the left, the road started uphill to South Mountain.

A gigantic stump next to a baby tree (spruce?), near the South Mountain sign. Would make a decent bench without the piece of rebar poking up in the middle!