Kwange Mesa Trail

Last Saturday I went on a run from my house to the end of Kwange Mesa and back (roughly 6 miles). I like this trail a lot because it is relatively flat and I can run most of the way (my record is 70 minutes). Another reason I like this trail is because the views at the end of the mesa are spectacular. I can see all across the Rio Grande Valley and beyond to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains on the other side of Santa Fe. (left photo taken of Barranca and Otowi Mesas toward the north; right photo taken of the Main Hill Road toward the east. You can see the shadow of the Sangre de Cristos in the distance)

Kwange Mesa is an offshoot of North Mesa with the homes on North Mesa. Kwange is a stretch of mesa that extends out from the stables so there are many horse riders on the trail with runners. Luckily, I think I run early enough in the mornings that the horses aren't out yet. Plus, there are two routes down the mesa: the "road" where the horses walk, and the actual hiking/running trail that hugs the southern side of the mesa before it merges with the road near the end.

Enjoy the views in the photos or better yet, go out on the trail yourself. (left photo taken of Otowi Mesa toward the north; center photo taken as looking west toward the Jemez Mountains with Barranca Mesa on the right; right photo looking south towards town and the tip of North Mesa)

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Neat