Gallo Peak via Spruce Spring and Red Canyon Loop

Cibola National Forest, NM Central New Mexico + Albuquerque

Trip stats

Distance
7.6 mi
Net Gain
2,300 ft
Time
3-5 hrs
YDS Rating
Class 1
Route
Loop
Peaks
1

Ratings out of 10

Effort
3.3/10
Personality
5/10
Beauty
6/10
Solitude
4.4/10
What do these mean? →

Peaks on this hike

Summits listed in route order

  1. Gallo Peak
    10,003′ elevation · 323′ prominence

Route map + Trailhead

Trailhead Coordinates

34.622120, -106.411600

The directions link below drops a pin on the trailhead coordinates and lets Google Maps pick the route. If the drive has rough roads or access issues that GPS nav might get wrong, I cover that in my trip report.

Get directions (opens Google Maps in a new tab)

Trip report

Apr 27, 2018 — A nice forested walk up the Spruce Spring Trail leads to the ridgeline that (I assumed) would take me to the Gallo Peak summit, but it didn't (or I totally missed a social trail), so I bushwhacked to reach Gallo Peak. There are some really nice views of the Manzano Mountains from the summit. The route might be easier if you ascend from the southwest or northeast ridge, but for some reason I decided to just trudge up the steep southern slope. To make this hike into a loop I took the Red Canyon Trail back down. I thought this was the better trail of the two, more interesting since it included a nice darker canyon with some rock formations.

Hire me or show some love!

Hire or refer me as a web developer, or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I'm not sponsored, so it's funded by yours truly. It also takes a ton of work to edit photos and write these reports. I really appreciate it!

Hire me PayPal Venmo Cash App

Photos

24 photos

  1. Heading up the Spruce Spring Trail.
  7. Spruce Spring.
  9. Heading up the ridgeline to Gallo Peak.
  10. Looking back along the ridge.
  11. Continuing up the ridge. I couldn't find any trail that led to the summit, so I eventually bushwhacked.
  12. Gallo Peak summit looking north.
  13. Gallo Peak summit looking south.
  14. Continuing down the Red Canyon Trail.
  17. Red Canyon Trail gets darker.
  20. Pretty rock formations within Red Canyon.
  22. A small cascade within Red Canyon.
  24. Some more rock formations, and then a forested walk back to the trailhead.

Photo 1 of 1

Hire me or show some love!

Hire or refer me as a web developer, or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I'm not sponsored, so it's funded by yours truly. It also takes a ton of work to edit photos and write these reports. I really appreciate it!

Hire me PayPal Venmo Cash App