Saint Peter’s Dome

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New Mexico Locust (Robinia neomexicana) on the way up to the fire lookout tower in the background..

24 MAY 2026 W5N/SE-035

Two Stars – a nice summit. I’d do it again. Recommended.
Elevation:8,465′
Route: Fire road
Hike Distance: 2 miles round trip
Elevation Gain: 375′
Navigation: Easy*
Steepness: Gentle
Vehicle: High clearance suggested
Road: Dirt road
Cell Coverage: Excellent Verizon
*navigating the forest service roads are a bit tricky getting there. A passenger sedan could make it in dry conditions as of this ascent.

I had a free day on the coming Memorial Day weekend and looked through the possible unique summits I might try. The forecast was for dry weather, but the previous day had seen a thundershower move through the Santa Fe area despite a dry forecast, so keeping that in mind, I headed out to the Valles Caldera and Forest Service Road 289.

Here is the route I drove to the trailhead

The hike is pretty easy from the locked gate. I’d had a bad cold the previous week and this was a perfect way to ease back on to the trail. The views are expansive from the summit with Cochiti Reservoir and Sandia Crest to the south with the big summits of the Valles Caldera along the north and the Santa Fe Sangre de Christo to the east. The area burned and the coniferous forest doesn’t seem to be regenerating very fast, if at all.

I cut the activation short because the cumulus clouds started accumulating and I didn’t want to drive back on wet roads. I’d seen some evidence of axle-deep ruts and didn’t want to go there. It poured briefly as I descended down Highway 502 bearing out my good sense.

The station looking south to Cochiti Reservoir. Fred NT5X suggests that tall masts like this create deep nulls and are prone to QSB
Nice view northeast over Los Alamos and the Parajito Plateau to Clara and Roman Peaks.
Cochiti Reservoir and The San Pedro Mountains.
Love this view of Cerro Grande, Parajito and Chicoma to the north across Canyon de los Frijoles.
Sandia Crest to the south with the first signs of the daily convectional activity.

Here are my SOTA summit ratings

Here are some cool links to Summits on the Air (SOTA)

KG6MZS Summit Index by Year

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Published by wringmaster

I'm a graphic artist in the movie business. When I was a kid I got interested in astronomy. When it would get too cloudy to observe the heavens, my buddy and I would sit at the VFO of his Hallicrafters S 38c like safe crackers trying to coax faraway signals out of that humble radio. My love of astronomy and radio survive to this day fifty+ years later.

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