Summit 9,420′

Hard to find a view through the trees on this one. Looking west to Chicoma Mountain and the Valles Caldera.

31 MAY 2026 W5N/PW-020

One star – Nothing special but I’d do it again.

Elevation:	9,420′
Route:	Good trail
Hike Distance:	2.25 miles round trip
Elevation Gain:	700′
Navigation:	Easy
Steepness:	Moderate
Vehicle:	Passenger car*
Road:	Paved highway
Cell Coverage:	Excellent Verizon

$10 day use fee, $5 for residents of New Mexico

This was another last minute activation and I left Nambé at the civilized hour of 8am or so. I came across half dozen or so deer along highway 475 on the way up out of Santa Fe. I had to drive back down to the ranger station to pay the posted day use fee of $10 ($5 for residents). The ranger station wasn’t actually open yet, but a nice ranger showed me the self-serve kiosk.

Finding the beginning of Circle Trail isn’t hard, but I had a little false start separating it from the Girl Scout Trail right at the beginning. The hike, in fact the whole trip, is well shaded under the Ponderosa pines. There isn’t much of a view on top.

It should be noted that once you gain the ridge, SOTA Goat will tell you that your are within the activation zone, however the trail descends lower than the requisite 82 vertical feet before ascending up to the actual summit. At the lowest point, SOTA Goat will tell you that you are below the AZ. I’ve noticed this phenomena on several summits, most recently Willow Springs Butte (W6/ND-328) in California.

It is tempting to believe SOTA Goat when you get to the ridge line because there are a couple of picnic tables that would make for a comfortable activation, but the summit is further south along the ridge.

Here is my ascent track

Radio conditions were limited mostly to 20m. I did get a couple of Park-to-Park contacts even while I had left Hyde Memorial State Park, I had crossed over into the Santa Fe National Forest.