Palomas Peak from New Mexico Highway 165. The Pennsylvanian Age limestone layers provide cliffs for rock climbers
25 JULY 2026 W5N/SI-010
| Elevation: | 8,684′ |
| Route: | Forest Service Trail |
| Hike Distance: | 3.75 miles round trip |
| Elevation Gain: | 700′ |
| Navigation: | Easy |
| Steepness: | Steep in places |
| Vehicle: | Passenger car* |
| Road: | Good dirt road |
| Cell Coverage: | Excellent Verizon |
After doing neighboring San Pedro Mountain last weekend I was inspired to drive the length of NM Highway 165 and try Palomas Peak. Previously Cassie KG6MZR and I had driven as far as the Sandia Cave. Fred NT5X had warned me against trying this unmaintained road in the winter or in wet weather.
I left Nambé in the dark and got to the trailhead at about 6:30 AM. The hike follows a well-marked forest service trail from a pullout with ample parking off 165. There was only one car that pulled up with me at that early hour but there were a half dozen or so when I returned at about noon on this Saturday.
The summit, as others have noted, is at the far end of the long ridge that makes up this sedimentary rock summit. This 300 million year old limestone is part of the Madera Formation. The trail gets steep where it crosses the apron’s bands. The best place to set up was in the middle of this long, thin activation zone.
Radio conditions weren’t great again made worse by the fact that my KX2 was limited to 5 watts by my mostly discharged battery. Also Cassie KG6MZR had turned off the cellular data on my phone and this caused me to erroneously suspect that the RF from Sandia Crest was curtailing my internet access. I used the Garmin InReach Mini’s iridium satellite network to put out spots before I realized that cell reception on this summit is just fine.
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