Trip
Hiking – Wheeler Peak
Hike to Wheeler Peak 13,167’, New Mexico’s highest summit. A Class 1-2 hike that starts at Williams Lake Trail gently progressing for 2 miles through forest & a large meadow expanse until the junction w/ Wheeler Peak Trail that eventually goes above tree line on a trail & through areas of talus before cresting a false summit and reaching the true summit. Option to hike to Williams Lake before return to the TH. 8 miles, 2950’ gain, difficult hike, moderate pace. Car camp the night before.
Contacts
- Sun, Jun 25, 2023 — Mon, Jun 26, 2023
- El Pueblo
- Hiking
- Adults
- Difficult C
- Challenging
- Mileage: 8.0 mi
- Elevation Gain: 3,000 ft
- High Point Elevation: 13,167 ft
- Pace: Moderate
- FULL (3 capacity)
- Cancellation & Refund Policy
This is an exploratory hike as I have not been to the Wheeler Peak area or summited the peak before. Review of daily recent trip reports show areas of passable but fairly deep snow on the trail that we will either go through or hike around. Be prepared for slow travel through these areas. The plan is to eat a snack or lunch at the summit conditions permitting. The weather forecast on Mountain Forecast on June 25-26, 2023 for Wheeler Peak as of today is sunny with a low of 28 degrees and a high of 60 degrees with a 10% chance of precipitation and a 14 mph wind. Wear layers as the temperature will vary as we hike from the trailhead to the summit. Expect a 5-7 hour duration hike.
Information on 14ers.com about the Wheeler Peak area shows "plenty of dispersed camping along the road up to Taos ski area/Wheeler TH, good car camping there and only 10-20 minute drive to the TH. The road to the TH is easy dirt 2WD" and "Excellent couple of free riverside campgrounds with toilets along the road to the ski area and TH". The plan is to car caravan to the area on Sunday June 25th to find a suitable car camping spot and then go to Taos to sightsee and have a meal prior to return to the campsite prior to sunset.
After the hike, if the group is interested, we can stop at a restaurant in the Taos ski area for a celebratory meal before driving back to Colorado.
Meet at 10 am on Sunday June 25th at the parking lot of the strip mall that is located to the west of the Loaf N’ Jug on the corner of Lake Ave and Pueblo Blvd in Pueblo (1201 W. Pueblo Blvd, 81005). We will car caravan to the Taos area to set up a car camp. We will start at first light on Monday June 26th to get to Williams Lake TH for a 5:30-6:00 am departure to hike to the summit of the Wheeler Peak and return home to Colorado after the hike with an optional celebratory stop for a meal. The hike starts at the trailhead.
The number of participants for the hike will be very small due to this being an exploratory hike with expected difficult hiking conditions. Permission of the leader is required to register for the hike. This is a challenging hike that will require completion of recent hikes of near similar difficulty. If you have already not committed to coming on the trip, please text me at (702) 480-5704 to let me know if you would like to join the group. If I have not hiked with you previously, I will want to know what the distance and gain of hikes you have done in the last 2 months. I will register participants on the CMC website.
For those registered for the hike, I will email last minute details about the hike including the weather forecast 1-2 days prior to the trip.
Required Equipment
Bring snacks, lunch, 2-3 liters of water, trekking poles, traction, knee high gators and hiking boots with good ankle support in addition to the other 10 essentials for the hike. Wear sunscreen and a hat with bringing gloves and a rain/wind coat/pants if needed. Bring camping gear and supplies to car camp the night before.