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New Mexico trails · Rio Quemado

Rio Quemado

A 9.8-mile out-and-back in New Mexico, with 3,172 ft of climbing. Reaches Truchas Lakes and other lake/waterfall destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.

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Length
9.8 mi
Elevation gain
3,172 ft
Difficulty
Expert
Max grade
60%
Steepest mile
+1,044 ft
Tread at ≥10% grade
5.9 mi
Shape
out-and-back
Managed by
U.S. Forest Service

Elevation profile

9,238 – 12,372 ft123456789

The climbing leans toward the final third: 46% of the ascent falls between mile 6.5 and mile 9.8. It gives back about 2,451 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.

3-D terrain

3-D terrain view of Rio Quemado

USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5

Reaches

Heads up

Stream ford: expect at least one unbridged crossing.
Terrain graded T3 (SAC scale) — exposed or hands-on hiking reported on part of this route.

Getting there

Rio Quemado Trailhead #5. About 1 h 13 min drive (22 mi, 9 of them unpaved) from Española. 35.97213, -105.74843 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:42 a.m., the sun rises at 7:08 a.m. and sets at 6:28 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:54 p.m. (MDT) — 11 h 20 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 19.5-mile round trip takes roughly 10 h 24 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 5:32 p.m. — 56 min before sunset.

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