New Mexico trails · Sierra Mosca
Sierra Mosca
A 11.2-mile out-and-back in New Mexico, with 4,170 ft of climbing. Reaches Sierra Mosca Trick Tank and other lake/summit destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Length
11.2 mi
Elevation gain
4,170 ft
Difficulty
Expert
Max grade
29%
Steepest mile
+879 ft
Tread at ≥10% grade
4.8 mi
Shape
out-and-back
Managed by
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation profile
The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Sierra Mosca Trick Tank (lake)
- Sierra Mosca (summit)
Heads up
Stream ford: expect at least one unbridged crossing.
Terrain graded T2 (SAC scale).
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:07 a.m., the sun rises at 6:33 a.m. and sets at 7:32 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:58 p.m. (MDT) — 12 h 58 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 22.4-mile round trip takes roughly 12 h 28 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 7:01 p.m. — 31 min before sunset.
Nearby trails
- Rio Quemado — 3.4 mi
- Sky Line — 6.9 mi
- Beattys — 7.8 mi
- Winsor — 8.9 mi