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New Mexico trails · Wheeler Peak/Bull Of The Woods

Wheeler Peak/Bull Of The Woods

A 7.4-mile out-and-back in New Mexico, with 3,726 ft of climbing. Reaches Wheeler Peak and other summit destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.

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Length
7.4 mi
Elevation gain
3,726 ft
Difficulty
Expert
Max grade
25%
Steepest mile
+787 ft
Tread at ≥10% grade
4.9 mi
Shape
out-and-back
Managed by
U.S. Forest Service

Elevation profile

9,428 – 13,155 ft1234567

The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It climbs almost continuously, with little descent to recover on.

3-D terrain

3-D terrain view of Wheeler Peak/Bull Of The Woods

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

Reaches

Heads up

Stream ford: expect at least one unbridged crossing.
Terrain graded T2 (SAC scale).

Getting there

BULL OF WOODS/WHEELER — parking nearby. About 46 min drive (22 mi) from Taos. 36.59701, -105.44901 · 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 6:27 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:53 p.m. (MDT) — 11 h 19 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 14.8-mile round trip takes roughly 9 h 13 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 4:20 p.m. — 2 h 06 min before sunset.

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