December 27, 2005

We joined Lynn and Norbert Ensslin, Lorilee and Roger Rumsey, Stephanie and Al Bouchier, and Dennis Brandt, all close friends from Los Alamos, for a day hike in the gorgeous White Rock Canyon below White Rock, NM.  White Rock is a suburb of Los Alamos, and only minutes from the one thousand foot deep canyon that was carved by the Rio Grande.  Dennis Brandt was our tour guide for the trip, as he knew where to find dozens of well preserved indian ruins and petroglyphs.  These ruins are from the early pueblo indians of the area who were related to the Anasazi.

Dennis Brandt was our guide to some of the many treasures
 in White Rock Canyon along the Rio Grand river near Los Alamos.

The ruins we found were obviously not designed for living accommodations, but instead for for agriculture.  We found small living quarters that appeared to be used by men who guarded the agricultural areas and animal pens.  We found long walls, storage areas, and petroglyphs.  These indians apparently lived in nearby pueblos.

Our  8 to 9 mile, 5 1/2 hour, hike started at the Powerline Mesa pullout along SR4, and ended at the Red Dot Trailhead at La Senda Park.  The trail was indistinct and un-maintained until we got to the Red Dot Trail that lead us out.  Cairns were infrequent as well.  The archeological points of interest were mostly scattered along the River Trail which roughly parallels the Rio Grande.

Hiking  and Shuttle Details:

This hike is a one way hike that requires a vehicle at the starting point, a vehicle at the finishing point, and a shuttle to retrieve the vehicle left at the start of the hike; thus a minimum of two people and two vehicles are required.

Positioning your Shuttle vehicle

From the SR 4 / Pajarito Road intersection, drive south (toward Bandelier) on SR 4, turn left (east) on Piedra Loop and drive to the Red Dot Trailhead at La Senda Park at the bottom of the hill.  Park a vehicle here and drive another vehicle to the Powerline Mesa pullout (the hikes starting point).

SR 4 to Powerline Mesa to White Rock Canyon Rim
 to Rio Grande ~ 3 miles

From the SR 4 / Pajarito Road intersection, drive south (toward Bandelier) for 3.3 miles.  Gate # 4 is on the left.  Park here and begin the hike.  Follow this road (more like a trail now) for 2 miles to the canyon rim, then drop down on a steep loose trail to the river (~ 1 mile).  The Rio Grande is a narrow ribbon of water 1000 feet below the rim.

River Trail  to Pajarito Springs ~ 3 to 4 miles

The River Trail  doesn't really follow the river, but meanders over hill and dale among boulders and cactus.  The non-maintained trail is only kept open because a few hardy hikers venture forth each year.  Follow the river north for 3 to 4 miles.  Most of the artifacts that we saw were along this section of the hike.  When you come to a stream that is flowing into the Rio, you have found Pajarito Springs.

Pajarito Springs / Rio Grande confluence to La Senda Park
(River to Rim on the Red Dot Trail) ~ 2 miles

Follow Pajarito Springs upstream looking for red dots of paint that mark the Red Dot Trail which will take you to the top of the canyon, and your shuttle car.  The canyon is 700 feet deep here and the trail is very steep and rocky the entire way up.  There are petroglyphs along the trail which most people miss because they concentrate on each step.  At the top you will cross La Senda Park and find your shuttle car which will be used to retrieve your other car from the Powerline Mesa parking pullout.