Dog Canyon
| People who take this hike are rewarded with views both distant and local. The distant views include White Sands, the Tularosa basin, and the Organ and San Andreas mountains. The more local views are the spectacular wildflowers, especially in the spring. If you hike all the way to the top, you have climbed the western escarpment of the Sacramento mountains, getting an excellent workout. As you climb, you are going going through rocks (primarily limestones) that get younger as you approach the top. About halfway up, you reach the cabin built by a rancher many years ago, providing a historical element to the hike. |
| Hike data | Waypoints | Maps | Getting to the trailhead | About the hike | Plants along the trail | Comments |
|
| Date: | 2006-04-02 | 2005-03-27 | 2005-03-20 |
| Time it took us: | 4:06 Round-trip upper trailhead to the cabin (about half the distance). | 5:14 Round-trip time Oliver Lee Memorial State Park to the cabin (about half the distance). | 4:43 Round-trip time Oliver Lee Memorial State Park to the cabin (about half the distance). |
| Usage (people/hour): | 0.00 | 3.33 | 10.70 |
| Cleanliness: | 10 | 9 0.38 pieces of litter per kilometer. | 9 One piece of litter. |
| Waypoint | Type | Description |
| 106TH | Trailhead | Upper trailhead for Dog Canyon |
| DOGCYNBCH1 | Trail point | First bench on the Dog Canyon trail |
| DOGCYNX1 | Trail junction | Junction where old and new trails separate |
| DOGCYNX2 | Trail junction | Junction where old and new trails rejoin |
| OLVRLEETH | Trailhead | Dog Canyon trailhead at Oliver Lee Memorial State Park |
| Map name | Cartographer | Year | Scale | Topo map? | Online access | Notes |
| Lincoln National Forest, Smokey Bear and Sacramento Ranger Districts | US Forest Service | 2007 | 1:126720 | N | From the National Forest Store (purchase) | Sacramento Ranger District |
| Wildernesses of New Mexico | US Forest Service | 1981 | 1:1000000 | N | No online copies. | Base map with national forests, wilderness areas and highways. |
To get to the lower trailhead, from Alamogordo take US 54 south from
the point where it crosses US 70. After about 12.6 miles, a sign
indicates the left turn to the park. This road dead-ends after about
3.9 miles at Oliver Lee Memorial State Park. The trailhead is behind
the visitor center (VC); walk as if you were going to enter the VC,
but instead of going in the door, continue past it, and the trailhead
is around the corner.
|  |
 | To get to the upper trailhead, from the north side of Alamogordo, take
US 82 toward Cloudcroft (you do not go all the way to Cloudcroft).
When you get to the town of High Rolls, look for the post office sign.
Just past this sign is Westside road. Turn right and set your trip
odometer to 0.
At 1.1 miles, the pavement ends. At 13.7 miles, A sign in the bushes
indicates that Burleson and Long Ridges are to the right. Go left,
since your destination is not on those ridges.
At 17.7 miles, you come to a sign indicating Joplin and Holder ridges
(90B and 90E). Go right, and then take the left of the two choices (90B).
At this point, the road is one lane wide; it is not heavily traveled,
so you are not likely to see other vehicles.
At around 20.1 miles, you see an unmarked trail to the right and signs
indicating you are still on 90B. This trail is not the one you want.
Continue on 90B. At 20.5 miles, a sign indicates trail 106 is on the
left. This is the trailhead. Just past the trailhead is an area where
you could park two vehicles.
You are likely to need a high clearance vehicle to make it to the upper
trailhead. The road was very rough and rutted when we drove it.
Allow plenty of time; expect to spent two hours to get from Oliver Lee
Memorial State Park to the upper trailhead.
|
 | The trail starts out climbing nearly immediately, and you are usually
hiking on bedrock. You will be taking several switchbacks as you climb.
|
As you hike this portion, keep your eye open for cactus, such as this
claret cup that was blooming in late March of 2005. At other times,
other cacti are likely to be blooming.
|  |
 | It does not take long before you start getting views. First of the park as a whole, and soon White Sands
and other areas in the Tularosa basin become visible.
|
When you have hiked around 0.5mi/0.9km, you arrive on the first bench
(GPS: DOGCYNBCH1),
and the trail levels out for a while. Many of the plants are different
up here; notice the new plants that have appeared in this area and the
others that you no longer see.
|  |
 | The aptly-named strawpile cactus looks like a pile of straw. You can
see them all over the hillside when the light is right.
|
This greenish-colored rock with dark intrusions is porphyritic andesite,
an igneous rock amongst all of the (sedimentary) limestone. You can
see lots of it around the 1-mile mark.
|  |
 | A bit more hiking, and the trail begins to climb again,
with the steepest part after the 1.75 mile marker.
Early in the climb, you come across a junction (GPS: DOGCYNX1). This is an
old version of the trail. The newer route is less steep, so go straight
instead of left. A sign also points the way and lets you know that you
are about a mile from the cabin. The old and new trails rejoin later
at DOGCYNX2.
|
After a climb roughly the same as the climb to the first bench, you
reach the second bench. The trail levels out as before. Again, some
of the vegetation is different on the bench from what you were seeing
as you climbed.
|  |
 | You still have excellent views into the Tularosa basin, but your
perspective chances as you get higher.
|
When the trail begins to descend, you get your first view of the cabin.
Also, in the larger version of this photo you can see the trail heading
away from the cabin, and then diagonaling up for the next climb.
|  |
 | The cabin and the stream make a nice resting place before either
continuing up to the top or returning to the lower trailhead.
|
From the cabin, the trail climbs, steeply at times. Parts of the trail
bear a resemblance to a staircase, with the rocks in the trail being
the stairs. The first mile or so from the cabin is the worst, as you
climb to the next bench level.
|  |
 | At times, the trail is narrow, and you are walking at the cliff base.
Other times it is slightly wider, as pictured here. Be careful, as
loose rocks can act like ball bearings.
|
In the larger version of this photo (click to see it), you can see the
trail across the far bench, descending to the cabin (in the valley),
and then the trail you have taken so far, climbing up and along
the base of the cliff in the left portion of the photo.
|  |
 | You do reach the next bench, and the trail levels out again. At this
point, while you still have plenty of climbing to do, the worst is done.
|
From up here, you can easily see to El Paso TX (around the south end of
the more distant mountains).
|  |
 | The climb to the next bench is much more gentle than any so far. We saw this donkey on the last bench. |
You have one more climb to do. If you have been hot, good news.
You are in a forest now, and the upper trailhead is not far away.
If you have set up to have a car at the top, you are done. Otherwise,
it is now time to do the trail in reverse. In either case, congratulate
yourself, as this was quite a climb.
|  |
Plants we saw along the trail:
Reader comments about this hike:
Add your comments about the Dog Canyon hike.
|
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Climbed to the cabin 2 years ago with my brother. It was approximately 3:30 PM, so we decided to head back down. This year my brother, 2 of my sisters, and my oldest daughter are going to attempt to make it to the top. I'll never forget the 1st 1/4 mile going up. I thought "gee will I make it all the way?" But the trail does mellow out as you get your hiking legs and lungs warmed up. Definitely a good strenuous hike with breathtaking views. On Sun Jul 15 17:20:48 2007 Kent Vaughn from El Paso, Texas said:
Took the Trail today (7/15/07) and had a good time. It does have some steep vertical climbs in sections, so depending upon your shape, take your time. I started very early to beat the heat. I didn't quite make it to the ranch due to the time, but went about 2.25miles. Just a beautiful hike. There are warnings about rattlesnakes and I know some folks have seen them on these trails, so keep a close lookout. Due to the steep nature of the trails it would be best if you hiked with someone else. I went by myself and was wondering exactly what I would do if I got injured or bit by a rattlesnake! Anyway, great hike. On Mon Mar 3 07:41:23 2008, Keiko from Albuquerque said:
We found the trail well marked and easy to follow, though it was a tough climb, especially at the start and finish. Round-trip to the vista (9 miles) took us 7 hours, with a short lunch stop. Treacherous at points, but well worth it. Just bring plenty of water, even in winter, and wear sunscreen. On Sun Sep 7 19:55:03 2008 michal from Cloudcroft, nm said:
,,,did the hike last week with a visting friend from Tucson. nice early start at Oliver Lee,combined with cloud cover, gave us great weather. the canyon filled with drifting clouds for great view accents. We hiked briskly up to mile post 3.5 and back in about 3 hours. I was blown away by the setting. It is an exceptional hike. The upper trail now goes all the way up to Sunspot, to the very top of the mountain over 9,000 feet. It is steep up there, over 1,000 feet per mile and grades over 40% at some points... but if anyone is looking for an extra challenge, the car shuttle is all on paved roads, and you end right at the observatory! On Fri Jun 12 11:16:41 2009 Lori from MA said:
Two companions and I hiked to the cabin in early April. It was a great hike with awesome views in the distance and beautiful plants to see close up. With less than a year's experience in hiking this trail was both challenging and rewarding for me. Someday I'd like to go back and do the entire trail. I would recommend this trail with the caution to bring plenty of water and wear sturdy hiking boots. On Sun Feb 21 08:07:36 2010 Anonymous from Somewhere said:
After hiking to the cabin with my husband, we took our daughters back for a full hike to the top. Gorgeous, but I ended up with some angry teenagers. We were all sore for days. Great memory though! On Thu Mar 18 22:36:41 2010 Anonymous from Somewhere said:
I orginally went on this hike in the summer and only made to 3.25 miles because of a late start. I was determined to finish the hike so I went another day with a friend. Unfortunetly, we went blindly not knowing how far the hike really was. we kept hoping it was going to go down to the bottom when we hit the 4 mile mark. Nope, somehow we managed to keep going up until finally we reached the 5.5 mile mark and then the path disappeared. finally decided to go back down still wondering if there was more to see. When we got to the bottom we realized the hike really was 5.5 miles one-way. It would've been nice to notice the sign before hand instead looking around to see if there was a path passed the snow and mud. I'm just happy to say that I actually finished the hike and got past the cabin. And it was well worth it. On Sat Oct 8 19:26:31 2011 mike T from Kaneohe, HI said:
A truly awesome hike! Got to the "eyebrow" above the cabin, where the combination of narrow path, steep side-slope and precipitous dropoff to one side spooked me and turned me around. Am dying to have another try at it (with car awaiting at the top). Even so, just to the cabin is a truly grand and memorable hike! On Fri Dec 16 14:34:17 2011 Tom Burke from new port richey fl said:
It was 1967 I was stationed in Holloman AFB, Often when time permitted me and a buddy would clime it a lot and photograpg it,to my memory thert were large swearls & caverns formed during the Ice age. It was rumored there was a pasage way to the top (Known only by the Apachies)when the Calvery would chase them across the red sands they would lead them into the canyon scale to the top and push rocks & bolders to the incomming troops.