Journey to Nambe Lake: Conquering Trails in the Santa Fe National Forest

Ever wonder what it feels like to conquer a trail that challenges both your body and soul? Strap on your boots and join me, Craig the Natural Medic, as I recount an unforgettable hike to Nambe Lake nestled in the heart of the Santa Fe National Forest. Starting from the Pecos Wilderness boundary, this journey takes you through idyllic aspen forests and along the serene Rio Nambe, offering a slice of nature's purest beauty. Along the way, I'll share the trials of the steep climb, the enchanting sounds of rushing water, and the unexpected snow patches we found in mid-June. 

Feel the exhilaration as we reach Nambe Lake, surrounded by majestic cliffs at an elevation of 11,300 feet. The adventure doesn’t end there; on our descent, we catch mesmerizing views of Santa Fe Baldy, the county’s highest peak. Whether you’re a seasoned hiker or an avid nature lover, this episode promises to transport you to the wild, offering a refreshing escape that’s both challenging and rewarding. So, are you ready to embark on this scenic adventure with me? Let’s get started!

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Hey, welcome. This is Craig, the Natural Medic at the Santa Fe ski area, just outside of Santa Fe, new Mexico, in mid-June 2024, hiking up to Namby Lake Definitely an elevation here. You can hear me puffing, and it's about a six and a half mile round trip. It should be a beautiful, beautiful hope you'll join me today on the way to Namby Lake. Okay, about 0.9 miles in at the Pecos Wilderness boundary and headed further into Namby Lake. That first part of the climb was pretty tough, about five to six hundred feet of elevation. But keep on going with me. Okay, to get to this point where Nambi Lake is to my left, I had to hike about 2.4 miles Through an aspen forest here with some intermixed firs. It's a nice, cool day Trail continues this way. Let's see where it takes us. Okay, sticking to the Rio Nambe, which is over here. You can hear it running. The trail kind of roughly follows that up this ridge line to Nambe Lake. Hopefully won't be too bad of a climb to continue up to the lake. When you're going to Nambe Lake there's a couple places you have to cross to the Rio Puerco or the Rio Nambe. I never wish to do this, so I'm going to do that here we go. Oh, yeah, made it. Okay long climb to this meadow over here. Look at this beautiful view though. So pretty, and even though it's june, there's still snow. Wow, beautiful day, beautiful day for a hike.

Speaker 1: 1:59

Okay, after three plus hours of walking, almost three and three-quarter miles, made it to Namby Lake. It's a beautiful lake, as you can see behind me, surrounded by sheer mountain cliffs. Here there's some trees, of course too, but lots of snow that's hanging on. But lots of snow that's hanging on, and it's amazing to me for June. But we are pretty high up at about 11,300 feet in the Sangre de Cristo's Pecos Wilderness, santa Fe National Forest. Obviously, the Nambe maybe not obviously, but I'm going to tell you. So it's obvious. The Nambe Lake, probably fed mostly by snowmelt, feeds Rio Nambe, which we had to cross several times to get up here. Here it is going downhill further towards the Windsor Trail, and what a lovely sound it makes Now to walk back to the parking lot on the Windsor Trail. Let's do it. Yeah, there's lots of trails that crisscross up here to go to Nambe Lake, but if you follow the Rio Nambe, generally speaking, there are trails beside it that will lead you out. If, in doubt. Follow the water. I'll take you back to the Windsor Trail. Beautiful, though, lots of water, all right.

Speaker 1: 3:37

That big mountain we see as we're coming down is called Santa Fe Baldy. Obviously I don't have to guess too much about why it's called that. That's the highest peak in Santa Fe County, new Mexico, at a little over 12,000 feet. I don't know the exact number. I'll correct it in post, but there it is, right behind these trees. Here I'll see if I can get a better view when I walk down the hill here. It's on my list to climb A hike. I equate climb to hike. I'm not really a climber Like a rock climber. There it is back there behind the trees. You probably have seen it before if you've watched my channel for a long time, because at the other side of it is Lake Catherine.

Speaker 1: 4:24

Finally made it through back to the wilderness gate here. This is the boundary line of the Pecos Wilderness here near the Santa Fe ski area. Just remember that no mechanized equipment in there, including drones, bicycles, things like that. There is a gate here to pass through on my right that if you have livestock or pack stock, rather that, you can pack through, and there's a pass-through corridor for hikers not required that you sign the log sheet, but it does help them keep count in case something does happen, and they probably use it for visitation as well.

Speaker 1: 4:59

Okay, so just finished the nambi trail, or nambi Lake trail, and it took about six hours around seven and a half miles round trip. You're doing a lot of uphill on your way to Nambi Lake and I was still surprised that there was snow up there, hey. But if you like this video, make sure to give it a thumbs up and think about subscribing to the channel if you like content like this. This is a lovely part of the world to go explore and I hope to see you out on the trail. Until then, I'll see you. Make sure to leave a comment below If you have a practice area or you have questions, etc. Until next time, see you down the trail.