The San Pedro Parks Wilderness is located in southern Rio Arriba County in northern New Mexico and part of the Santa Fe National Forest. It is in size. Elevations range from in the southwestern corner to at San Pedro Peaks near the center of the wilderness. Although the park's average elevation is over 10,000 ft, there are vast green forests, with several valleys dispersed throughout, these meadows are known as "parks", which are referred to in the title, "San Pedro Parks". While San Pedro Parks Wilderness is primarily used for hiking and camping, activities such as climbing, kayaking, and rafting are also popular, along with seasonal activities such as hunting and skiing.
History
In 1931, San Pedro Parks was designated a "Primitive Area" by the U.S. Forest Service. In 1965 it was accorded Wilderness status and protection. U.S. Wilderness Areas do not allow motorized or mechanized vehicles, including bicycles. Camping and fishing are allowed with proper permit, but no roads, buildings, logging, or mining are permitted. Wilderness areas within National Forests and Bureau of Land Management areas allow hunting in season
Topography, flora, and fauna
San Pedro Parks Wilderness is located in the Nacimiento Mountains, the western finger of the southernmost Rocky Mountains. The nearest town is Cuba, New Mexico. The wilderness is approximately by in size. Some of the hiking and horseback trails leading into the wilderness are steep but the heart of San Pedro Parks is a plateau, about five miles by six miles, at an elevation of 10,000 feet. Vegetation on the plateau consists of grassy meadows, called "parks," interspaced with forests of Engelmann spruce, other conifers, and Quaking Aspen. The plateau is laced with several small streams which support populations of Rio Grande cutthroat trout. San Pedro Peaks rises gently among the meadows to an elevation of feet. Wildflowers of many species abound. The meadows known as "parks" consist primarily of bluegrass, oat grass, sedge, rush, and Rocky Mountain iris. San Pedro Parks receives about of precipitation annually, making it one of the wettest areas of New Mexico. Snowfall is heavy in winter and snow cover persists until late May. Many of the meadows are boggy from the heavy precipitation. San Gregorio reservoir is an artificial lake about one-half mile long and one-half mile wide at an elevation of on the southern edge of the wilderness. Animals found in San Pedro Parks are typical of the southern Rocky Mountains: mule deer, black bear. wild turkey, and, especially, elk. A large herd of elk summers in the wilderness. In addition, as of 2004 there are 730 head of cattle that are permitted to graze inside San Pedro Parks.
About 100 miles of trails crisscross San Pedro Parks. The most popular is Vacas Trail, 7.5 miles long. The trailhead is on Forest Road 70 and the trail leads north past San Gregorio Lake and continues to San Pedro Park, the largest meadow in the wilderness. Vacas trail intersects many other trails. About 8 miles of the Continental Divide Trail passes through the northeastern part of the wilderness. Fishing for stocked rainbow and Rio Grandecutthroat trout is popular in the San Gregorio Lake and several small streams. Cross country skiing and snowshoeing are popular sports during the winter. In the fall, San Pedro Parks becomes a hunting ground, with hunters coming for elk, deer, bear, and grouse. During winter, the parks are open for snowshoeing and cross country skiing. Motorized and mechanized vehicles are prohibited throughout the wilderness.
Vacas Trail/San Gregorio Trailhead
Of all the trails in San Pedro Parks the Vacas trail is the most popular. Starting at the San Gregorio Trailhead, the Vacas trail is 10.69 miles to San Pedro Park, which is the largest "park" in the Santa FeNational Forest wilderness. The elevation at the San Gregorio Trailhead is approximately 9,000 ft, with the climb up to San Pedro Park being gradual. Along this trail there are several parks that appear as breaks from the primarily spruce vegetation.
