Los Alamos Side of the River
There are three trailheads on the Los Alamos side of White Rock Canyon that offer access to the River Trail which runs along the river from Buckman down to the outflow of Frijoles Canyon. The Blue Dot, Red Dot, and Powerline Mesa/Ancho Rapids trails are very strenuous. Each involves a ~1000 foot descent to get down to the river and a corresponding ~1000 foot ascent to get back out to your vehicle. Approach these hikes with caution.

Each of the three access trails has its unique attractions. The Blue Dot Trail ends at a natural spring (“Spring 3”) which is particularly verdant. It is the furthest upstream of the trailheads and offers the easiest access to the County Line Bosque, the best cottonwood/riparian habitat within the count circle.

The Red Dot Trail passes through Pajarito Spring just before reaching the river. This is the largest spring in White Rock Canyon and features significant year-round running water (excellent habitat for American Dipper) and a very lush riparian habitat. Just upstream of the intersection of the Red Dot Trail and River Trails is another natural spring (“Spring 4”) which offers additional opportunities for thick riparian habitat.

The Powerline Mesa Trail begins with two miles of mesa-top piñon/juniper habitat followed by the Ancho Rapids Trail which drops steeply down into White Rock Canyon. This is the longest and least-visited access to the river, but it ends at Ancho Rapids which is one of the best spots for American Dipper in the count circle, and also the outflow of the stream from Ancho Spring–the second largest spring in White Rock Canyon. The stream between the spring and the river sports a very lush riparian habitat that is excellent for birding year-round. The Powerline Mesa Trailhead is the furthest downstream of the trailheads and offers the easiest access to Spring 9 (just upstream of the outflow of Chaquehui Canyon) and the outflow of Frijoles Canyon, both of which are seldom visited but excellent for birding.

Santa Fe Side of the River
Coming from the Santa Fe side of the river has the advantage of Buckman Road, allowing for 2WD vehicle access all the way to the river without having to hike down 1,000′ from the canyon rim. There is a trail heading upstream from Buckman that passes through a number of dense riparian vegetation areas, the best of which are immediately north of Buckman. The trail continues upstream for two miles at which point it leaves the count circle (N 35.858939° W 106.155563°). This trail contains the best birding on the Santa Fe side of the river and should be the priority if there is only one Santa Fe side field team.

Downstream of Buckman there is an old dirt road that works its way along the river up above the riparian habitat for approximately three miles. There are a couple of places along this road where it is possible to work down to the river and explore the riparian vegetation directly. Also, there is a reasonably large riparian area at the very end of the road where it comes back down to the side of the river. The road is the easiest way in the River Region to pick up considerable pinyon-juniper habitat coverage without terribly strenuous hiking. It is possible to bushwack downstream beyond the end of the road at least as far as the power lines, but this is very strenuous and makes for a very long hike indeed.

There is a second point of access into the Santa Fe County portion of the circle, and that is the power line access road on Chino Mesa. This should be a very low priority for the Santa Fe side, but if there is someone with a good 4WD vehicle who likes scoping the river, this could be an excellent place to put them.

The Rio Grande Trail is a proposed long-distance trail along the Rio Grande in New Mexico. The river extends over 1,800 total miles, some 700 miles of which pass through the heart of New Mexico. It is the state’s primary drainage feature and most valuable natural and cultural resource. The river and its bosque provide a wide variety of recreation, including hunting and fishing, birdwatching, river rafting, hiking, biking, and horseback riding. The river also flows through or beside numerous spectacular and geologically interesting landforms, the result of extensive volcanism and erosion of the valley within the Rio Grande Rift. Although some trail advocates would like to see the trail extended the full distance through New Mexico, from the Colorado border to the United States–Mexico border, the portion proposed for initial development extends 300 miles, from Bernalillo south to Las Cruces.