Guadalupe County Highpoint Trip Report
Date: December 6, 2007
Author: Jack Shiver
Trip reports up to now have described access to this HP from the south but it
can be reached from the north as well. From I-40 take Exit 243, Milagro.
The exit leads to a gravel road -- called "Mesa de Leon Rd" -- which heads south.
This road (also known as County Road 4AA) is wide and well maintained and I
easily clipped along at 45-50 mph, climbing steep hills and dropping sharply
into canyons through stands of Juniper.
At mile 1.4 comes the village of Milagro on the right and at mile 3.4 is the
intersection with Milagro Road. At 9.25 miles you'll come to a brand new bridge
over a deep arroyo, and at mile 11 the road bends 90 degrees east, then south
again. Continue south, passing junctions to various ranch roads. At mile 21 is
another sharp bend east and at 21.6 as the road heads south again is elevation
point 5,826. Instead of following the road as it goes south, turn left (north)
here onto a bumpy twin-track road. Go north for 0.6 mile to, yes, a locked gate.
This is where you park.
Cross under the barbed wire fence just east of the gate and head toward the mesa.
There is a seldom-used ranch road that leads to the center of the mesa
but I elected to hike cross-country in a straight line and scale the mesa at its
southwest corner. The ascent was maybe 340 feet but it was a workout. Once on
the plateau I headed east-northeast and located the eastern HP after a half-hour
of searching. It's not difficult to find because all one has to do is keep
looking for high ground. The wooden structure at the HP has collapsed and the
cairn appears to be no more than half its original height. There was no
register but a colony of deer mice had set up house under the wood.
The western HP is still recognizable but just barely. The cairn has been cast
down and there's little other evidence that anyone was ever there. The Topo
shows a road threading along the mesa but it is long since unused and is now
only a place where the grass does not grow. This mesa is a botanist's dream.
Owing to a lack of cattle and a heavier rainfall than the surrounding flatlands,
the trees are more numerous and much heartier here than down below. I saw 30-foot
junipers and strapping, healthy 40-foot piņons. A beautiful place.
After the 2nd -- unofficial -- HP I headed to my truck.
Total distance 5.4 miles. Elevation change 600 feet. Hiking time was 2.5 hours.