Just back from Dog Canyon

[dave2]

Took my first trip to Dog Canyon last week, and I really enjoyed the solitude. The campsite is more remote than Pine Springs, no highway noise, few other campers, just the mountains and the clouds pouring off of them.  On Monday, May 14, we went up the Tejas trail to Mescalero with full packs. The 4.8 mile hike took me seven hours, but it was mostly a uphill climb.  We were going to do a second night at McKit but rain was on the way so we dropped the packs at the trail intersection and went about a mile up the McKit trail to get a good view of the canyon: really beautiful.  Then it was back down to Dog Canyon; we reached the base camp just as the rain set in.  I was really glad not to be hiking down the mountains in the rain. The next day was cool, misting, and cloudy, but we went about 2.5 miles up the Bush Mountain trail to the ridge. Really great hiking.  Overally, I highly recommend the Dog Canyon area.  Ranger Carver is a great talker, so friendly, and I plan to go again.  However, this may have been my last 4.8 miles uphill with a full pack. I have learned my limits and plan more modest trips in the coming years.

[mountaindocdanny]

I'm glad you enjoyed your trip. That is a pretty relentless climb out of Dog Canyon. I did that trip as an overnighter to the Mescalero site a few years ago with my oldest (then two) on my back. After reaching the campsite I was really concerned that I would be too sore to walk back out the next day. Fortunately, God takes pity on fools and we did fine. Did you see any lion tracks or turkey? That area is just crawling with wildlife.

[dave2]

Did not see any mountain lions or turkey. But there was a lot of scat, most likely lion and then fox, on the trail itself. I'm sure it was a dominance marking issue.  We did see lots of deer and many wonderful birds.  There wasn't anything out there but the wildife and us.  Very remote camping and very beautiful.

[bdann]

any photos?

[dave2]

Have photos, will try to figure out how to post them, but I'm not really computer oriented.

[Boot Canyon 1 Cougar]

dave2, sounds like you had a great experience.

Did the folks you spoke with indicate whether the area has received above average rainfall this year?

How did you reach Dog Canyon from the main road?  How long did it take from the main highway?

When I hiked up Bear Canyon a few years ago, I came back with similar insight.  I think I traveled at about the same speed, over a shorter trail--and swore to pare down the contents of my backpack.

I'm looking forward to the photos.  Thanks for the report.

[dkerr24]

I know this is an ancient thread, but can anyone who has been to Dog Canyon tell me if the main road there is paved?  I was thinking about heading out there in May, but I'll be driving my Toyota Matrix, which is not capable of any off-paved road outings.

[oldfatman]

Dkerr,
I think you are underestimating your Matrix.  I drove a Camry of the older vintage that had only 4 inches of clearance all over the northwest in wa, or, id, nv and montana.  Almost anyroad they ran a grader down once in awhile was good enough for the Camry.  I took a Saturn sl1 4 door sedan that bumped bottom gently a few times down the Maverick road in Bibe.  The whole key is go slow.  Neither of these cars had less than 100k miles when I changed vehicles and neither had any repairs done to them.  Twice I had to turn around with the Camry because of a long stretch of softball to basketball rocks in the road.  Once in awhile I did stop and move a rock or two.  What I found is that either car went anywhere I really had any business going by myself.  The guys I worke with at the time called my Camry the OFM atv.  I did get hit in the Camry by a softball size rock coming of the Bitteroot mtns in Idaho. Three weeks ago as I left Grapevine hills trailhead. some fools in a nissan sentra were coming in to the area at I guess 30+ mph, slinging rocks and bouncing all over the road.  That kind of driving will kill a car. I have been asking about the dog canyon road among the RV folks and to a person they said that cars will not normally have any trouble getting to Dog Canyon in Gumo, but you will need to go slow.  I hope this helps.  The worst you would have to do is turn around and go to Pine Springs or pull off in the Lincoln Forest as you go through it.

[dkerr24]

Thank you for the quick reply.  My Matrix is the XR version with the ground effects, so I doubt I have but maybe 3 inches of clearance due to the extra plastic hanging down.  I have to even be a bit cautious here in town with steep driveways and I can't pull up to curbs without scraping.

So I take it that Hwy 137 is dirt/gravel all the way from Carlsbad?  As far as MapQuest is concerned, the road doesn't even exist. 

Some idiot in a Ford Focus was doing the same thing on the dirt road headed to the hot springs in BIBE.  He roared past me doing about 30mph.  I was in a rental Toyota Highlander creeping along at maybe 5mph.  Slow n easy is my motto.

[aggiehiker]

My first trip up Tejas was a killer with an 85# pack. I'll never do that again!! We had been up to Guad Pk and down as an overnighter. We then headed up Tejas to do 5 days up there. It rained for three days, then a ranger came and told us to get off because an ice storm was coming. We headed on down to BiBe and spent 3 days in the Chisos. Since then, I've stuck to Colorado for my multiday backpacking trips-there's water everywhere!

[okiehiker]

You should be able to take just about any vehicle to Dog Canyon.

You will find that 137 (Queens Highway) is paved except the last (it has been several years since I have been there) but I am going to say nine miles.  The highway up by the Guadalupe Christian Camp used to be an airstrip almost 2 miles long!  I have landed there several times, but the last attempt nearly ended in disaster.  

We were flying in on a July day, my cousins blocked off the highway.  It was 119 degrees, the hottest day in NM history, and there were wildifires all over the Guadalupes.  It was two of my cousin's wedding anniversaries,  they both got married on July 4th, about three years apart.  The state highway dept. had put up a bunch of new road signs right on the edge of the pavement, but had left up the windsock!  We were about thirty feet off the ground and realized that the wings probably would not fit between the signs!  

The engine was overheating and we had to abort to Carlsbad.  It was absolutely insane!  ]

However, driving to Dog Canyon in just about any vehicle is not insane.

Be nice, that last nine miles is my family's ranch.  Their name is Hughes.  It was homesteaded by my great uncle Sam Hughes 99 years ago.  His three sons ranched it for years and now their sons are there.  You cannot imagine the hair-brained things people do on their property since they have become neighbors to a national park.

Have a great trip!

[dkerr24]

Thanks for the update, Okie!  I'll be on my best behavior while there.  I'm really nit picky about my Toyota (my wife will attest to that... haha), probably will just park on the other side at Pine Springs and do a backpacking trip over several days that takes me over to Dog Canyon and back.

Definitely will throw in a dayhike to the top of Guadalupe Peak for good measure. :)

I don't have anything planned definitely yet, but the GUMO area looks like another area I'd like to see for the first time.  Doubt the wife will be interested in going on a desert/mountain hike again so soon.

[presidio]

I know this is an ancient thread, but can anyone who has been to Dog Canyon tell me if the main road there is paved?  I was thinking about heading out there in May, but I'll be driving my Toyota Matrix, which is not capable of any off-paved road outings.

The road from Carlsbad is paved all the way into the park. The road from Dell City is a very well maintained, wide, county gravel road on which you can easily do 70 if your skills are up to the loose surface. However, don't, because every so often, when you least expect it there is a dip that will launch you if going that fast. Otherwise, it's as smooth as pavement.

[presidio]

You will find that 137 (Queens Highway) is paved except the last (it has been several years since I have been there) but I am going to say nine miles.

Nope....137 is all paved now and has been for quite a long time.

[okiehiker]

That probably pissed of my cousins. 

When the park was formed they tried to condemn their driveway to make a road in to Dog Canyon.  The NPS lost that battle as well as several others with the family.  I think things have settled down considerably since those days, but the tourists can still be annoying from time to time.