My bestie and I went on a little adventure for my birthday weekend – snowshoeing in Santa Fe on the Big Tesuque Trail!

We headed out to the Santa Fe National Forrest. We had a non-four wheel drive car so we drove up until the roads got a little slick.

That put us at the Big Tesuque Trail. It was cold and semi-cloudy and the clouds were rolling by fast. Luckily it had snowed the week before so we knew we’d have snow on the trail.

The Big Tesuque Trail

Just a short distance up the trail (it’s uphill going in), we suddenly felt we were all alone in the woods.  We stopped for a moment to look at all of the trees that were lying on the ground. It looked like a giant game of pick up sticks. I also took a quick video of that beautiful sound of quiet and wind. 

We snowshoed up the trail (it’s about a mile long) until it connected with Tesuque Creek Trail, which is an old road, and then hiked up for another mile. The trail was really easy to follow and there were a few others enjoying the trail with their dogs, and we had some cross-country skiers whiz past us on their way down the old road, which kind of made me wish I had skis. 

The gear

In case you’re thinking about snowshoes, Rebecca and I both own Atlas snowshoes. The right snowshoes for you are ones that are made for your weight – so make sure to check out the weight limits on the different shoes. If you’re not ready to buy, you can also rent snowshoes from many REI locations (including Santa Fe). You can also rent from Routes in Albuquerque.

Real Hot Chocolate

Once we finished our beautiful hike, we had to stop at Kakawa Chocolate House in Santa Fe because nothing’s better after a cold hike than a cup of real hot chocolate! 

I hope you get out, explore, and adventure this winter!