Last week, after 17 hours straight of driving, Thrillbilly and I decided to stretch our legs before rolling into Albuquerque. Since he’s a native New Mexican and knows all the cool hidden gems, he choose the perfect place (if a bit off the beaten path): the San Lorenzo Canyon.
Located near Socorro, New Mexico, the San Lorenzo Canyon can be accessed by a hard-packed dirt road. We had an AWD, but it’s been done in much wimpier cars. There are no facilities or parking lots or anything like that; it’s co-managed by Fish and Wildlife and the BLM and is a primitive area.
We were the only ones there on that Sunday morning, so we had the canyon to ourselves to explore. We hiked into cool shaded tunnel-like areas in the inner canyon, scampered up slopes, and climbed atop hoodoos (it’s a legit geological term, look it up). It was really hot – it is the desert, after all – and we were glad we remembered water and sunscreen.
We saw beautiful cacti and lots of lizards, yucca and lovely dead cholla. We spent a couple hours exploring and then had to reluctantly head back to civilization.
I won’t write too many details in this review, because I really think it’s a magical place you should explore for yourself. I’ll caution you to bring water and sunscreen, and watch for rattlesnakes. Be careful climbing, and take a buddy with you. And a camera. 🙂
