ABOUT
Jemez Adventures (JA) was formed to provide guidance and travel/action tips aimed at fishing, hiking, camping and mountain drives in the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico.
This includes books and map-packs with detailed information about adventures in the Jemez Mountains. Started to enlist friends of the Jemez and help outdoors people find fishing locations and tips for catching Jemez trout, JA has expanded to include guidance on Short Hikes in the Jemez Mountains, Famous Jemez Drives. We continue to update our guides, most recently publishing A Brief Guide to Fishing the Jemez.
THE JEMEZ ADVENTURES
STORY
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The Mountains
The Jemez Mountains are one of the truly wild places left in the southern Rockies. A small mountain range (roughly 70 miles N-S by 60 miles E-W) the Jemez is primarily public land. Public access is through the Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF) West, the Valles Caldera National Preserve, Bandelier National Monument, Fenton Lake State Park, San Pedro Parks Wilderness, Dome Wilderness, and Bandelier Wilderness. There are two small lakes, Fenton and San Gregorio, and Mckinney Pond all with public access, the latter two require some hiking to reach. On the Jemez perimeter there are two major reservoirs – Abiquiu on the Chama River and Cochiti on the Rio Grande. The Jemez has over 25 small trout streams, over 20 forest hiking trails, a dozen organized campgrounds, and is crisscrossed by forest roads that are the key to accessing the back country. These and other public recreational opportunities attract fishers, hikers, sightseers, and campers. These recreation resources are rarely crowded – but when they are, there are always options to find a similar location within a short drive.
Getting to the Jemez—Paved routes for getting to the Jemez include:
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From Albuquerque and Bernalillo - I-25 to US 550 to NM 4 in San Ysidro going north to Jemez Springs, the Valles Caldera, Jemez Falls, and State and Forest Service campgrounds.
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From Santa Fe - US 84 to NM 501 to NM 4 in White Rock (where buses take visitors into the Bandelier Monument).
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From Cuba - US 550 to NM 126 and on to FR 70 (San Pedro Parks Wilderness) and FR 20 (Rio de Las Vacas) or Clear Creek and Las Vacas campgrounds
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From Youngsville - NM 96 from Cuba or Abiquiu Dam to Forest Roads 100 & 99 for the Canones National Recreation Trail and lots of dispersed camping areas.
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From Espanola - NM 30 to NM 502 to the Tsankawi Ruins, and via NM 502 on to Los Alamos museums and trails.
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From Los Alamos - A Jemez city with museums, trails, and an atomic history. The Jemez high country is reached from NM 501 to NM 4, going west NM 4 climbs steeply with hairpin turns and leads to the Valles Caldera National Preserve and Bandelier Wilderness. Go east on NM 4 to the Bandelier National Monument and White Rock.