Wheeler Peak

Activity Type: Hiking
Nearby City: Taos
Length: 15 totalmiles
Elevation Gain: 3,771 feet
Trail Type: Out-​and-​back
Skill Level: Strenuous
Duration: Day hike or overnight
Season: June through October
Trailhead Elevation: 9,390 feet
Top Elevation: 13,161 feet
Wheeler Peak lies in the center of the small 19,000-acre Wheeler Peak Wilderness. Several other of New Mexico’s highest peaks lie in and around the wilderness. The peaks and ridges are one of the few areas in New Mexico with extensive amounts of alpine tundra vegetation. The glacial cirques on the slopes of the peaks contain many natural alpine lakes. Snowfields remain year round. Be sure to get a very early start on this hike. To minimize problems with storms, you ideally want to be on the summit before noon. Snow flurries are possible even in mid-​summer. Be sure to take rain gear and extra warm clothing. Lightning and hypothermia are real threats on Wheeler Peak and the exposed summit ridge. Special attractions: Alpine terrain; tremendous views from New Mexico’s highest peak.