Dona Ana Mountains - Right Through the Range

The trail starts off of North Jornada Road off of Hwy 70 on the edge of Las Cruces. This road is also known as the Chihuahua Nature Trail. 3-4 dirt roads off of Jornada lead into heart of ...

2008-06-29T15:39:29Z

Desert Gallery
The trail starts off of North Jornada Road off of Hwy 70 on the edge of Las Cruces. This road is also known as the Chihuahua Nature Trail. 3-4 dirt roads off of Jornada lead into heart of ...

There is the range in the distance with a small portion of the panarama at their feet in view.

2008-06-29T15:39:29Z

Desert Gallery
There is the range in the distance with a small portion of the panarama at their feet in view.

A sense of excitement slowly builds as you work your way slowly down the dirt trail, thereby growing closer and closer to the range.

2008-06-29T15:39:29Z

Desert Gallery
A sense of excitement slowly builds as you work your way slowly down the dirt trail, thereby growing closer and closer to the range.

When you come to the power line road, turn right and follow it. There are a couple of faily stiff and rocky hills ahead, but nothing to bang up the underside of your jeep.

2008-06-29T15:39:29Z

Desert Gallery
When you come to the power line road, turn right and follow it. There are a couple of faily stiff and rocky hills ahead, but nothing to bang up the underside of your jeep.

A sense of isolation will come over you at about this point if you are alone. It will be a long walk indeed on a hot day back to Jornada Road and then another few miles to civilization. Be ...

2008-06-29T15:39:29Z

Desert Gallery
A sense of isolation will come over you at about this point if you are alone. It will be a long walk indeed on a hot day back to Jornada Road and then another few miles to civilization. Be ...

There is a better view into the valley looking back down the trail I had taken.

2008-06-29T15:39:29Z

Desert Gallery
There is a better view into the valley looking back down the trail I had taken.

You will be driving right up next to peaks like this in just a few more minutes.

2008-06-29T15:39:29Z

Desert Gallery
You will be driving right up next to peaks like this in just a few more minutes.

There's a picture post card moment that jumped right out of the camera when I got home. I wish I had had the discipline to break out the tripod and do justice to some of these scenes, but I ...

2008-06-29T15:39:29Z

Desert Gallery
There's a picture post card moment that jumped right out of the camera when I got home. I wish I had had the discipline to break out the tripod and do justice to some of these scenes, but I ...

The powerlines make a loud crackling sound when you are close to them. At one point I stopped the jeep and turned off the motor to identify the cricket like noises outside. The sound was s ...

2008-06-29T15:39:29Z

Desert Gallery
The powerlines make a loud crackling sound when you are close to them. At one point I stopped the jeep and turned off the motor to identify the cricket like noises outside. The sound was s ...

This hill is nothing in the way of a challenge until you get close to the top where there are a number of potholes and small sized rocks on the trail. At that point the roadbed is nothing b ...

2008-06-29T15:39:29Z

Desert Gallery
This hill is nothing in the way of a challenge until you get close to the top where there are a number of potholes and small sized rocks on the trail. At that point the roadbed is nothing b ...

This is just on the other side of the descent back down to the other side of the range after the trail passes through a narrow canyon. It's the same type of rocky surface as one has to take ...

2008-06-29T15:39:29Z

Desert Gallery
This is just on the other side of the descent back down to the other side of the range after the trail passes through a narrow canyon. It's the same type of rocky surface as one has to take ...

It's one scene after another one, all just as stunning as this one. Almost every time you look around something new has come into view.

2008-06-29T15:39:29Z

Desert Gallery
It's one scene after another one, all just as stunning as this one. Almost every time you look around something new has come into view.

The jeep now has a winch and a plough like device called a Pull Pal that will dig it's way into the ground the harder you pull on it with the winch. The two together give me a lot of peace ...

2008-06-29T15:39:29Z

Desert Gallery
The jeep now has a winch and a plough like device called a Pull Pal that will dig it's way into the ground the harder you pull on it with the winch. The two together give me a lot of peace ...

The narrow pass just traversed can be seen looking back up the trail. You can be fairly certain that you are in mountain lion country.

2008-06-29T15:39:29Z

Desert Gallery
The narrow pass just traversed can be seen looking back up the trail. You can be fairly certain that you are in mountain lion country.

The trail now leads back into the lowlands but will soon turn sharply to the left and run alongside the trail for several miles.

2008-06-29T15:39:29Z

Desert Gallery
The trail now leads back into the lowlands but will soon turn sharply to the left and run alongside the trail for several miles.

One last look back up the trail before heading into the unknown. I had only been a bit further than this point on my first forray into the Dona Anas.

2008-06-29T15:39:29Z

Desert Gallery
One last look back up the trail before heading into the unknown. I had only been a bit further than this point on my first forray into the Dona Anas.

The bulk of the range will be on your left as you head west to I-10 from here, but there are also peaks on the right as well.

2008-06-29T15:39:29Z

Desert Gallery
The bulk of the range will be on your left as you head west to I-10 from here, but there are also peaks on the right as well.

Numerous trails will lead you right up to the feet of most all of these peaks, but they appear to be deadend trails.

2008-06-29T15:39:29Z

Desert Gallery
Numerous trails will lead you right up to the feet of most all of these peaks, but they appear to be deadend trails.

Now and then at times like these "The Land of Enchantment" phrase pops into mind, and I just think "yep". Most of New Mexico you will never see from the highway, of course, which was the id ...

2008-06-29T15:39:29Z

Desert Gallery
Now and then at times like these "The Land of Enchantment" phrase pops into mind, and I just think "yep". Most of New Mexico you will never see from the highway, of course, which was the id ...

The only problem I was having was that I was not at all sure the trail I was on would actually enable me to get back to I-10. I might have to double back and take the same trail back to Jor ...

2008-06-29T16:14:21Z

Desert Gallery
The only problem I was having was that I was not at all sure the trail I was on would actually enable me to get back to I-10. I might have to double back and take the same trail back to Jor ...

I-10 was just beyond those peaks, but as of yet I had no idea of the long and winding snake like path the trail would take to get through them.

2008-06-29T16:14:59Z

Desert Gallery
I-10 was just beyond those peaks, but as of yet I had no idea of the long and winding snake like path the trail would take to get through them.

The two lamps on the windshield and the two lamps beside the winch are all 130-watt lights. They light up the trail marvelously well, but night crawling should always be on familiar territo ...

2008-06-29T16:15:40Z

Desert Gallery
The two lamps on the windshield and the two lamps beside the winch are all 130-watt lights. They light up the trail marvelously well, but night crawling should always be on familiar territo ...

There would be time for a few more pictures before focusing on the last 3-4 miles between me and civilization.

2008-06-29T16:15:40Z

Desert Gallery
There would be time for a few more pictures before focusing on the last 3-4 miles between me and civilization.

No photos were taken of the trek through the last part of the range, because it did get a lot darker. And because suddenly the whole place took on an almost Blair Witch Project kind of atmo ...

2008-06-29T16:15:40Z

Desert Gallery
No photos were taken of the trek through the last part of the range, because it did get a lot darker. And because suddenly the whole place took on an almost Blair Witch Project kind of atmo ...

There were also more than a dozen places where the slopes closed in tightly around the trail. I put the sun rider roof down, realizing a cougar could leap right into the jeep if one had a m ...

2008-06-29T16:15:40Z

Desert Gallery
There were also more than a dozen places where the slopes closed in tightly around the trail. I put the sun rider roof down, realizing a cougar could leap right into the jeep if one had a m ...

So these were the last shots that could be taken before having to switch to tripod for longer exposure time, and I knew it was time to go.

2008-06-29T16:15:40Z

Desert Gallery
So these were the last shots that could be taken before having to switch to tripod for longer exposure time, and I knew it was time to go.

I DO NOT recoomend that you prosecute the trail all the way back to I-10 in a stock jeep. There were several places I had to get out and study the rocks in order to make a sensible line tho ...

2008-06-29T16:15:40Z

Desert Gallery
I DO NOT recoomend that you prosecute the trail all the way back to I-10 in a stock jeep. There were several places I had to get out and study the rocks in order to make a sensible line tho ...