NOTE: The Trail Guide: Lincoln
National Forest (2002 edition) describes three trails in the Grindstone Mesa area,
T91, T91A, and T91B. These trails were
based on old logging roads. When the new
trails were developed, with the intent to provide good trails for mountain
biking, these new single path trails were built with little use of the old logging
roads. In effect, the old trails were
abandoned and new trails were built. At
the time I hiked these trails (Fall 2013), the signage was not in place, but
there was rarely any ambiguity about how to proceed when a new trail crossed a
road. Good Show!
The three trails, T94 Alfred Hale Connector Trail, T95 Grindstone Mesa
Loop Trail, and T96 Grindstone Canyon Trail, were developed by the Forest
Service, the City of Ruidoso, the Ruidoso Chapter of Ecoservants, and the
Ruidoso area mountain biking community.
They, and the Fisherman’s Trail, provide access to the beauty of
Grindstone Lake and Grindstone Mesa.
Grindstone Lake is just outside the Lincoln National Forest
boundary. The green dashed line –
Fisherman’s Trail – provides a low gradient loop around Grindstone Lake. T96 Grindstone Canyon Loop Trail also makes a
loop (using some of Fisherman’s Trail) but at higher elevation, and with more
forest and better views. T94 Alfred Hale
Connector Trail begins in Alfred Hale Canyon and ascends through multiple
switchbacks to the gem, T95 Grindstone Mesa Trail, which meanders, will little
change in elevation, through the beautiful Ponderosa forest on the top of
Grindstone Mesa.
In the past few years, the forest in the Grindstone Mesa area has been
thinned in order to reduce the fire danger.
This effort has now ended. In
order to move machinery into the areas to be thinned, a new road was built on Forest
land. It has no number and is closed to
motorized vehicles. It is shown in magenta
on the map and is labeled “Thinning Road”.
Hikers, bikers, and horses can use this road for additional access to the
area. | |
DESCRIPTION:
If you want to get to the open Ponderosa forest on the top of
Grindstone Mesa, or if you want to enjoy the scenic views of Ruidoso and the
Inn of the Mountain Gods, then T94 is a fine trail for you. However, if you are a trail junkie, and you want
to see what a well-designed and well-constructed mountain trail can be, then T94
is definitely for you. It was designed
and laid out by the mountain biking community In Ruidoso and, with many
switchbacks, has a 4% gradient from T96
to Westminster road and a 5% gradient from there to T96.
Listen to the lingo: “It is a sustainable armored trail with a 5% outslope.”
Let’s break that down for you and
me. “Sustainable” means that it was
designed, laid out, and constructed well from the beginning so that it should
not need a lot of hard-to-come-by maintenance.
“Armored” means that, in places where a drainage crosses the trail, it
have been paved with flat stones so that erosion is minimized. The “5% outslope” means that there is a small
slope, across the trail, so that water runs off the trail where it enters
rather than running down the trail.
Water bars are not needed when the trail has a 5% outslope.
Nature lover or engineer – it is wonderful trail.
ACCESS:
There are three potential points of access for T94 Albert Hale
Connector Trail: (1) the junction with T96 Grindstone Canyon Trail, (2)
Westminster Road, and (3) the junction with T95 Grindstone Mesa Trail. It is better to think of the third choice as
a way to access T95.
Access by way of T96:
In Ruidoso, go
1.3 miles south from Smokey Bear Ranger District Office along Mechem Drive (NM48)
to where it turns left at a traffic light. This is the intersection of Mechem
and Sudderth Drive. Turn right and head
west on Sudderth. At mile 0.2 from the
traffic light, turn left at a complicated intersection onto Resort Drive. Follow the twists and turns of Resort Drive
0.7 miles to the well-signed entrance to the Grindstone Lake recreation area. The unsigned trailhead for T96 is
located in the upper parking area, just to the left of the hiker kiosk. Follow
T96 1.3 miles to the unsigned junction with T94, which enters at a small
angle. It may be necessary to look back
to find this junction.
Access by way of Westminster Road:
In Ruidoso go
1.3 miles south from Smokey Bear Ranger District Office along Mechem Drive (NM48)
to where it turns left at a traffic light. This is the intersection of Mechem
and Sudderth Drive. Zero your trip
odometer here. Turn right and head west on Sudderth. At mile 0.2 from the traffic light, turn
right at a complicated intersection on unsigned Main Road, within sight of a 1st
National Bank office. At mile 0.5, proceed straight ahead on Flume Canyon
Drive. At mile 0.7, angle slightly left and continue following Flume Canyon
Drive.
At mile 0.8,
enter the Black Forest subdivision. Just
beyond the imposing entrance to the subdivision, angle slightly right and
follow pavement uphill. At mile 1.4, turn left on signed King Richard Drive, a
steep, graveled road. At mile 1.8, turn
right on Westbury Drive. At mile 2.0, turn left on Westminster Road and follow
for 0.2 mile, 100 feet beyond the top of the hill, to an unpaved (and
potentially muddy) saddle, just beyond Lancelot Court. Park here.
It is tempting to hike up the old road beyond the closed Forest Service
gate. However the unsigned single path access
to T94 begins just to the left of the gate.
The unsigned junction with T94 is about 100 feet down this trail. Continuing straight leads downhill (0.9
miles) to a junction with T96. Turning
right leads uphill (1.8 miles, elevation gain 480 feet), through multiple
switchbacks to a junction with T95 at its eastern end (unsigned but this is a junction
with a wide, well-maintained trail.) DISTANCES AND ALTITUDES: From
its junction with T96, T94 ascends 190 feet in 0.9 miles to the
Westminster access point (4% gradient). From there it ascends 480 feet
in 1.8 miles to the junction with T95.(4% gradient). | |
