The bike legal portion of the Windsor Trail drops over 3,000 vertical feet in 9 miles. It is both beautiful and varied along the way, passing through multiple climate zones. There is a city bus with a bike rack so you can catch a ride up. Beware though, it's not all downhill and some climbing will be required late in the ride to get you back to your starting point.

This trail begins at the pull aside just next to the Santa Fe Ski Area parking lot. You begin ascending a fairly rocky and technical section that continuously zigzags for 1.5 mille before crossing into a forest road. After the road crossing, the trail becomes less technical and faster. You'll come to several trail junctions on the way down, just stay to the right at all junctions. The landscape is full of pine trees full of moss. Altitude is above 10,000 feet so you do need some time to get acclimated/ Lower down, the trail crosses back and forth over Tesuque Creek several times before dumping out onto a private dirt road. The trail continues in and out of the road before ending on the pavement. After the trail ends, you can continue down until an intersection with Bishops Lodge Road, where you'll turn right. in about a mile and a half you'll come to Tesuque Village Market.

The Winsor trail runs east to west from Tesuque to the Upper Pecos Valley. The lower section on the west side has become a mountain bike attraction. The remainder of the trail is mostly in the wilderness thus bikes are not allowed. Be prepared and let people know where you are going - have fun.

Staying in Tesuque, and the few days we weren't out exploring some other magnificent part of northern NM, we wanted a good hiking option close by, and this trail delivered. Located within Tesuque Village, the trailhead starts off Big Tesuque Canyon Road (starts as pavement but quickly turns to dirt), winding initially through a residential area. Very limited parking here - only about 8 spots available. We got there 10AM on a Sunday and scored the last parking spot. May be some other options on Bishops Lodge Road, but not sure. About three miles up the topography changes from a rolling trail through deciduous trees to a fairly dense coniferous forest, with a more rocky, steeper trail. Climbed about 1000 feet in four miles, at which point there were many other trails to explore, but we were worried about having enough water and turned around. The reality is you could hike all day (and more) with a good map and the right provisions. We saw about 20 people or so during our 3.5 hour journey, the vast majority mountain bikers who were mainly hurtling down the trail at pretty good rates of speed. Definitely need to keep your eyes and ears open!

If you love hiking and are okay with high altitude (as in 10,000 ft and above) as well as steep ascents, the Winsor Trail above Santa Fe, NM affords many options... Raven's Ridge, Nambe Lake, La Vega, Deception Peak, according to your capabilities. Every season is good! Snow shoes in winter... Bring warmth even if you think you will not need it. Bring plenty of water to drink, a whistle, a hat, layers, a little medical kit...