21 San Pedro Mountains Mining Area

December 9, 2020

 

Had a chance to visit the San Pedro area today. The BLM has now put their sign on the gate so it is now easier to know that you are at the right place.

 

April 24, 2019

 

As mention on page 120 of the 3rd Edition of 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Albuquerque, various agencies have had ongoing remediation projects to remove mining hazards from the San Pedro Mountains Mining Area. Based upon a tip from a reader, the dogs and I went back to hike in the area to check on their progress.

 

We found that many of the shafts (vertical mine shafts) and adits (horizontal mine shafts) have been filled or gated to make them less dangerous. Fortunately, for those who want a “before” view of the area, there are still some hazards, and it will still be a long time before the BLM and Santa Fe County start promoting the area for outdoor recreation.

 

Here are some pictures of what we found:

 

This is a picture that I have been using in my talks to show why you need to careful on this hike.

 

Here is what the shaft looks like now!

 

This picture of an adit/slot is on page 123 of the book.

 

The adit is now gated to prevent entry. There are enough openings in the gate to allow bats to fly in and out of the old mine.

 

But there are still several hazards in the area. So please be careful when visiting the area.

 

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