Carson National Forest

Always beautiful w vast wonders. It's a wonder and as you drive you realize Carson is everywhere and everything around you. You live within it.

A great park to check out when visiting Taos. We found a main parking lot only minutes from our hotel and the main square in town. At the front of the parking lot was a great information board. It listed out the different hikes in the area. Each hike listed had information about distance, a small description, and a map of the trailheads. This helped us confirm the trailhead we wanted for our hike. We hiked the Devisadero Trail which offered some nice views down onto the city. The signage was few and far between, but the trail was pretty obvious. The trail was taken care of and made for a pleasant morning of hiking. That trail was about 4.5 miles and took us about two hours roundtrip.

This is a very serene place. We drove it in late April 2022, there was still a snow pack at the highest elevation. Being years since we were out in the OldWest this was a great visit. When you go be prepared for no cellphone service or internet. A long three hour drive in beautiful Unhampered land. Take plenty of cell photos to share as it beautiful

Today my neighbor was kind enough to have me ride on the back of an All Terrain Vehicle through about 50 miles of forest; unreachable by car or truck, since many of the forest roads are narrow and banked on steep ravines. I recently saw a brown bear for the first time in my life. It's beautiful. From an elevation of 8300 to about 12000 or so the mileage of the forest roads are numerous treks, stunning views and the treacherousness between human life and animal life coexisting in perpetual motion. This forest is full of vanilla smelling Ponderosa Pine, ethereal Aspen groves, and Bristle Cone Pines that only live above 10000 feet. You can see Texas in one direction, Mt. Wheeler (the highest point in New Mexico which is above 13000 feet), Taos in another, and the Santa Barbara range which is part of the Sangre de Cristo range. Highly recommend traversing this vast land with someone experienced because if you are forest-dumb as they say up here, it is very easy to get lost. But in the deep of the forest, your head becomes clear and the cycle of life, light, temperature, wind, water, and all are the main forces. Commerce is another. The people who live nearby depend on these forests for food and heat. This forest is alive and the soul of Taos.I may say that the wierdest songs pop in your head as the whirring of an engine and an almost 3% grade makes you wonder if you'll be living....The following was my internal iPodOh Sh-T! - the Pharcydefor some reason, Genesis (Phil Collins) -don't askBlinded by the light, wrapped up like a douche....etc...FreebirdA boy Named Sue-Johnny Cashand some random Kenny Rogers song--I think it was the Gambleroh yeah... and Rawhide.

This area is so beautiful and perfect for camping and hiking! We stayed here for a school trip with a small group, and I would definitely recommend coming here to anyone who wanted to see mountains and mountains of huge pine and aspen trees, beautiful little creeks and rivers, and overall what you would expect to see in other places like Colorado or Washington. Note: A really great place to stay or even to drive is along highway 518. We were told not many locals even travel along this highway, and on the way to the nearby town of Taos, there is a beautiful scenic overview of Wheeler peak and the other mountains.

We drove The Enchanted circle and well worth the drive the Ponderosa Pines are amazing, quite a beautiful place