Filed under: Nature & Wildlife, Outdoor Recreation & Hiking, Uncategorized

Revisiting Williams Lake…

Last summer when we visited the Taos, NM area as part of our annual road trip, we hiked the two mile trail in the Taos Ski Valley, NM up to Williams Lake, a small glacial lake nestled in the valley between mountain peaks. Unfortunately and in spite of careful planning to choose the best day for our hike, as we were visiting during summer monsoon season, we encountered rain for the entire four mile round trip hike.

I have been writing recently about our cross country move to New Mexico and, as a treat to ourselves after spending months packing boxes, a week loading the truck, two days driving cross country and several days unloading and unpacking boxes, we decided to revisit Williams Lake in the dryer weather.

We were also eager to show the hike and the Taos Ski Valley terrain to our oldest daughter, Kate, who was accompanying us on our big move from California. She had never been with us on a trip to Taos, so there was much to share with her about our new home state.

It was sunny and about 60 degrees as we set out on our hike last Friday morning, perfect hiking weather. What a treat after working intently for weeks! Though it was June, rain was not the precipitation we encountered, but snow, large quantities of it. While it was not falling, it was piled up along the trail. At one point, Terry’s foot sank several feet into a bank he was attempting to cross.

We took our time, as we were still adjusting to the altitude since our recent arrival. The ski valley is at 9000 feet. Our home in Taos sits at about 7000 feet and we had just moved from about 500 feet above sea level. Throughout the course of the hike we climbed at least another 2000 feet as Williams Lake sits at over 11,000 feet above the sea.

In spite of that, we enjoyed a marvelous hike. We had great fun taking staged pictures and, amazingly, had the trail to ourselves the entire time. Interestingly, last summer while hiking in the rain we encountered numerous other hikers. In addition to the fabulous weather, once at the top, we were treated to some amazing views. A wonderful respite and reward for our hard work of the past few weeks.

Read more about New Mexico campgrounds and things to do in New Mexico.

Last 5 posts by Diane Berry

• A Spring Camping Adventure - April 21st, 2013
• Spring Excitement at the Taos Ski Valley, NM - April 14th, 2013
• Choosing Snowshoes 101 - April 7th, 2013
• A Winter Climb to William's Lake--Part 2: Snowshoe Issues - March 31st, 2013
• A Winter Climb to William's Lake--Part 1 - March 24th, 2013