I decided I wanted to do some more exploring of the Cienega Canyon Trails, so after doing a lot of research and mapping, I organized a ride with a couple riding buddies and we met up in Cienega Canyon to enjoy a ride in the mountains together.
My riding buddies are always up for an adventure as long as I'm the one making sure we don't get lost...haha!
The views toward the west from the trail were just beautiful!
And everything was so green and lush with many varieties of wildflowers everywhere we looked.
There were a few technical sections with rocks that required our horses to hop up or down.
But most of the trail was narrow and smooth and felt like we were riding through a magical green tunnel.
I truly loved it! A real treat for those of us who live in the high desert.
But yet, these trails are only 15-20 minutes from my house. How lucky I am!
A rocky section for our horses to climb up.
Gorgeous vistas out to the east.
Easy trails that hug the sides of the mountains.
Looking down into Cienega Canyon.
We worked up an appetite while riding and exploring and decided to stop for lunch.
Our horses seemed to appreciate the rest, too.
Me and my girl Apache.
After lunch we continued our exploration of the trails surrounding Cienega Canyon. This time we rode on Oso Corredor trail, which was truly a lush, green paradise.
At time the trail was so narrow and enclosed by green vegetation, that it felt like we were bushwhacking. Such fun!
Apache and I led the way. We only saw one hiker the entire day and no other horseback riders.
The views were just so incredibly breathtaking the higher we climbed.
Days like this make me so thankful to have the opportunity to ride my horse out in nature on such gorgeous trails.
There was so much grass that after a while, even Apache had eaten her fill.
We decided to turn around late in the afternoon, so we wouldn't get stuck out on the trail when the sun went down. My riding buddies reluctantly agreed that was a good idea even though we were all enjoying our exploration on this beautiful day.
I let one of my riding buddies lead while I rode in the middle and the other riding buddy rode in the back. It looked like my riding buddy was just floating through the green sea of vegetation.
The different vistas riding back made it feel like we were riding on a new trail.
This section was the only one that caused my butt to pucker, because in sections, we were literally perched on a narrow 10" wide trail with the mountain going straight up on one side and the mountain falling straight down hundreds of feet on the other side. We could even see vehicles on the road far down below. They looked like ants.
There were a couple fairly steep sections, too.
Down we go.....
Sometimes it's nice to let someone else lead. It's kind of relaxing just to follow along.
Just another great day riding in the beautiful mountains of New Mexico!
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