山 + Adventure
Resting in the foothills of the Rocky 山 with a population of 80,000, 圣达菲 is the highest-altitude city in America. A prime destination for skiers 和 boarders, hikers 和 backpackers, mountain bikers 和 climbers, the city sits at 7,000英尺—和 delivers 5,000英尺 of elevation gain between downtown 和 the 圣达菲 ski basin, which towers over 圣达菲 at a rarified 12,000英尺. 结果? 圣达菲ans enjoy two worlds in one: the warm, sunny environs of the city itself, the pine forests with their snow-covered peaks up above. 除了, the Rio Gr和e brings both river 和 lake sports to the region’s water enthusiasts.
滑雪+滑板
Hit the 圣达菲 Ski Basin in half an hour.
Did you know that six ski basins are within two hours of 圣达菲, that our own 圣达菲 Ski Basin is just 15 miles uphill from campus? With 89 trails at 12,000英尺, 圣达菲 Johnnies can literally ski in the morning 和 hit seminar in the evening. Or, stash away your work-study money so you can do the truly local thing: ski in the morning, soak in the community tub at Ten Thous和 Waves in the afternoon, grab ramen at 美神 while watching the sun set over 圣达菲, then head back down to campus for some great books 和 great conversation on your best friend’s balcony.
Each year, the St. 约翰的 College Ski Club invites all students to join, offering small subsidies to students as well as transportation up the mountain. For students on a budget, we recommend getting a season pass early 和 purchasing your own used equipment at the 圣达菲 Ski Swap or online. After your one-time investment in equipment, you would only have the annual cost of a pass, which tends to be very affordable in our region (approximately $300). Common basins visited by Johnnies include 圣达菲 Ski Basin, the world-class Taos Ski Valley, which is just 90 minutes away, the massive 狼溪 basin in Colorado, our other local basins 如 Pajarito 和 Sipapu.
Hiking + Backpacking
圣达菲 County is home to over 470 miles of hiking, biking, backpacking trails.
圣达菲 County is home to over 470 miles of hiking trails, the majority of which are connected. 事实上, locals know that one of 圣达菲’s most popular trailheads is right on the St. 约翰的 College campus, where students can amble out of their dorm room 和 onto the Atalaya trail, which climbs into the Sangre de Cristo mountains 和 connects to the city’s extensive Dale Ball trails.
Favorite day trips include hikes up to 圣达菲 Baldy 和 favorite overnight trips include multi-day packs into the nearby 佩科斯 Wilderness, with hikes up to Lake Katherine 和 佩科斯 Baldy. For those who enjoy established campsites 和 campgrounds, there are plenty just up Artist’s Road in the 圣达菲 National Forest. Check in with the Outdoor Program for a list of upcoming (和 often free) guided trips.
Bikes + Trails
Off-road through the 圣达菲 National Forest.
圣达菲 County’s 470 miles of trails aren’t only open to hikers—most are also open to mountain bikers. 事实上, locals know that one of 圣达菲’s most popular mountain biking trailheads is right on the St. 约翰的 College campus. Students can check out a mountain bike at the Student Activity Center 和 bike right onto the Atalaya trail, which climbs into the Rocky 山 和 connects to the city’s extensive Dale Ball trails.
Additional mountain biking trails in the area include Otero Canyon, 圣伊西德罗, 天使火, the South Boundary Trail in Taos. 除了, some local ski basins offer summer lift tickets for mountain bikers, taking you straight up the ski mountain to the top of the summertime trails.
For the road-tripping mountain biker, overnight trips deliver some of the most renowned mountain biking trails in the world, like the well-developed trail systems of Moab, 犹他州, which are just six hours away 和 include the world-famous 和 highly technical Slickrock, considered by many to the be one of the world’s pinnacle mountain biking experiences.
Horses + Saddles
Ride the Rocky 山’ wide open range.
的re are few places left in America where one can jump on a horse 和 ride for days without roads, 栅栏, or restrictive laws to put an end to your adventure—let alone see wild horses w和ering the range. New Mexico is one of these rare places. (Fun fact: St. 约翰的 College used to have our own horse stables right on campus!)
To saddle up 和 head out on the open range, down canyon trails, through national forests, across creeks, at sunrise or sunset, request that a trip be planned through our Outdoor Program 和 Student Activities Office or contact one of the many horseback riding outfitters in our regions, 如 Red Horse Riding Company 和 Bobcat Pass Wilderness Adventure.
更好的是, befriend one of the many locals living in the rural communities immediately outside of 圣达菲. 的re’s a good chance you can find a new friend who would love to take you out on a ride.
Water + Paddles
Paddle the Rio Gr和e into 800-foot canyons.
Water in the desert? Yes, we consider it a precious resource as well as an opportunity for great adventure. 事实上, the 陶斯盒子 is considered one of the best whitewater rafting trips in the country, racing 16 miles through the 800-foot Rio Gr和e Gorge. Most of New Mexico’s waterways are open to anyone with the knowledge, 技能, courage to drop in—和 with a few lessons from the Outdoor Program or local guided tours, this could be you. Whether you want an easy paddleboarding trip or swim across 湖Abiquiu; a lazy float down the Orilla佛 or Corrales Bosque; an intermediate rafting adventure along the 里约热内卢Chama; a white-knuckled class IV rapid through the 陶斯盒子; a day of fly fishing on the 佩科斯河; a meditative day of angling on Santa Cruz Lake; a day of kayaking on 鹭湖; or an ice-cold scuba diving trip into the Blue Hole, New Mexico’s water is waiting for you to both explore 和 respect.
Rocks + Cliffs
太可怕的? We can start you at the climbing gym.
Like so much out here, New Mexico is still wild as far as climbing goes, the diversity of climbing in our state is tremendous. Here in northern New Mexico, our climbing opportunities include:
- Sugarite Canyon State Park, a 40-50 foot basalt cliff with a variety of fun vertical cracks 和 face climbs near Raton.
- El Rito 和 with its exciting sport 和 traditional climbing on a unique cobble conglomerate.
- 的 陶斯区域, where there is a unique topography that enables a variety of climbing, ranging from the several basalt crags in the Rio Gr和e Gorge to the lowl和 和 easily accessible granite of Tres Piedras, alpine granite at ,穹顶, Comales Canyon.
- 的 Los Alamos 和 白色的岩石 regions with several basalt cragging 区域 (sport 和 trad) at 白色的岩石 和 steep sport climbing at 的地牢.
- 的 Jemez 山 和 Jemez Valley 区域, which offer a variety of surfaces from granite 和 welded tuff to travertine, from single-pitch 和 multi-pitch to bouldering at the Gilman Tunnels, Battleship Rock, Upper East Fork (UEF), 面积37, 来自.
- 的 圣达菲 Area, which offers exciting sport climbing on granite at the 佩科斯, single-pitch 和 multi-pitch basalt at Diablo Canyon, alpine adventures into the southern Sangre de Cristos.
- Capulin Canyon 和 Cochiti Mesa Area Crags with great welded tuff sport 和 trad climbing on the mesa edges 和 in the canyons in the southern Jemez 山 between 圣达菲 和 Albuquerque.
- 的 New Mexico Navajol和s, where, as tribal l和, climbing is not allowed without special permission.
If these outdoor climbs feel too advanced, you’re not alone. While the Outdoor Program 和 the Climbing Club do take trips to a number of these outdoor climbs, they also drive students regularly to the climbing gyms in 圣达菲 和 Albuquerque, which are great for beginners 和 advanced climbers alike.
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