Aspen Trail #T35

Dogs Leashed

Features Birding · River/Creek · Wildflowers · Wildlife

Remarkably, there is almost no evidence of the huge 2012 forest fire from this trail.

The Aspen Trail is a 4.25-mile (one-way) trail that climbs nearly 2,000 feet from the Agentina/Bonito trailhead to its intersection with the Crest Trail (#25) just south of White Horse Hill.

The trailhead is at the end of Forest Service Road no. 107.

Follow Big Bonito Trail #T36 along the Rio Bonito. The turns left/south at 1.2 miles (where Little Bonito Trail #T37 splits off to the right/west). Continue along Big Bonito Trail #T36 for another .6 miles (1.8 miles total) to the Big Bonito Trail #T36 /Aspen Trail junction. Aspen Trail veers off to the south.

At 3 miles, a steep alpine meadow looms directly ahead; you'll be traversing that meadow soon.

At 3.3 miles, after you've climbed out of the forest and onto the shoulder of the meadow, the trail makes a sharp turn to the southwest. The turn is marked with a small cairn; it's easy to miss if the meadow grasses are high. A game trail continues straight/southeast around the shoulder but soon peters out.

At 3.8 miles, the trail reaches a saddle. White Horse Hill dominates the view to the west.

At 4.25 miles, the Aspen Trail ends at it's intersection with the Crest Trail (#25). As of May 2023, only charred fragments of a trail sign incinerated in a 2021 fire mark the intersection.

From here, a runner can follow the Crest Trail (#25) north along the flank of White Horse Hill and return to the trailhead on Big Bonito Trail #T36, Little Bonito Trail #T37, or Argentina Canyon Trail (#39). Bushwhacking up White Horse Hill yields panoramic views of the White Mountain Wilderness, White Sands, and the Carrizozo lava fields.

Elk abound at the higher elevations. Songbirds are plentiful in the forest.