Northeast New Mexico is an interesting transition area where the flatlands of the Great Plains come up to meet the bare beginnings of the hills that eventually merge in with the great mountains of the Sangre de Cristo Range. A number of old volcanic domes and humps dot the region, which is mostly high-elevation rolling grassland and prairie, and a ranchers haven. The most famous of these volcanic remnants is Capulin Volcano, which is a state park and has road access to near the top. However, the highest mountain within this region, and inside Union County, is Sierra Grande, which is a rather broad, symmetrical peak that can be seen from miles around. With no foothills to speak of, this peak rises a rather abrupt 2,000+ feet above the countryside and really is an impressive sight, a lone sentinel of the high prairie. Photos don't do this peak justice (especially mine, below). The size of the mountain is very impressive; foreshortening and other tricks of optics make it look like an easy hill, but up close it is a pretty good chuck of real estate.

I came to the area as part of a week-long jaunt through these parts, including Oklahoma, North Texas and Southern Colorado. I had left my home in Phoenix around 3 p.m. intending to get to Albuquerque but I felt good enough to keep moving, so much so that I made it all the way to Raton, New Mexico, up on the Colorado border, arriving after midnight. I drove east a bit on highway US-64/87 toward the hinterlands of Union County and finally called it a day by pulling off onto a lonely ranch road and catching some shut-eye in the back of my truck. The night was a beautifully clear one with the stars shining and later, a gentle moonglow bathing the countryside in an ethereal soft light. I could actually make out Sierra Grande's silhouette in the moonlight. I maybe slept 4 hours, as I was up by 5 a.m., awakened by meadowlarks. Shortly I rolled up into the tiny community of Des Moines, and started to seek a way up to the top.

My first try was to scout the east side for a possible road up to the top. The mountain is surrounded on its north and east sides by residences and small ranch properties. Nevertheless there is a thin band of New Mexico state land that goes to the top, allowing for possible public access without having to bother the locals for permission. So I went looking for this land or road, but saw nothing that looked promising. I drove back into town and stopped at the cafe near the Diamond Shamrock gas station on the town's east fringe and asked a nice girl who worked there about a route up. She mentioned a gate and a New Mexico Public Lands sign, so I went back and checked that out. I'd seen this sign on my first drive-by but it looked so ratty and the area so unkempt I passed on it. But based on her suggestion, I went back to this area, through the gate and followed the road in a short bit before it became way too rocky. I turned around and tried another sketchy road but that petered out pretty fast at a creekbed. A bit frustrated, so back out onto the main highway I went. I tried some other roads but they quickly led to residences and were dead ends. I went back into town, this time to the west side where I stopped at the other gas station (a Texaco) and asked the lady there for help. (Apparently it seems everyone who lives in Des Moines, all 50 of them, has been to the top of Sierra Grande at one time or another) She suggested I try the Mandala Center west of town about two miles.

I'd seen the Mandala Center while driving into town and noticed the large fancy buidlings sitting on a hill about a mile back. I drove to it but no one was there, not even a car. The buildings are real nice and large; it looks like some sort of new-age retreat center or spa. Whatever. Since no one was in, I explored some dead end roads and then headed down to the house at the front, where I talked to a tenant who could not grant permission. I drove back to the Mandala Center parking lot, waited a bit, then decided to drive down again, where I got lucky: the landowner and her daughter were driving up, so I stopped them and asked for assistance. She gave me permission to drive to the top and told me how to find the road. She lives at the adjacent AR Ranch just to the west and apparently she and her husband own quite a bit of land in that area, including much of the northern flanks of the mountain. Finally, after 2 hours of putting around, I was on my way!

The road goes in from the AR Ranch and isn't very obvious from below that it's the right road. Nevertheless I followed this road, smooth at first, then very rocky. Then very, very rocky! I ended up using 4-wheel drive low due to the heavy rocks and the steepness in parts, so it was slow going, but in about 30 minutes I'd covered about 3 miles before parking at about 8,200 feet at a bend in the road high up on the peak's flanks. Actually, I chose to stop here since it offered the first best chance I'd seen for turning my truck around! The walk to the top went another mile or so, gained about 550 feet, and about 20 minutes. There are numerous towers there. I found the highest rocks, and also checked out a knob of rocks about 500 feet to the southeast, but they weren't as high. The weather was very pleasant. I hiked back down to my truck then made the slow and bumpy ride out to the highway, dislodging a hose in my engine along the way, easily fixed. Now, onto some Texas counties! My thanks to the landwoner for allowing access. I was set to hike in from the east up that bad road I'd explored earlier if I didn't have any luck on the north approach.