This trip report is from Nathan Cowan and his recent backpacking trip to Stewart Lake in the Pecos. Read it below-Corey

Fall is my favorite time of year, and with the bummer of the cancelled Balloon Fiesta, I wanted to commemorate the start of the season with something special. So I charted a course to see the changing aspens in Northern New Mexico. I had accumulated most of the necessary supplies for backpacking over the course of the summer but was bringing a friend who had never been. Corey and MST Adventures helped outfit us with the rest of what we needed, and my friend and I headed North to Pecos. 

If you want to go see Pecos River, Cowles is your go-to spot, and it’s where we parked before heading out on Windsor Ridge Trail 271. It’s a 5.9 mile hike, and feels like it’s mostly uphill, but is filled with amazing views of the mountains- we were blown away by the scope of the forest and all the changing colors. It’s well maintained but doesn’t have much signage to speak of, so just take it East/NE until you reach it’s junction with Skyline Trail 251, hang a left and follow Skyline until you reach Little Stewart Lake, and (slightly bigger) Stewart Lake a little further down.

We set up camp and spent the night in the valley between the two lakes. If you’re going up, I’d recommend finding a clear sky on the weather forecast first. I had never seen so many stars. The reflection of the full moon rising on the lake, accompanied by a very bright red Mars was something we were not expecting. The next morning we packed up and started the long journey home on Trail 254, which crosses the creek and winds E/SE through some beautiful ridgelines and aspen meadows. AllTrails had told us Trail 261 was closed (which adds a couple miles to this hike), which was backed up by some signage that specified “Closed for Horses or Stock Animals”, but we stayed off of it to be safe. 

Now I’d recommend if you want an easier hike, you skip 271 altogether and just park at the 254 trail head and use it for your out and back. However if 261 stays closed this will then make it roughly a 16 mile round trip. It was a fantastic trip and a great way to kick off the fall season!

-Nathan Cowan