The Little Walnut Trail System is one of the best reasons to live in Silver City, New Mexico. Located just five miles north of town, the area offers countless opportunities for loops or out-and-back hikes in a well-shaded mixed pinon-juniper and ponderosa pine forest at over 6500′ in elevation. The CDT also passes through the area, so this is the jumping-off point for longer treks in the Gila Wilderness.
The trails in this area are well-documented on sites like AllTrails, The Hiking Project, Trail Forks and more.
Angel Loop is one of our favorites. A few more that don’t usually make the list are described below.
Directions: There are two trailheads, with ample parking. The first is located five miles north of Silver City on Old Little Walnut Road, adjacent to the Little Walnut Picnic Area. To reach the second trailhead, continue north on Old Little Walnut for another 1.2 miles. Go left at the fork on Little Walnut Road for another mile and look for parking on your left.
Notes: One trail you will likely want to avoid is the eastern third of the Wagon Wheel Loop. This used to be one of my favorites, but when the power company replaced a sagging line here, they cut away a lot of the forest. This trail is also quite steep and badly torn up by mountain bikers, so between full sun and the odds of turning an ankle, it has lost some of its appeal.
Reminder: Dogs must be leashed at the trailhead. They can be off-leash on the trail, but should be leashed when approaching other hikers. For more information: Bringing Dogs to the Gila National Forest
The Shady Lady Loop
My girlfriends and I came up with this one on a steamy mid-monsoon morning when we wanted to hike, but needed to stay out of full sun. This 2.7-mile loop combines pieces of the Pinon Loop Trail, the Mountain Loop Trail, the Wagon Wheel Loop, the Ponderosa Loop and the Picnic Loop, but stays in deep forest the whole time, for a comfortable hike even on the warmest day of the year.
The loop starts at the Little Walnut Picnic Area parking lot. Cross the road and go through the gate southwest of the parking lot, near the entrance to the picnic area. Start up the Pinon Loop trail and stay right up the hill when the trail splits. In .7 miles, you’ll arrive at an area I call “the bridge” — a saddle between Gomez Peak and an unnamed summit to the north. Turn right here and follow the Mountain Loop trail for .6 miles, Turn right here and in 600′ cross the Divide Access Trail and pick up the Wagon Wheel Loop Trail. Stay on Wagon Wheel for .4 miles and look for an unsigned trail on the right. This nicely shaded trail connects with the Ponderosa Loop Trail in .4 miles. Turn right and follow the Ponderosa Loop .5 miles, and then Picnic Loop for the short hop back to the parking lot.
CDT North from Little Walnut
This trail is part of the CDT, and begins at the upper trailhead on Little Walnut Road. Park on the left and cross the road to the trail. It winds gently north through a pinon-juniper forest, with some fine views through the trees.
At 1.7 miles, reward yourself with a short bushwhack to a small promontory with an epic panorama. Or, go just a bit further and follow a faint trail to the left of the promontory to an open rocky area with a few stone benches where you and your friends can admire the view and solve most, if not all, of the world’s problems!
Distance: 1.7 miles (one way)
Ascent: 199′
Trailhead Elevation: 6551′
Area Map
