Santa Fe and Hike #7 (Hyde Memorial State Park)

We decided to venture outside of the Sandias for the day and head north to Santa Fe to explore.  The Sangre de Cristo Mountains lie to the north and east of Santa Fe and are technically part of the Rocky Mountains.  We found a hike in our book that begins at Hyde Memorial State Park.  It was a very steep climb for the first mile, which ended with more gorgeous views around 9,400 feet elevation (we started at 8,400).



By this point the dogs were ready for a treat (and so were we), so we stopped for some beef jerky...



The trail continued with more gradual ups and downs through the forest and along the ridge.  There were lots of wildflowers along the way too!



We took a little spur off of the main loop to check out the waterfall trail.  It was nice and shaded and we walked mostly along a dry creek bed until we go to the main attraction... the waterfalls here just aren't quite what we're used to!  Apparently they're much more interesting in the winter months though, and a lot of people like to ice climb when the water freezes.



After the hike we checked out downtown Santa Fe.  We had a lunch at a delicious, dog friendly restaurant called The Shed, and then wandered around for a little while to listen to the various musicians on the corners and check out the street vendors.



It's a cute town and I'm excited to visit again sometime!