Hike to the top of the third-tallest mountain in New Mexico.

Statistics

1,130

m

1,130

m

14

max°

Difficulty

FATMAP difficulty grade

Easy

Description

12,734-foot Venado Peak is the tallest summit in the impressive Latir mountain group and the third tallest mountain in New Mexico.

A sub-range of the Sangre De Cristo mountain range, the Latir group is located near Questa, NM, just south of the Colorado border. This route to the summit of Venado is the most popular option, and it conveniently begins from a campground at Cabresto Lake.

After payment of a $20 camping fee, you can easily spend the night before your hike and get an early start on this 12.2-mile round-trip hike to the summit of Venado. The route as mapped is an out-and-back following the Lake Fork Trail to the Bull Creek Trail to gain the summit.

The hiking is standard backcountry fare, with some exposure to the elements above treeline as you make for the summit.

That said, this is a relatively non-technical summit hike. It's possible to turn this route into a lollipop with a short stem, but that option requires navigating little-marked trails down a different alpine basin.

Sticking to an out-and-back route as mapped is the most surefire way to make it to the summit and back down again. Source: https://www.summitpost.org/venado-peak/709225