Hike Sierra Ladrones and Ladron Peak Cibola National Forest, NM

Oct 23, 2024 — The Sierra Ladrones are a compact group of rocky peaks that rise dramatically out of the Rio Grande Valley, south of Albuquerque. The lack of trails and rugged terrain give the summits a pretty notorious reputation, so I began my hike to the Sierra Ladrones High Point expecting a far more grueling experience. Aside from some loose terrain and cactus-dodging, I found this to be a great outing, so perhaps the reports I'd read over the years were fluffed to give ample warning for folks not accustomed to off-trail desert travel. While many seem to approach from the east, I followed the lead of my peakbagger peers and tackled it from the west. Since the undertaking was overall not as prickly nor tedious as expected, I decided to extend the hike beyond the range's high point (Ladron Benchmark) to include its eastern neighbor, Ladron Peak.

To reach the trailhead, I drove along County Road 12, a graded route accessible to any car, provided the washes are dry. On my visit, one wash was flooded, though a confident driver in a passenger car could manage it. I turned southeast on a lesser road here (34.46584, -107.13992). This stretch of a bit over three miles was slower but still manageable for my crossover SUV. Note that the area has a web of roads, and GPS navigation will likely mislead.

I parked at the end of the road and started my hike through a gate. The initial section followed a singletrack trail, which merged with an old road that passed a stone ruin and ascended for a bit before ending at a spring. From there, a decent trail lined with piping continued next to a drainage before ascending to the shoulder of a minor ridge extending from the west side of the range. As I climbed eastward, the steep slope offered occasional social trails or cairns and involved some light Class 2 scrambling. The ridge became flatter and wide for a short time, the next leg of ascent clearly visible ahead. The ridge then ascended more steeply to the crest above, beginning with a bit of Class 2 talus scrambling. I then avoided little cliffies by just wrapping around them, using steep slopes covered in grasses or more talus. I might have pulled a low Class 3 move here and there, but this was only to overcome a small cliff band occasionally and it wasn't all that noteworthy.

Once along the south ridge, the hike continued to be rocky, but the brush had dissipated. I finally got a view of the ridgeline to come, though not of Ladron Benchmark just yet. There was a bit of scrambling up and over a false summit along the ridge, nothing exceeding Class 3. Some more light scrambling along the crest brought me to the broad and grassy summit of the range's high point. Any significant scrambling was brief and primarily needed to navigate through notches.

From Ladron Benchmark, I descended toward Ladron Peak, encountering more scrambling and a fair amount of brush. Reaching the minor summit required dropping 400 feet to the saddle and then regaining a similar amount. This section was more rugged and slow-moving than the hike up to Ladron Benchmark, and with a few unexpected challenges.

From the saddle I kept to the right just below some serious-looking rock outcroppings lining the crest. After some more brush, the slope turned into a Class 2 talus field. Sporadic Class 3 cliff bands could be avoided by staying lower, though I opted to trend higher, adding a bit more scrambling. As I approached the summit, the crest became spicier, with a severe drop on the left. At the base of a significant rock outcrop, I found a Class 3 weakness just to the right of the crest. Now at the base of the summit, I found that there are multiple Class 3 options to get up, but I found a section on slabby rock to be most enjoyable. From the summit, I enjoyed the cliffs now visible on the north side of Ladron Benchmark.

On my way back down I tried staying below the ridge crest just to see what the route was like, finding it to be a sidehilling mess beneath the crest outcroppings, so I recommend staying high when possible. Although pretty tedious, loose, and brushy, I thought Ladron Peak was a nice add on. I retraced my steps to Ladron Benchmark and decided to descend via the northwest ridge, creating a loop. I mostly just wanted to find an alternative route down than the way I'd come up, possibly more direct. Ultimately I'd say the northwest ridge was more fun and adventurous, but probably not more efficient since it had many more obstacles.

Shortly after leaving the summit I encountered some Class 3. It was more committing and a bit more exposed than anything else today, but still wasn't disproportionately dangerous. The ridge narrowed into a beautiful stretch of rock, an unexpected treat with significant drops on either side, leaving no choice but to stick to the crest. At one point a major rock outcropping prevents direct access along the crest, but a brushy gully just to its south provided a Class 2 way to avoid it. I continued descending on Class 2/3 talus along the ridge or just next to it.

Eventually it appeared that the biggest obstacles were behind me and I could continue less encumbered along the crest, but I realized I needed to start thinking about making my way back to my original approach route to return to my car. As soon as I could see a significant weakness to get off the northwest ridge, I descended using a talus field and then a grassy slope into the basin on the west side of Ladron Benchmark. From here I made my way up to the shoulder where I'd left the social trail earlier. Leaving the ridge earlier avoided having to traverse multiple arroyos in the basin, so I think my choice was a good one, even though I'd been tempted to stay on the ridge longer. In hindsight, ascending the northwest ridge and descending the south ridge might be preferable, though I was satisfied with my counterclockwise loop.