Santa Fe National Forest · New Mexico

Hamilton Mesa

12 mi of trail, end to end · native material surface · trail No. 249 · trail class 2 · typical grade 5-8% · hiking, horse · seasonal: hiking 06/01-09/30

Campgrounds

Along the way Iron Gate Campground

Trailheads Iron Gate Trailhead Drive there · Jacks Creek Trailhead Drive there

Iron Gate Trailhead the Forest Service's write-up

$5.00 per vehicle per day, or use the&nbsp;<a href="/detail/r3/passes-permits/recreation/?cid=FSEPRD1126246" target="_blank">New Mexico Enchantment Pass</a>&nbsp;or an Interagency Pass. · season May to November, weather permitting

Important Note: During the open season (roughly April through November), the campround and trailhead are OPEN to the public but visitors may encounter a closed gate on Forest Road 223. This gate is for livestock management. Please feel free to enter through the gate but close it again once you pass through. Thank you for your cooperation.

This Trailhead is located inside the Iron Gate Campground. Situated above 9,000 feet, Iron Gate Trailhead provides the closest access to panoramic views of the Pecos Wilderness via Hamilton Mesa Trail 249. Forest Road 223 is which provides access to this trailhead is rough and recommended only for high clearance vehicles .

Restrictions <strong>Pecos Wilderness Restrictions:</strong> <ul><li>Camping and campfires are prohibited in the following areas:<ul><li>Beatty&rsquo;s Flats</li><li>Pecos Falls</li><li>within 50 feet of a trail, stream, or river</li><li>within 200 feet of a lake</li></ul></li><li>All garbage and refuse must be packed out.&nbsp; Do not bury garbage or try to burn aluminum.</li><li>Mechanized equipment (including chainsaws) is prohibited in Wilderness areas.&nbsp;</li><li>Do not shortcut switchbacks on trails.</li><li>Possessing, storing, or transporting any part of a tree or plant is prohibited, with the exception of dead and down wood for campfires.</li><li>Do not tie horses to trees for more than 2 hours.&nbsp; Use highlines or pickets.</li><li>The maximum group size for camping, hiking, or riding is 15 people, whether for day or overnight use.</li><li>The maximum number of pack and saddle stock allowed in a group is 15.</li><li>Camping for more than 14 consecutive days in one place is not allowed.</li><li>Domestic goats and sheep are prohibited in the Pecos Wilderness in order to protect the bighorn sheep population from disease.</li><li>Storing equipment or supplies is prohibited.</li></ul>

This trailhead on fs.usda.gov

Every trail in Santa Fe National Forest

Other trails from the same trailheads

All 227 trails in Santa Fe National ForestFind a trailForest on fs.usda.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the US Forest Service's National Forest System trails layer (public domain), read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end, and the class, surface, grade and tread width are the forest's own entries where it publishes them - a forest that publishes the centreline alone has none. The trailheads and the points along the way are the Service's recreation points, and the write-ups its own recarea text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the forest's own site before you go.