5.0 mi of trail, end to end · Hike the Cerro Seco Loop: 11.2 mi round trip in the Service's write-up · about 900 ft of climbing · 8,898 ft–9,711 ft · native surface · bike, hiking, horse · seasonal: Winter seasonal closure dependent on current conditions
TrailheadsCerro Seco Trailhead 8,719 ft Drive there · Cerro Seco Trailhead 8,897 ft Drive there · San Antonio Mountain Trailhead 8,902 ft Drive there
Hike the Cerro Seco Loop 11.2 mi round trip · the Park Service's write-up
5-7 Hours · no dogs · entrance fee applies · reservation required · Spring, Summer, Fall · season The backcountry is closed to vehicular traffic from November 15 - May 14.
Start Cerro Seco Loop
A view of Redondo Peak from the Cerro Seco Loop. Photo: NPS/H. O'Keeffe
This strenuous, 11.2-mile (18 km) trail ascends a narrow drainage before circling around Cerro Seco lava dome, offering good views of Valle Seco and the northern rim of the caldera, with the best views saved for last. If you keep an eye out you might even spot pikas. Best hiked counterclockwise.
Elevation: 8,394 - 9,706 feet
Accessibility This unpaved, natural surface trail has steep grades. Service animals permitted.
The lines are the National Park Service's public trails layer, the trailheads and the waterfalls, views, peaks and historic places along them the Service's public points of interest, read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end. The write-ups are the Service's own "things to do" 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 park's own site before you go.
