Day 1. (Friday) – Travel day. We will depart at 7:00am from Love’s at I-40 and Morgan Road in far west Oklahoma City. We will head to Roberts Lake northeast of Silver City.  (Directions below) - Drive time about 14 hours with meal stops.

Day 2. – First backpacking day. We will travel to the trailhead.   To reach the trail head, take the FR150 / State Hwy 61 turn off from Hwy 35, about 1/4th of a mile southeast of the Continental Divide marker. (see directions to the trailhead below)  The trail head turn off is clearly marked on this gravel road.   If you have a high clearance vehicle, proceed up the road turnoff until you reach the trail head, otherwise park right at the turnoff and hike the 3/4 of a mile to the trailhead.  You follow Trail #74, the Continental Divide Trail, for about a mile to the turn-off to #77.  Then you proceed down a moderately steep canyon, up the other side and then into the river valley (more of a stream, really).  This first two and half mile section will have descending over 600 feet and ascending at least 200 feet (that's a guess).  Once you reach the river valley approximately you can then camp almost anywhere along the stream.  The trail overall is “excellent, smooth and well-maintained.”  From the Falcon Guides book:

Most of the first part of the hike is in open ponderosa and cottonwood forest.  The trail enters the wilderness area a bit less than one mile up the canyon.  Shortly afterward you hit the first of many stream crossings.  The river is really more of a stream, however it’s large enough to be a nuisance to cross.  Many beautiful campsites lie all along the hike.  At about three miles, in a park-like area of ponderosa pine in a broad part of the canyon, you pass an old corral and then enter the lush patches of Douglas fir and pine. 

At 8 miles, the trail forks to go to Reed’s peak – this is where we’ll stop our trip (assuming that we haven’t stopped already to make a base camp).  If there is time, there are abundant trails in the area to hike around for fun.

Heading North on FR150, proceed approximately 1/2 mile past the FR150A turn off to the trail head for Trail 74 (Continental Divide Trail). Take Trail 74 northeast for approximately 1 mile. Trail 77 branches off to the right. Trail 77 proceeds southeast for about 1/2 mile into the upper portion of Cooney Canyon. It then goes up Cooney Canyon northeast for about 1/2 mile, then cuts southeast again. After another 1/2 mile or so the trail crosses through Corral Canyon and proceeds another 1/2 mile southeast to the Mimbres River. The re-route joins the old Trail 77 about 1 mile above the old trail head at the Bloodgood Place. The total distance from the Trail 74 trail head to the forks of the Mimbres is about 8 miles.

Day 3. – We will hike back out.  We will be a relatively short distance from the Gila Cliff dwellings – I’ve been there, and I was more impressed than I was at Mesa Verde’s main attraction.  At Mesa Verde, CO, there are several different dwellings, but none in better shape than the Gila.  If there is time on Sunday to go to the dwellings, I highly recommend it.  We will choose a place to camp Sunday night based on time we get off the trail, etc.

Day 4 (Memorial Day) – Home!

Take I-40 west to New Mexico

Hang a left (south) onto I-25 in Albuquerque

Turn Right (west) onto NM 152 in Caballo

Turn right (north) onto NM 35 in the forest (near San Lorenzo)

Bear Canyon appears to be about 8 miles on the left, by looking at the map.