Full moon rise at Spook Canyon

I first moved to Socorro in August of 1997 to study engineering at New Mexico Tech. While I’ve lived in other places on and off since then, I’ve spent at least part of each of those years here in Socorro County. That’s 28 years of hiking, climbing, biking, paddling, camping, backpacking, and just generally exploring the area as much as possible. I do less of the peddling and paddling these days, but activities involving rocks and hikes are still my main passions.

Summer is not the best season for rock climbing around here. It’s simply too hot! Sweaty hands and fingers make it even more difficult to grip the rock, and chalk can only help so much. New Mexico rock climbers typically spend the summer season climbing at higher elevations, especially farther north in the state. If you are local to Socorro though, and want to climb but can’t get up north every single weekend, then you are going to climb anyhow. Chase the shade and it can still be quite pleasant. Mornings are best, evenings are still pretty good, and using a few lights to climb at night is incredibly entertaining.

So when a longtime friend was visiting and wanted to climb this past Friday, Spook Canyon was one of the obvious summer options for evening climbing. The wall faces east and later on in the afternoon all the climbing is nicely shaded. There’s something for everyone: 22 routes ranging from beginner friendly to monster hard. Plus, it’s beautiful with the colorful waterstreaks running down the red-hued wall. Five others joined for the rope climbing that evening: old friends, new friends, regular climbers, and some who hadn’t climbed in a long while. We climbed, chatted, hung out, and watched an incredibly orange full moon rise from one of the best viewpoints around.

Spook Canyon is Box Canyon’s neighbor to the east. It’s the turn-off from Highway 60 about a mile east of Box Canyon and about 6 miles west of Socorro, with the little shrine visible from the highway. Not a climber? That’s OK because the Spook area has more to offer. A newish network of trails for mountain biking and hiking connects Spook to The Box. Take the Silva Trail from the shrine (listed as Descansos Multiuse Trailhead on Google Maps) to connect with the North Box Trail, over the ridge with panoramic views, and on to the Box Canyon parking lot. That’s about two miles one way.

Whether you are seeking outdoor recreation with friends or looking to get away from everyone, there’s something for you nearby. Socorro County is huge at 6,649 square miles. Three U.S. states aren’t even as big: Rhode Island, Delaware, and Connecticut. Within the county lines, public lands abound. Cibola National Forest includes much of the Magdalena Mountains, San Mateo Mountains, and Bear Mountains. There’s also plenty of Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, and state land available for recreational activities. With so much space, one could keep exploring for a long, long time in our county alone. I’ll share whatever I can and keep on exploring.