New Mexico Summits, a Falcon guide written by L. Adam White, covers 40 hikes (50 peaks) in useful, detailed fashion. Well-organized, specific about directions and trail details, it makes for an excellent resource.

Each hike covers the following elements:

• Start: Where to find the trailhead in brief (detailed directions come later)
• Elevation of trailhead
• Elevation of summit
• Elevation gain
• Trail distance as a round-trip
• Difficulty: This is often the problematic element of any guide as level of difficulty is so subjective and individualized. And it can be difficult for experienced hikers to gauge other — particularly less experienced — hikers’ views on just what is “difficult” (anyone who has hiked knows one sees all sorts on the trail with huge varieties in age, experience, fitness, body type, footgear, etc.). That said, nothing jumped off as an outlier in White’s descriptions, and for the handful of hikes I’ve done myself, I’d agree with his descriptions, so I’d say he does a good job in this category
• Hiking time: again, this can obviously be highly individualized, but White gives the gift of his methodology in the intro, noting he estimates most hikers at 2-3 miles/hour and 2 miles/hour for long hikes with more elevation gain. So it’s easy enough for readers to do the math based on their own typical hike pace, which most hikers know quite well.
• Best time to hike seasonally and time of day (typically morning to avoid afternoon thunderstorms)
• Trail requirements in terms of fees/permits
• Contact information for who manages the trail
• Whether or not dogs are allowed and if so leashing rules
• Trail surface description: i.e. dirt, rocky, loam, etc.
• Which agency manages the trail
• Nearest town with services (that second half being key)
• Suggested maps (usually USGS)
• Other trail users (usually mountain bikers, horse riders)
• Misc. but helpful special details: how crowded the trail is, whether water is available on the trail, how exposed to the elements, potentially risky sections, etc.
• Amenities (bathrooms at the trailhead for instance)
• Maximum grade
• Cell service availability
• Detailed trailhead directions (this includes important info regarding road types, as in dirt roads, narrow roads, washboards, whether they require high clearance of 4W drive, etc.
• Trail conditions: This covers things such as how well-maintained the trail is, plant growth, ease of finding the trail, loose rocks, slipperiness, etc. Obviously, this can be an issue with timeliness as conditions can swiftly change, but it’s a nice detail to add
• The hike itself: A nicely detailed narrative description of the hike from trailhead to summit and back, including coverage of interesting asides (such as to see a waterfall or an outcropping with a good view) and possible alternative trails to the summit or back down
• The hike via miles: Following the narrative description is a detail route path marked by miles and important points, such as trail forks, a shift to cairns, a move out of the forest, etc.


It's all super clear, easy to follow, and detailed. And comes with some nice personal touches as well, some glimpses into his own experiences hiking it. The guide also includes a number of pictures, including some of his daughter who joined him, which also adds another nice touch. And I was happy to see on a more technical hike we got a picture of him wearing a helmet — a nice subtle way to encourage safe hiking.

All in all, this is an excellent guide and one I plan on using myself next time I’m in the state, though it probably won’t be too long until I pass it on to my son, who not only hikes more frequently (being out west) and on more challenging hikes, but does so much more spryly as well. Time comes for us all, but it’s good to know he’ll get a years and probably decades out of this guide.

Another great Falcon guide. A really in-depth guide on some really amazing hikes in New Mexico. This guide is full with so much information on the trails from dog friendly to best time to do it and trail conditions.

Perfect for armchair traveller and if you think of organizing travels to New Mexis
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A book full of ideas and places to see in New Mexico It is very in-depth and gives plenty of detail about the places but they are big walks and big summits so it you are looking for easier walks/treks this is not the book for you. Great for people who like to get out there and see nature at its best.

Thank you NetGalley and The Globe Pequot Publishing Group, Inc. for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

There are so many amazing places in New Mexico to go visit and explore! This handbook is full of ideas with some amazing photos to get the vibe of the locations. This is definitely a needed book for those of us that love to explore the natural world.

#NetGalley #NewMexicoSummits