Flowers bloom on the edge of Stewart Lake in 2024. At around 10,230 feet, Stewart Lake is among the lowest lakes in the Pecos Wilderness of Santa Fe National Forest.
Flowers bloom on the edge of Stewart Lake in 2024. At around 10,230 feet, Stewart Lake is among the lowest lakes in the Pecos Wilderness of Santa Fe National Forest.
Matt Dahlseid/The New Mexican
Irises line Winsor Ridge Trail 271 on June 18, 2023.
Matt Dahlseid/The New Mexican
The view of Stewart Lake and Santa Fe Baldy through the trees above the lake's eastern shore.Â
Matt Dahlseid/The New Mexican
Santa Fe Baldy reflects in the waters of Stewart Lake Pothole No. 1 on May 16, 2021. The pond near Stewart Lake contains thousands of salamanders.
Matt Dahlseid/The New Mexican
The view from Winsor Ridge Trail 271 on June 18, 2023.
Matt Dahlseid/The New Mexican
A lizard rest on a rock along Winsor Ridge Trail 271 on April 27, 2025.
I consider patience to be among my core characteristics. To this day, my mom will brag to family, friends and strangers about how still and quiet I used to be at the hairdresser while she would get her perm, as if this is the crowning achievement of my nearly four decades on Earth.
While this trait is still present in my adult life, I learned after moving to New Mexico that my patience wears thin at high altitude.
Following a winter roaming canyons and deserts, my lungs long for the mountain air as spring advances. The heat at lower elevations drives me to the cooler temperatures above, and during my first couple of springs here, I found myself plodding through snow as I attempted to reach alpine lakes well before the buried trails would be visible.
I usually felt somewhat foolhardy passing through boggy meadows of snowmelt and then post-holing up steep grades. Sometimes I’d reach the lake, and other times I’d turn back with a lack of satisfaction and soaked feet.
Most people get to Stewart Lake from Pecos Canyon, and the lower elevation means the trails to the lake are usually free of snow weeks before they’re clear to other lakes in the wilderness.
It’s become a tradition to make Stewart Lake my first Pecos Wilderness hike each year. Depending on how snowy of a winter we’ve had, I’ll usually wait a couple weeks into May to try the hike.
I’ve reached Stewart Lake four different routes, three starting from Pecos Canyon.
The shortest starts at Winsor Creek Trailhead, a mile west of Cowles Ponds. It mostly follows Trail 261, an unmaintained trail that has some downed trees to navigate, before connecting with Winsor Trail 254 and then Skyline Trail 251 for the last 0.6 miles. It’s four miles up to the lake, with the first three being quite steep and comprising most of the 1,890 feet of elevation gain. The road to the Winsor Creek Trailhead from Cowles Ponds is narrow and the parking lot is small.
Parking is more abundant at Cowles Ponds, where you can access Winsor Ridge Trail 271 to hike up to Stewart Lake. The total hike is about 12 miles and includes 2,350 feet in elevation gain.
Trail 271 has become my favorite route because it has the most abundant views along the way. The ridgeline offers up sprawling scenes of the canyon and mountains to the east, with nearer peaks to the west. Trail 271 runs into Skyline Trail, which covers the last 0.3 miles to Stewart Lake.
Just before Stewart Lake is what’s referred to as the Stewart Pothole No. 1 in Santa Fe National Forest’s high lakes inventory. The small pond is worth spending some time peering into, as it contains thousands of salamanders wriggling in its murky waters. Beyond the pond to the west is a grassy wetland where a larger lake once filled the basin.
Another access to Stewart Lake from Pecos Canyon is Holy Ghost Trail 283. The trailhead parking is just before Holy Ghost Campground and follows Holy Ghost Creek up a lush canyon. The hike includes several stream crossings in the first mile. The trail climbs 3.3 miles to Winsor Trail 254 before you turn onto Skyline Trail 251 for the last 0.6 miles. The 12-mile out-and-back hike has about 2,300 feet in elevation gain. Holy Ghost Canyon Road, which turns off N.M. 63 in Pecos Canyon, is very narrow.
Stewart Lake can also be reached from the Santa Fe ski basin, though this is the longest and least popular option. The 16-mile out-and-back follows the Winsor Trail and Skyline Trail, with 1,740 feet of elevation gain and 1,640 feet of elevation loss as it drops down to Spirit Lake and then Stewart Lake. Since it reaches elevations well above Stewart Lake, this route will hold snow for longer than the other options.
While the hike is always beautiful, it could be worth waiting a few more weeks for the wildflowers to bloom. By late May or early June, Trail 271 should be lined with gorgeous purple irises at its higher elevations. The aspen along the path should also start showing their leaves by then.
Keep your eyes open for wildlife along the trails. On our late April hike, we saw a group of four or five deer, a lizard, several black and blue Steller’s jays, and hawks soaring through the canyon. If you look closely along portions of the trail, you will be able to spot snail shells, though I have not yet seen live snails.
Trail 271 is also the only trail in the Pecos Wilderness where I’ve ever encountered a black bear (it bolted off as soon as it noticed me).
It’s nice to have multiple options to hike to Stewart Lake, with each one providing a different experience. That, and its earlier accessibility, is why it’s the lake I’ve hiked to the most by quite a wide margin.
While whetting my appetite for another season in the mountains, a hike to Stewart Lake always makes me eager to push higher for further Pecos Wilderness adventures.
