Wheeler Wilderness
Up Gavilan Trail to Lobo Ridge and down Italianos Trail
Elevation: trail head is at 8,900 ft. and the ridge is 11,800 ft.
Today two of us hiked up Gavilan Trail 60 over Lobo Ridge and down the Italianos Trail. This about an 8.5 mile loop. This is a beautiful route. Upper Gavilan Trail has two expansive sloping short grass meadows that are very beautiful with vistas of Taos Ski Valley and the peaks east of there.
The trail between Gavilan and Italianos along Lobo Ridge was steep in areas and is obviously seldom traveled and obvious trail disappears from lack of use for short stretches. Granite rocks juts out in places. This section of Lobo Ridge is narrow with steep slopes on either side. The views are magnificent. To the far northwest you can see Ute Mountain and low hills in Colorado. Due north of the ridge you get a view of open mining piles from Molycorp mine. To the east lies Gold Hill and southeast you can see Wheeler Peak. To the south are the peaks that lie east of Wheeler including Vallecitos Peak, the top of El Salto Mountain and further beyond are the Truchas Peaks. To the southwest is the Rio Grande Gorge and Tres Orejas Peaks. As one approaches Italianos the ridge broaden out in soften grassy meadow.
Italianos is a beautiful trail with small open meadows here and there along the trail starting about 1 mile down. The creek that runs down this canyon is striking. The water dramatically slides and cascade over rock boulders at the trails edge in the lower third of the canyon.
Columbine Wilderness Study Area
Columbine Canyon to skree field just below Lobo Ridge
Mileage: about 5 miles one way
Elevation: trailhead 8,000 ft. to 10,300 (11,200 to Lobo Ridge above)
Columbine Creek trail is a nice trail which follows Columbine Creek, as the name suggestions, up a canyon through several small meadows and into one larger meadow, often a destination for picnicers and those uninterested in climbing the vertical feet to Lobo Ridge. The next portion of trail is noticeably steeper. 
On this particular day we stopped for lunch and decided to call it a day below the ridge with promises to come back and finish what we started. The trail is well maintained and with sturdy bridges in the first half of the trail. As the trail progrsses stepping stones (which may be difficult to pass in high water) became the mode to cross the stream. Our dogs, who accompanied us on our hike, enjoyed the complimentary water along the way! There were two camps set up along the trail, but for a weekend day we encountered very few fellow hikers.
