Bear
Canyon Cascades
There are a lot of Bear Canyons in New
Mexico. This Bear Canyon is a couple
miles east of Questa and it is a very amazing canyon. It has beautiful cascades that tumble for more than 200 feet
down thru sheer-walls a thousand feet high…!!!
Each individual falls within Bear Canyon
Cascades aren’t more than 15’ high... but they tumble continuously and
beautifully...
...the moss-covered log in these last two
photos ...is the same log.
The views of the thousand foot high sheer
canyon walls will make you think you are in a National Park.
beta facts:
name- Bear Canyon Cascades
height- 200’
type of waterfall- tiered-cascade
elevation- 7900’
GPS coordinates- ±37°01.527’N 106°28.227’W
flow- perennial spring fed
season-May thru Oct
ownership- Carson National Forest
access- a short ½ mile hike... some old
unmaintained trail... and some guess-work to cross the Red River
nearest town- Questa is about 2 miles west
of here
fun fact- a rather steep hike... but very
beautiful...!!!
essay bro
This is a very steep but very beautiful
hike... and if you go to visit these cascades... do yourself a favor and
continue your hike on up Bear Canyon thru the entire sheer-walled portion. The canyon is more impressive than the
cascades. It is a beautiful place
that you will want to return to.
Knowing where to park your car and finding
a place to cross Red River are both good questions. We parked beside New Mexico State Highway 38 a hundred yards
or so past a speed limit sign about one mile east of the Questa Ranger Station
of the Carson National Forest. We
found a Fir tree nearby fallen across Red River, which provided us with a dry
crossing. Then immediately found a
trail heading up stream a hundred yards or so to Bear Canyon. From there an old unimproved trail was
steep but quite easy to follow up thru the majestic Bear Canyon. Some trees have fallen across the
trail.
Enhanced
National Geographic 7.5’ topo map (up is NORTH)
Thin
red lines above are one-mile squares
Send questions and comments to dscott@TheMarbleSculptor.com