The Redondo Border Trail sits high on a prominent northwest facing ridge in the western part of the Valles Caldera National Preserve (read my overview of hiking in the Preserve with links to articles on several individual trails here). No one I spoke to was sure about the origin of the name “Redondo Border” for the ridge, but it does form a canyon rim high above the north side of Redondo Creek. Redondo Mountain is across the creek to the south. It is not a border in any administrative or political sense that I can tell, but rather a border between the drainages of Redondo Creek to the South and Sulfur Creek to the North.
It was about an hour drive out to the start point on the Preserve’s backcountry van. This is a 6.6 mile (10.7 km) out-and-back route that starts out at about 9440 feet altitude (2878 m) and eventually ascends to just over 9800 feet (2996 m) at its high point.
This is a highline route offering expansive views to North and West. The route passes in and out of areas burned during the Thompson Ridge fire of 2013, but is largely lush and intact. The route begins with a steady, but not too difficult ascent but then settles in to a long, seemingly level traverse of a contour just below the ridgeline. The marked route ends at a signpost with a red X on it.
Elk have been chewing away at the bark on these downed aspen trees
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