Atalaya Mountain

Mountain peak · Santa Fe County

Atalaya Mountain

Mountain peak · Santa Fe County

2

New Mexico 87505

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Atalaya Mountain by Photo by Kate Donnelly
Atalaya Mountain by Photo by Kate Donnelly

Highlights

Steep hike to summit with expansive city & sky views  

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New Mexico 87505 Get directions

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New Mexico 87505 Get directions

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Last updated

Aug 8, 2025

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@afar

"Starting from a trailhead atthe small campus of St. John's College, the Atalaya Mountain Trailbegins simply and then rises to a steep and challenging 5.4-mile hike that'll leave you grateful for having made the effort. (Shorten the trek by setting out fromthe Ponderosa Ridge trailhead, if you prefer). When you make it out of the ponderosa pines and achieve the summit, you're rewarded with expansive views of the city2,000 feet below, as well asof theiconic big blueskies of the Southwest."

New Mexico's Dramatic Natural Scenery
View Postcard for Atalaya Mountain
@afar

"Starting from a trailhead atthe small campus of St. John's College, the Atalaya Mountain Trailbegins simply and then rises to a steep and challenging 5.4-mile hike that'll leave you grateful for having made the effort. (Shorten the trek by setting out fromthe Ponderosa Ridge trailhead, if you prefer). When you make it out of the ponderosa pines and achieve the summit, you're rewarded with expansive views of the city2,000 feet below, as well asof theiconic big blueskies of the Southwest."

The Best Trails and Hikes Around Santa Fe
View Postcard for Atalaya Mountain

Raymond D.

Google
A bit more difficult than I expected. Fantastic for trail-running nonetheless! Beautiful views of the Holy City from above. And gorgeous wildflowers along the way. Aster, Cota, heathers, Chamisa and plenty of Piñon.

Teal Carlock

Google
Go check this beautiful trail out of into waking, hiking, trail running, or biking. Did an early AM trail run over to and up this spot this morning. So glad I did. The trail is fair and easy to follow. Steep at times but plenty of areas where it flattens out. Good for beginner or advanced hikers/runners. Not many spots to get these views above Santa Fe.

Richard Burns

Google
It is always enjoyable to do a hike in a city you are visiting, and the Atalaya mountain hike was perfect. It is the right mix of moderate length combined with moderate vertical gain and loss. As a first-timer the access was a little confusing as we parked at the Wilderness trailhead and walked through gated communities to reach the actual Atalaya trailhead. We figured it out and loved this hike and the great views it afforded!

William Sowle

Google
Trail to the top starts out moderate despite the fact that it goes through a wash so it can be very wet, some of the steeper sections have been rerouted to a reasonable grade but a lot of work still needs to be done. Compared to hiking to the top of Wheeler Peak, this is a piece of cake.

Aaron Lively

Google
We began at St. John's College and the trail is easy to follow and well maintained. Coming from 980ft elevation we had to stop a few times to catch our breath but overall it's a fairly easy/moderate day hike.

Kevin Bond

Google
One of the best moderate hikes in town, it gets a fair amount of traffic but is worth it for the view if you can handle 6 miles round trip and 2000 elevation gain. I recommend taking dale ball one direction to make it not a out and back hike.

Robert Bittner

Google
I had a great time hiking this trail from St. John’s College to the peak. It’s well marked. I used AllTrails to map the hike, which was correct with one exception: there’s a split in the trail about half way there marked “steeper route” and “easier route”. AllTrails follows the steeper.

Cindy Hamil

Google
Awesome mountain to climb. A must do when visiting Santa Fe. Great views for those that make it to the top :)