Some roads earn their view, and the climb to Greenie Peak is one of them. You leave town up Mallette Canyon Road, past Mallette Park, and the pavement gives way to Forest Road 597 and a steady climb through spruce and aspen. Loose gravel, rocky stretches and tight turns slow you down, and that is part of the pleasure. Every switchback opens a little more of the Sangre de Cristo country until the trees thin and the summit spreads out in bare, rocky ground.
Did you know Greenie Peak is described in the Town of Red River trail flyer as the highest peak in New Mexico you can reach by motor vehicle? The flyer puts the summit at 11,221 feet, up from about 8,750 feet in town, and rates this system moderate to difficult. Forest Road 597 connects onward to the Trail 54 system, with links toward Midnight Meadows, and a large staging area sits a quarter mile up Mallette Canyon Road past Mallette Park for trailers and groups. From the top on a clear day you look across forested ridges to the ski slopes above town and snow-dusted peaks beyond.
Late October changes the bargain, though. In town on Friday, October 30 it was sunny and in the mid-fifties, but the forecast called for showers arriving that night and snow showers on Saturday morning, and conditions at 11,221 feet turn faster and colder than they do on Main Street. Snow closes the high routes around Red River to wheeled vehicles in winter, and a summit that is dusty one afternoon can be slick or drifted the next. The Forest Service listed no current seasonal road designations and no closure for this route in the alerts checked this week, but that is a starting point for your own check, not a promise about the top.
So treat a late-fall run to Greenie Peak as a preparedness trip first and a drive second. Carry the current Questa Ranger District Motor Vehicle Use Map, check Forest Service alerts the morning you go, and tell someone in town where you are headed and when you expect back. Go early, watch the sky over the high peaks, and be willing to turn around at the first snow, ice or deep mud rather than spinning ruts into a wet road. That patience is what keeps this classic climb open and beautiful for next summer.
Know before you go
Stay on designated routes only. The Greenie Peak system, including Forest Road 597, is designated on the Carson National Forest Motor Vehicle Use Map for the Questa Ranger District, and vehicles cannot be driven on roads and areas not listed on that map. Check current Forest Service alerts and closures before going, because restrictions can happen unexpectedly for weather, fire or road work. Tread Lightly: travel responsibly on designated routes, avoid sensitive areas such as meadows and streams, cross water only at designated crossings, and pack out what you pack in. Respect gates and private land, leave gates as you find them, and make sure your vehicle is properly registered with a Forest Service approved spark arrester.