Glorieta Battlefield-South Loop
in New Mexico · centroid 61 mi from Albuquerque
As the Texans continued to push their advantage, the fighting across the land of Pigeon's Ranch intensified. Since nobody in Colonel Slough's force knew the disposition of Major Chivington's group, and there was no evidence that the Confederates were weakened by a flanking attack, the plan to outmaneuver the Confederates looked increasingly impossible. While working their way around the Confederate force, Chivington's volunteers climbed to the top of Glorieta Mesa and worked their way across toward the Confederate rear.
Their guide, Manuel Chaves, led them to a point from which they saw the Confederate camp at Johnson's Ranch. After discussion, Chivington sent members of his group down to the area of Canoncito, where they burned the Confederate supply wagons. With night approaching, and possibly after learning of the destruction of their supplies, the Confederates dispatched an envoy bearing a flag of truce.
Under a ceasefire, Confederate and Federal soldiers searched among the carnage, looking for wounded and dead soldiers. The Battle of Glorieta Pass was over. The Confederates won every major tactical victory of the day; but in burning their supplies, the Federal forces won the strategic victory.
- States
- New Mexico
- Trail type
- National Historical Park trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Albuquerque, NM · 61 mi · ~1.8 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 35.5667°, -105.7526°
About Pecos National Historical Park
This trail is inside Pecos National Historical Park, a national historical park managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.
Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/glorieta-battlefield-south-loop.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/peco/index.htm
Plan your hike
Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.
Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.
When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.
If you've hiked Glorieta Battlefield-South Loop and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Stay nearby
Other trails within 50 miles
Glorieta Battlefield-Middle Path
0 miles from this trail's centroid
Glorieta Battlefield-North Loop
0 miles from this trail's centroid
Skyline Trail
16 miles from this trail's centroid
El Camino Real Historic Route Trail
23 miles from this trail's centroid
Falls Trail Tour - Stop 16
32 miles from this trail's centroid
Falls Trail Tour - Stop 14
32 miles from this trail's centroid
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.