Pecos provides a gateway to history, outdoor adventures, good food, and a rejuvenated sense of self.
Magda Matecka was enchanted by the 223,000-acre, high desert Pecos Wilderness on her very first visit in 2014. The area’s evergreens, campgrounds, abundance of trails, rivers for fishing, and access to outside activities year-round convinced her to move there three years later.
“Pecos is so many things for me,” Matecka says. “It’s history, it’s accessibility to the outdoors—with hikes, like my favorite at Panchuela Trailhead—the small-town feel of the community, some great food, and the Pecos River. The river has raised generations—every person in the area has swum in the Pecos, and many farmers and ranchers still rely on it for water. That’s amazing!”
As the administrative and communications coordinator of the Upper Pecos Watershed Association, Matecka is passionate about preserving and promoting the river, its tributaries, and wetlands. In December 2024, the federal government began the process of protecting the Upper Pecos Watershed from new mining claims and mineral leases, ensuring that the region’s air, water, and wildlife habitat will remain unspoiled for years to come.
For visitors seeking an escape, Pecos National Historical Park acts as an introduction to the area’s historical and cultural significance. Explore the region’s ancient past and archaeological record through the thousand-year-old pueblo remnants and Spanish mission church along the 1.25-mile Ancestral Sites Trail (or ranger-guided geology and full moon walks). Find more modern history at the park’s Kozlowski’s Trading Post—a former stagecoach station on the Santa Fe Trail that later served as a Civil War hospital and a ranch headquarters—or the Forked Lightning Ranch house once owned by mid-20th century actress Greer Garson. Behind the house, the 3.8-mile South Pasture Loop Trail dazzles with expansive views of the Pecos River, Sangre de Cristo Mountains, and Glorieta Mesa. Nearby, the easy 2.3-mile Glorieta Battlefield Trail tells the story of the westernmost clash of the Civil War, often called the Gettysburg of the West.
Be sure to wind up at the park’s gift shop, Matecka says, where you’ll find an extensive selection of historical books, toys, gifts and Native-made jewelry and pots..
Pecos’s adventure seekers come for activities and the natural beauty of the area that’s less than an hour from Santa Fe and Las Vegas and close enough to Albuquerque for an easy day trip. May through October, Pecos Farmers Market vendors sell a variety of arts and crafts and locally grown produce perfect for picnics in the forest or by the river.
The Pecos Studio Tour, held the first weekend in October, attracts art lovers for demonstrations and workshops with local artists in their creative spaces. Anglers will find the best spots to cast a line with the guides of Santa Fe Fly Fishing School, or they can feed hungry fingerlings at the educational Lisboa Springs Fish Hatchery. Of note, Glorieta Adventure Camps has opened its once-private 20 miles of single-track trails to the public for scenic mountain biking and hiking.
The tight-knit village of 1,400 residents provides everything a visitor might need for a day trip or weekend in the wilderness. For nourishment, Pancho’s Gourmet to Go supplies breakfast burritos before you head out to fish, backpack, or mountain bike. For lunch and dinner, everyone gathers at Frankie’s at the Casanova for traditional New Mexican favorites. Lodgings range from Pecos Canyon State Park’s mountain camping (with great trout fishing) to the rustic and modern riverfront cabins of Pecos River Cabins and glamping along the river at Field Trip. Los Pinos Guest Ranch makes an excellent base for bird-watching and horseback riding too. With Pecos River and Monastery Lake access, Our Lady of Guadalupe Benedictine Abbey welcomes individual and group retreats among its 1,000 acres.
Pecos embraces those who appreciate the surprise of seeing an unexpected colorful bird or the peace of sitting on a rock by the river, says Shelley Oram, retired firefighter and chair of the Pecos Business Association. “Little towns like Pecos could easily dry up and blow away if folks didn’t come to enjoy the natural resources and visit the cultural and historical sites,” she says. “It’s our focus to keep those interests going so that the community thrives. The local folks are laid-back and openhearted, have been here for generations, and welcome everyone.”
