Hiking to the Highest Point in New Mexico: Wheeler Peak (Taos, New Mexico)

Hello from the top of New Mexico! 🏔 After spending a day in Santa Fe, we headed to Taos to hike to the highest point New Mexico: Wheeler Peak at 13,161 ft.
As avid hikers, this sounded like a fun idea, but after spending months close to sea level and never having hiked this high up, it was a doozy getting to the top. But with frequent stops (like every 2 minutes 😅), beautiful scenery, and even marmot sightings, we pushed through the struggle and made it…and then celebrated with some pizza!
Wheeler Peak via Williams Lake Trail: www.alltrails....
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ABOUT US
Hi y’all! We’re Adam, Kathryn, and Kona, an adventurous married couple (+ pup!) living on the road in our self-converted sprinter van! You can often find us driving all around the US and Canada, scoping out the best coffee shops, eating tacos and ice cream (we're a 5+ taco and 2+ scoop household), and enjoying nature.
We created Adventures of A+K to help busy, budget conscious, and adventurous travelers maximize their vacation time and money wherever they go through detailed travel guides, vlogs, and resources. Our goal: to help you spend less time (and stress!) planning your trip and more time enjoying it!
We will be sharing 1-2 travel vlogs a week, so please SUBSCRIBE to follow along on our adventures! :)
Note: We’ve linked a handful of items so you can see exactly which products we take with us. Full disclosure--if you click on these links and make a purchase, we get a small commission at no extra cost to you. We will only ever recommend products we truly love, actually use during our adventures, and think you can benefit from too!

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

*See us hike to the top of Texas:* kzbin.info/www/bejne/pqnOgaasiLRnb5I *Note:* Masks were worn outside whenever we were near people, when we picked up takeout, and if we went inside anywhere. Social distancing, hand washing, and sanitizing precautions were also all taken in the making of this video. Safety is our #1 priority and we want to stress that this adventure, and all future adventures, will be done responsibly and with the health of others in mind.

[@kellycronin13]

Did anyone else think Adam said “there is a whole family of Mormons” at first?! 😂😂

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

🤣🤣🤣 That made us laugh out loud!

[@itsme-rt7nz]

That was what I thought he said too! I was like, "What?"

[@fernandobriseno8164]

Mormons!? Run away!!!

[@19bulls83]

I thought the same thing 😂😂

[@jeffl.304]

Yep! Me too!

[@felinamarie]

Born and raised in New Mexico. Its SO BEAUTIFUL HERE and such a hidden gem. Thank you for spreading light on my very beautiful home state.

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Of course! What are some of your favorite areas in the state?

[@felinamarie]

@@AdventuresofAplusK Carlsbad Caverns, 4th Of July Canyon, White Sands, San Gregoio Lake, Windsor Trail in the Santa Fe National Forest. Tecolote Trail and Travertine Falls Trail in the Cibola National Forest in the Sandias outside of Albuquerque. So many. I was borned and raised here my whole life. I love it. So much to explore and yes the elevation is a killer if you're not use to it. The more you do it the easier it will be I promise.

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Wow thanks for sharing all of those spots! We hope to see them all sometime!

[@BilltheTulaneGuy]

Red River fan

[@bw7471]

As usual your posts are great. Nice to see a young couple in love and enjoying each other and the World. Stay safe.

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

So glad you enjoyed it! 🤗

[@itsme-rt7nz]

I tried to get to the top of Wheeler Peak, but just couldn't do it. I went back to wait at Williams Lake while my husband and two friends went on to conquer the peak. I am used to hiking at 9 or 10 thousand feet, but that additional one to two thousand just did me in. It seemed like I was stopping to rest every 5 steps. I was already 60 years-old at the time, so you will have to forgive my weakness.

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

It is a HARD hike! We almost didn’t make it to the top either. Good job making it as far as you did! 💪🏼

[@SwiftyTravels]

Thanks for showing off the beauty of New Mexico!!

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Of course! We love NM!

[@loeyminske3459]

You guys ROCK!! I'm so impressed with your determination to finish a hike no matter how difficult it is. The hike was beautiful and I thank you for another beautiful view!

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

This one was brutal! Definitely taught us to acclimate even longer to higher elevations before conquering hikes like this. So happy we did it though!

[@oliverjh1281]

My geography was way off I imagined New Mexico to be flat and desert like 🙈 at the elevation to may have had altitude sickness , that was one crazy hike , hats off to you guys awesome job 👏👏👏

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Before this hike we had mostly just seen the more desert-y parts of New Mexico, so this was new for us too! And I definitely most likely had altitude sickness 😬. We thought a few days at higher altitude would be fine, but lessons learned for next time!

[@Sequel7]

Have you been to the mid west?

[@MAPP1010]

Awesome video! Thanks for pointing out the blue trail markers, planning on doing this hike in a few months.

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Have a blast! We loved this hike, even if it kicked our butts!

[@ShotCallen23]

Love this hike!! We did a backpacking trip a few years back. I am getting back into hiking now. Hopefully I will revisit this trail.

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

It’s such a great hike! Even if it kicked our butts!

[@WhenAdventureKnox]

I had no idea New Mexico had landscapes like that. 😮 The picture I've built up in my head is much drier. The landscapes you hiked looked stunning, and it was surprising to see snow in a state like New Mexico (due to how southern it is) in late June, but it sounded and looked brutal due to the altitude! You said "I'm just glad we survived"... me too given that you didn't eat anything before you headed out - you guys are crazy! 🤣 Overnight oats with some fruit like bananas is a good shout when you need something you can just grab and will give you lots of energy! Looking forward to the next videos as we've recently learnt there's a direct flight from London to SLC and we loved the Tetons so much last summer, we'd love to return. Will be nice to learn a bit more about what else is around!

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

We hadn’t seen this side of New Mexico until this trip. We have always visited the more desert-like climates. But this area was sooo gorgeous! Thankfully Adam ate during the hike (that way he had the strength to drag me up if needed 🤣), but I’m pretty sure I had altitude sickness haha oops! We’re excited to show you what we have been up to near Salt Lake. It has been a blast!

[@itsme-rt7nz]

Everyone thinks New Mexico is like Arizona, but northern New Mexico is more like Colorado.

[@fernandobriseno8164]

@@itsme-rt7nz parts of Arizona are like Colorado as well. Flagstaff for example is beautiful and the mountains there are 14ers I believe.

[@therugdoctor3029]

@@fernandobriseno8164 if I'm not mistaken Flagstaff is the same elavation as Santa Fe, central to northern new Mexico can get real cold... I've lived my whole life in Albuquerque and were truly the mile high city haha, I think Denver is a bit higher. Anyway in Albuquerque we got the Sandia mountains and have summers that get over 100 and winters that can get below 0 such a wide variety here man.

[@drakethedragon100]

Many parts of NM are beautiful

[@suzanneaydelotte801]

How beautiful! Glad you took your time and made it to the top! You guys rock and so does Konie Bear! Now I want pizza! 😋 Good thing we are making homemade pizza tonight! 😋

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Send us some pizza! 🍕 We want more! 😜😜

[@randygonzalez5758]

Great video footage; great hike; and y’all make a great team! Thx for posting

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Thanks so much Randy! 😄

[@pamelakern2849]

This was a wonderful trip , up the highest peak. Loved it 🥰🥰

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

It was a tough climb, but totally worth it!

[@juliamarple3785]

Helpful ♡

[@leopoldcuevas1]

I heard a "family of Mormons ...all huddled together".... I was like big deal.... Lol. (Looks like others heard the same thing) You're inspiring me to head up there this week, after living in NM since 2001, no one has wanted to summit with me. Tried to summit Iztaccíhuatl outside Mexico City twice, but at over 17,000ft, it's very hard to breathe, high altitude is difficult. Wheeler is a must. Congrats and thanks for this video.

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

These Mormon comments have us laughing out loud! 🤣 If I thought 13K was hard, 17K sounds absolutely brutal! We hope you get the chance to summit soon! It was totally worth all of the huffing and puffing, but as a NM local, you probably are more used to the elevation than us and will crush it! 💪🏼

[@TrekkingPals]

Thank you for sharing this and congrats 🥳

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Thanks for watching!

[@isaacmont3623]

Cool video. Thanks for posting. Great information. Will attempt this climb this weekend...

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Good luck!!!

[@runepehrsson73]

You guys are absolutely the best inspiration on KZbin.

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

You’re so sweet, thank you for the love! ❤️

[@maggiecosner3577]

Lol i thought you said Mormons huddling together. Awesome guys and Kona is super fit!

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Hahahah we clearly need to learn how to enunciate better when hiking higher altitudes 🤣 So funny!

[@bnndkvnsnt]

I thought the same thing. LOL

[@HanjiGuruji]

Ha ha

[@Diana-lo6cx]

Wow, I would not be able to do that hike! I am twenty years older and twenty pounds heavier than you guys! LOL. It was beautiful though, thanks for sharing the beauty

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

It was brutal! Glad we could virtually bring you along. During the hike I would’ve preferred a virtual version as well 🤣 But I’m so glad we did it!

[@michelehough5630]

The top of Arkansas is pretty accessible and cool. Mount Magazine

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

We'd love to hike it one day!

[@HanjiGuruji]

Good video guys. Kona did amazingly well. 👌🏼

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

She crushed it!!!

[@HanjiGuruji]

@@AdventuresofAplusK need guidance from you guys. Planning on attempting WP next week with 3 buddies. The forecast seems to be acceptable ( your thoughts on hand warmers and layers duly noted ). Any specific things that we should be planning for ? Start early am ? Trail pretty well marked ? Definitely don't want to run into issues

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Definitely start early! The trail was a lot busier on the way down due to families going to the lake and more people summiting. We were one of the first few groups to the top which was great! The trail was super well marked, which helped a ton. Minus the elevation, it was a pretty easy hike in terms of following the trail!

[@dylanfromflorida1619]

Pizza looked really good will consider this hike I would also be huffing and puffing to and stopping every 5 mins!

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

It’s a doozy, but super worth it!

[@bradgingerich6814]

What an amazing hike! Sometimes the hardest hikes are the most worth it! Man that pizza looked good! Now I’m hungry. 🤤 Great video as always!!! Btw, what hiking app do you use?

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

We love us some “type 2” fun! We hate it in the moment, but we always look back and think it was a blast! And that was the AllTrails app. We love it! We just use the free version and we are able to track our hikes even with low service (sometimes without too). It’s great!

[@salween99]

Awesome 👏

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Thank you! 😃

[@michaelsanchez7798]

Nausea there is likely the beginnings of altitude sickness.

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Ya thankfully we didn’t get injured and made it ok! We’re much more aware of that now! Thanks for watching!

[@robertmorgan8104]

Breath in through the nose and out through the mouth. Worked with climbing Mt Whitney.

[@cathywarriner]

At first when you were talking about the group of marmots I thought you said there was a group of "Mormons" huddling together 🤣

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Hahahaha we cannot stop laughing at people thinking Adam said this 🤣

[@michaeld2662]

How about a hike to the top of the Smokies? Mt. LeConte is the highest peak but Clingman’s Dome which is man made is a little taller. You can see four states from that height; TN, NC, VA and Ga. Beautiful hike taking about 5-7 hours depending on your fitness level and which of the four trails you choose. Highly recommended but you need a res way in advance if staying at the Mt. LeConte Lodge on top.

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

We had hoped to last time we were there, but it was wayyyy too busy in the park! Looking forward to going back!

[@ManivanAdventures]

Love it! Great video as usual. Your videos have helped so much with planning my adventures, so thank you! I am considering this one at the end of May, but not sure what conditions might be like. What time of year did you guys film this? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[@tatyh91]

What a gorgeous hike! Do y'all use AllTrails as your hiking app? If so, I wonder if there would be any way to see the list of hikes you guys have done. Can't stop thinking of that delicious pizza!!! 🍕

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

We do! I actually wrote my first ever AllTrails review yesterday for a hike we did in Utah this weekend and we want to start writing reviews more. I’ll look into how to make a list! 😄

[@keeghanmechem3462]

Looks super fun! I miss hiking ( especially in Washington)😢 Any good hikes near Austin? Kona is sure cute! Its too hot in Texas so that 34 degrees kinda sounds nice! Stay healthy 😊

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Now that we are in a warmer place again we miss that 34 degrees lol! We always liked visiting McKinney Falls, Enchanted Rock, and Pedernales Falls near Austin. Definitely a LOT different than hikes in Washington, but they are still fun!

[@adventuretraveltoday]

Great video! I’m looking to hike up to Wheeler Peak next month. You mentioned possible bears in the area. I plan to camp at Williams Lake. Would you know if bear canisters or bear bags are required equipment for overnight camping? Thanks! Looking forward to your Salt Lake adventures!

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Thank you so much Brian! I do not remember seeing any signs about bear canisters or bags being required. Mostly just signs at the trailhead and trash cans about bears being in the area (but no trip reports I had seen mentioned seeing one either). I’m sorry that’s not more helpful! We hope you have an awesome trip to Williams Lake and Wheeler Peak! 🙌🏼

[@adventuretraveltoday]

Adventures of A plus K Thank you so much!

[@SinksYourBoat]

Sounds like you were going to camp at Cebolla Mesa. Love it out there on the gorge rim!

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

I think that was it! We will have to go back, looked awesome!

[@SinksYourBoat]

@@AdventuresofAplusK Definitely should! Probably my favorite place in the state to camp.

[@BruceJC75]

I’m gonna try it in two weeks. It’s gonna be pretty cold up there. I might bring my wool jacket.

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Have a blast! 🙌🏼

[@Forghed]

This place looks incredible, would love to visit. Thank you for sharing and keep creating :)

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

It was pretty dang epic! 🙌🏼

[@paullankford1449]

Awesome. Glad I saw this. I'll be doing this with my boys next week. Is there alot of places to get water to filter on the way up?

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Hi Paul! Williams Lake is a great spot to get water, but that’s the only spot we saw water (besides the creek at the beginning). We hope y’all have a blast!

[@paullankford1449]

Thanks for the info, can't wait to do it.

[@fordraven5884]

💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾🏋

[@benwells6526]

I did this hike and it was horrible at the start but it was worth the view at the end

[@bnndkvnsnt]

I don’t know if you have made it the Salt Lake yet. But if you haven’t I suggest Waffle Love. They are the yummiest liege waffles. They started as a food truck and now have store fronts. I don’t know if they have a gluten free option. But they are real good.

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Oh my gosh that sounds amazing! Unfortunately we have left Salt Lake, but our route to and from Texas usually takes us through there so we will 100% try that next time! I may even sneak a bite and just hope the gluten gods give me a break 🤣🤣

[@sheafan1971]

Hi Guys, Great Video as usual, where are you headed to next? Nice pizza there.

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

We are in Utah currently! Filmed some fun stuff this weekend 😃

[@sheafan1971]

Adventures of A plus K enjoy those time zones

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

We sure will! 🙌🏼

[@eagle8505]

Awesome views! Wish I had done hiking sooner but at 40 I am thinking it sounds fun

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

It’s never too late to start! There are so many great hikes!

[@LinusWilson]

Nasea is a symptom of AMS

[@thebestplayerdead956]

I was going to ask. What if night falls and yall aren’t back in your car? Do you camp of just keep walking in the darkness?

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

We always carry headlamps

[@dylanfromflorida1619]

And Florida’s highest peak is less than 350 feet!

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Hahaha amazing!

[@ElizaSandra]

i wonder if getting the childlock straps that people put on drawers in houses would be easy safeguards so nothing opens when you're on a bumpy road?

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

They might! We’ve upgraded our latches since so we haven’t had that issue as much

[@user-uj6cp8qq2y]

What’s that app called for the hiking trail?

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

We use AllTrails+. They have a free version, but we highly suggest the paid version so that you can use it offline. If you want to purchase it we have a 30% off code...APLUSK30

[@AshleyandChristian]

This is beautiful! Definitely adding it to our alltrails wish list haha. Also, what kind of collar does Kona have on?

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Woo! Let us know if y’all ever hike the trail! And she has a couple collars-one is a prong collar and the other is an e-collar (it’s not a shock collar, but provides a stimulation kind of like tapping on someone’s shoulder to get their attention). She went to a 7 week training last summer for her behavioral issues and both of those tools have helped us have a much better relationship with her! Although, she still has a lot of issues we work on daily. Thank god she is cute!

[@AshleyandChristian]

@@AdventuresofAplusK Hahah, I totally understand. We just got a (buzzer?) collar for our chihuahua, and it looked similar! She's been barking at other dogs and animals and wanted to get her trained for our future hikes.

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Oh gosh we know ALL about that! Kona still has reactivity issues on trails, especially if they are narrow and there are off leash dogs (she hates off leash dogs running at her!), but she does a lot better on regular walks now! It’s really hard at times, but we love her and love including her when we can!

[@lonestartraveler6784]

What time of year did yall go?

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

This was mid to late June 2020!

[@lonestartraveler6784]

@@AdventuresofAplusK Thank You! Thats when I plan to go this year. Gonna check out that pizza place as well;)

[@StaavAutumn]

Are you guys still in the sf area? Let's grab a ☕

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

We are actually gone now 😔. We’re sorry!

[@stargazer5073]

Omgoodness, buy bear repellent to keep with you on hikes.

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

We have some! 😃

[@stargazer5073]

@@AdventuresofAplusK I'm binge watching your trips. When you hike to the top of the mts could you share more footage of the scenery? The 360 view, please.

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

We do our best to film as much as we can 😊 It’s hard when it’s windy and cold sometimes, but we are always trying to get better!

[@l.l.790LLS]

I thought you said Mormons 🤣

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Lol! We have listened back and can totally see why people thought that 🤣 Blaming it on less oxygen making us enunciate poorly lol!

[@kariwilson5766]

How does BLM camping work?

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

We have a guide all about free camping, which you can read here: adventuresofaplusk.com/how-to-find-free-camping-in-the-usa Hope it helps!