65 WINTER 2021 ISSUE 02 / VOL . 02
SNOWGOER . COM 66
The Endless Playgrounds Of CHAMA
The next morning , we towed sleds to Windy Point , a trailhead located just north of Chama against the Colorado / New Mexico border on twisting Highway 17 . It didn ’ t live up to its name on this particularly still and sun-drenched Monday morning . A massive outcropping of a time- and weather-worn rock face hung directly north of the lot , but we ’ d be headed directly south .
After we left the trailhead on sleds , we followed the general path of Apache Canyon Road . Or , at least , that ’ s what we were told . There isn ’ t an established trail system in this immediately area ( we ’ d experience them later ) – you won ’ t see groomers out working out the bumps or trail markers leading the way . Instead , the locals and tour guides just know the way to what some call the Brazos Meadows area , and it starts with following the general path of a gravel road that is deeply buried in feet of snow .
Where the road takes a hard left , we went straight – as in , straight into the uncommonly large playground that is unofficially marked by higher mountains on each side and a couple of forks of a narrow river that twist through the center .
Bobby Unser led the way , stopping frequently to describe what we were seeing and where we were going , and explaining the significance of various landmarks . The wide open meadows were loosely littered with a cabin here and an old outbuilding there .
“ This is all private property ,” explained
Unser , age 77 during our 2011 trip but as feisty as ever . “ The landowners have always just let all of the snowmobilers ride in here , and the snowmobilers respect that .”
What Unser calls the Brazos Meadows area other locals refer to as the Brazos River area – it doesn ’ t appear to have an official name . Whatever its moniker , it ’ s a 30- to 40-mile long twisting alley of high-altitude meadows that run north and south . The narrow east and west forks of the Brazos River meander through the center but only poke out occassionally – meaning there are sink holes for which a rider must keep an eye out . Otherwise this is the most massive snowmobiling