Exploring Tome Hill in Tome, New Mexico

11/9/2018

Wear Boots And Bring Water...

On September 30, 2018, Johnpaul and I hiked to the top of Tome Hill.

From the parking area, it looks like an easy hike to the top. There are multiple trails to choose from. The "pilgrimage path" is longer but not as steep and the "quick path" goes straight up the steepest side of the hill. Still, from the bottom, it looks pretty easy. We took "the quick path", the one that goes straight up. As previously mentioned, the trail is steep and full of loose rocks. There is no shade and you will get hot and thirsty pretty fast so come prepared.

Tome Hill was formed by volcanic activity roughly 30 million years ago, at which time it may have more accurately described as Tome Mountain. Over time, the Rio Grande River eroded the earth around the basalt leaving the hill as we now know it.

As is evident from the photos, Tome Hill plays an important role in the area's activities, drawing thousands of "pilgrims" every year. The crosses atop the hill can be seen from miles around.

What I didn't realize, but am reading about this morning, is that there are hundreds of ancient petroglyphs on the hill, some of which date back nearly 2000 years. Apparently we took the wrong trail up because we didn't see any of these petroglyphs, and they are not widely publicized. I believe this warrants a return trip...