Middle Fork Lake Trailhead

Great hike outside of Red River New Mexico. Runs next to creek, through forests and even a waterfall.

Middle Fork Lake is beautiful. To get to the trailhead, when the pavement ends DO NOT CROSS THE BRIDGE. Take the road to the right instead. There are no signs and the road looks like a rocky stream bed in places. It took us about 15 minutes to go 1.3 miles in my Outback, but it was doable and easy to find the parking lot (with a pit toilet). From there, hike down the private road until you see the trail sign at the foot bridge. It is a steady 2.1 mile climb to the lake. The trail splits about halfway up (left to Lost Lake, right to MFL). At that point you have to cross the stream at a little waterfall. You can cross on logs without getting your feet wet, but I recommend hiking poles to keep your balance.

5-6 mile hike to Lost lake. Beautiful view of of Mt. Wheeler at the lake. Lost lake is a good destination to camp at if you are looking to summit Wheeler. It took me around 4 hours to summit and get back to camp. The trail that leads to the summit goes by horseshoe lake. Recommend going with 1-2 people. Beautiful hike!

Fantastic hike! They have worked hard to clear the path since the massive windstorm Dec 2021. You will have 6 switchbacks between the 1st water crossing and the waterfalls. Then 17 switchbacks to get to the lake at the top! We camped overnight and walked all the way around the lake. We have at least 3 camping sites set up with firepits. We encountered a group of people on horseback and some mountain bikers as well.

This is a beautiful hike with a significant amount of climb over a short distance. The main trail zig zags up the mountain but there are locations where you can access the river for more beautiful views of the waterfalls along the river. The lake at the top of the trail is a peaceful place for a lunch break and even a nap. Please note the trail is currently closed due to downed trees from hurricane force winds that blew through the upper valley back in the winter.

Great hike for all ages. It is about a 2 mile out and back trail to a beautiful alpine lake. The ascent is difficult. Even thought it is about 2 miles, it feels about double that length. However, it is beautiful. The Red River tributary runs along the entire lower half of the trail. In the middle at the mile mark, there is a gorgeous set of mini falls. Overall the trek is worth it. Parking lot can get crowded, but there are spots to make a parking location for yourself. Overall, go early and don't get caught in the afternoon t-storms!

Hiked in the summer and of course much easier than a foot of powder.
But the view and peaceful tranquility was do much more powerful.

Definitely a repeat hike in winter and summer.

Absolutely beautiful lake and an enjoyable hike to get there.

This was a beautiful hike around sunset!

Trail was covered in snow. Beware of this in the colder months as we were not prepared for this.

Great hiking without motorized vehicles.

Wouldnt recommend. No concierge service.

Beautiful

Made a loop with the east fork trail, lots of snow and had to do a lot of hike a bike, worth it, views were stunning and the access was quiet. It was grueling but a lot of fun, worth it if there was less snow but hey, that's mother nature. Worth it to get away from the crowds in and around Taos but still be in the Sagras

Beautiful hike. Didn’t make it to the lake, freak may snow storm had snow piled up past my knees as the elevation increased.

Was impressed once I arrived at the lake very sereal. Trails aren't marked the best only @ intersections which are anywhere from 2-4 miles apart. I also hiked 1/2 way on the lost lake trail by accident. Also to get to the trail head you will want an SUV.