Little Tesuque Creek Open Space Trailhead — Attraction in Santa Fe

Review of Little Tesuque Creek Trail — by a Disgruntled Cat

My human had the brilliant idea to drag me (a refined, dry-pawed feline) on what was advertised as a “lovely forest stroll.” What we got was more of an aquatic obstacle course for dogs. Apparently, the entire canine population of Santa Fe shows up here to fling themselves in and out of the creek with joyous abandon, spraying water and mud like it’s a spa treatment. Their humans applauded. My human chuckled. I did not.

The “trail” itself? Ha. More like a series of half-drowned suggestions. Each crossing of the creek required either: a) leaping like a circus tiger (which I did gracefully, thank you very much), or b) watching my human wade in up to her ankles while I sat on a boulder judging her life choices.

At one point, the water was too high, the logs too slick, and the so-called “bushwhacking detour” was basically me tunneling through twigs like a panther who took a wrong turn. I finally staged a protest sit-down and demanded we turn back. The dogs thought this was hilarious.

Pros: Smells of pine, lots of squirrels to glare at, decent shade. Cons: Too much water, too many happy wet dogs, not enough dry cat paths.

Final rating: 1 soggy paw out of 5. And 3 hairballs. Would only recommend if you’re a Labrador.

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