Chosa Pass
Chosa Pass is an obscure, but pleasant forested dirt road
pass in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains west of Taos. It is
marked on the Carson National Forest Map. But to see what
crossing is referred to it is better to consult a larger
scale map. The pass is separated only by two small dips (
several hundred feet to the south, less than that to the
north) from higher points on both sides. Other points,
surpassing the pass in elevation are traversed in a
dayride to get to Chosa Pass.
Approaches
From South. There are many ways to get to the top of
this pass. But the simplest way is to follow FR438 from its
start on NM518 all the way to its end where it meets FR437.
This long, steady climb contains a section of road closed to
automobiles, ie. a single track in the making (3rd picture).
Decaying road signs still give clues to waypoints along
the route, Puertocito and Borrego Crossing. The highest point
along this approach is right before the decend to Borrego
Crossing where a nice vista to the Wheeler Peak opens next to
the road (1st picture). There is no vista or sign on top of
the pass itself. As a matter of fact you have to guess to its
exact location on FR438.
From North. Continuing over the pass to the north
leads straight to the highest point of the unofficial FR437
summit, also mentioned in conjunction with Quintana
Pass. The most direct way down from here is on on FR437 to
Valle Escondido and back to Taos. The Southern Boundary Trail
is a longer single track option.
Tours
Dayrides. A circular day tour from Taos using the
two approaches outlined, up on FR438 and down on FR437, logged
50 miles and 4400 feet of climbing using a Cateye 100A
cyclometer.
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