Osha Pass
Osha Pass is fairly obscure crossing in the Sangre de
Cristo Range ( even though not by New Mexico standards ).
It is located a few miles south of Palo Flechado pass,
east of Taos. In spite of being nearly forgotten, this is
an ancient crossing with an fascinating history.
Approaches
From West. The route to Osha Pass diverts from US84
up Palo Flechado Pass at the turnoff to the Valle Escondido
Resort. After elaborate golf course cycling the route follows
County Road north out of the development. Less than half a
mile before County Road crosses onto private land, FR70 heads
east up a steep ascent. A sign labels the road as dead end.
There are mutliple ways to the summit in the myriad of forest
roads. One way is to stay left uphill at the first fork, then
right at the next fork where there is a FR70 sign a short
distance after the turnoff. After that, follow the most
traveled paths. The top is in an open subalpine meadow
surrounded by forested hills. Signs near the top point
to two different routes to Apache Pass. This is where the
picture was taken.
From East. Again there are multiple routes to the
the top. One of them follows the main road south out of the
Angel Fire Resort. The route turns onto, at times boulder
paved, FR76 and follows it to a small sign advertising the
route to Osha Pass ( the only Osha Pass sign along the entire
route), pointing to a dirt double track that has been blocked.
Tours
Dayrides.
A ride starting from a camping site near Taos to the Valle
Escondido Resort, crossing over the pass to Angel Fire, and
returning over Red River Pass,
Questa and Taos, with several additional spurs measured
110 miles with 8210 feet of climbing. The ride was
planned with a return from Red
River Pass over "Bull of the Mountain" trail (
crossing a sholder of Wheeler Peak ) to the Taos ski area.
Some old maps indicate a through going road at this point,
that does not resist. As far as I can tell, that route is
not bikable, and in any case, much too rough and long. A
more reasonable day tour would have returned over Palo
Flechado Pass.
History
The seven miles south of Palo Flechado Pass contain two
additional crossings of the Sangre de Cristo Range. Osha Pass
is the southernmost in the trio, with Apache Pass in the
middle.
Osha, the pass above a golf course, without a sign on top,
is older than what is often called America's oldest city, St.
Augustine in Florida. The Taos pueblo, also a city, just not
an anglican city, entered european consciousness when Coronado
arived in 1540, at least 20 years before St Augustine was
founded. At that time Palo Flechado Pass was the ancient
pueblo highway to the east. Osha and Apache passes were used
by the pueblo inhabitants when raiding Apaches occupied the
main road.
The today, unmarked pass has another historical curiosity. It
was once marked as the Santa Fe Trail. Five years after the
Long expedition to Colorado, senator Thomas Hart Benton of
Mississippi and other expanasionists successfully legislated a
bill calling for the marking of the Santa Fe trail from Fort
Osage to the Mexican settlements. The men to carry out the
marking was major Sibley with 12 people and two wagons. As
Sibley neared the Cimarron Cutoff in Sept 1885 he heard
reports that hostile Indians occupied the trail in the
Glorietta Pass area. In response Sibley promptly relocated the
trail through Taos Gap and over Palo Flechado Pass. However
the party strayed a few miles to the south, crossing and
marking Osha Pass instead. In the process the two wagons had
to be disassembled to get them to the top, inadvertantly
making this one of the earliest passes crossed by wagons. The
concept of the Santa Fe Trail by way of Taos and Osha Pass did
not last long and the markers promptly disappeared.
back to a roster
of bicycling passes
|
