Middle Mesteño Climbing

[MP admin note:] Please do not drive on the roads to Mesteño Canyon when they're muddy. These roads are susceptible to major rutting and erosion when wet and increased traffic is doing major damage to these fragile roads. When the roads are muddy please consider bouldering at the zones in the main Mills Canyon area.  

The roads can have deep ruts in them and a low clearance vehicle, like a sedan, is not recommended. 

From the main Mills Canyon road as you enter the signed Kiowa National Grasslands, take a left turn onto the signed K-90 road (near the Smokey Bear sign.) Follow this road to a gate; pass through and be sure to close the gate after. The gates should always be closed regardless of how you found it. From here follow the signed K-90 road to the right. Please do NOT drive straight on the road signed as closed. See this map showing the closed road and the appropriate way to drive to the Mesteño Canyon areas.

Drive K-90 until you get to a sharp left turn signed as K-87. Follow this to another gate and pass through. Again, ensure this gate is closed. From here follow the right fork of the road for a couple of miles until you reach a crossroads. Go LEFT at this crossroad intersection for Upper & Middle Mesteño.

After a short distance, take a right for Middle Mesteño and drive to a small parking area at a wooden fence across the road. Park here, this is the trailhead.

From the parking area, walk east on the old road heading toward the canyon to find cairns that mark the trail down the hill. The trail is usually obvious down the hill, and takes about 5-10 minutes to get into the wash called the Jumbles, the main concentration of boulders in the area.