Big Bear Canyon Trail #28

Big Bear Canyon Trail #28 (also listed as Zig Zag Trail #28) is a rugged one-way hiking route in the Gila Wilderness / Gila Cliff Dwellings area of southwestern New Mexico. It’s used as a long-distance backcountry link for multi-day backpacking and also for harder loop combinations.

The trail runs about 9.0 miles one way and is rated difficult, with roughly 1,532 ft of elevation gain over the trip. Expect steep ups and downs rather than steady walking.

Terrain varies along the corridor: hikers move through tall conifer forest and then transition toward more desert-to-mountain conditions. The character is remote enough that it’s commonly planned as a connector to other canyon country spots, including Jordan Hot Springs via linked routes.

A practical access anchor is the Gila Cliff Dwellings Trailhead / Upper Scorpion Campground area, where the route starts from within the canyon-country trail network. From there, the route is typically used as an overnight-building block rather than a quick out-and-back.

Big Bear Canyon Trail #28 is frequently combined with Middle Fork Trail #157 and West Fork Trail #151 to create very challenging overnight loops, including routes that go by Upper Scorpion Campground.

If you’re planning around this route, treat it as a difficult, off-the-grid day in itself and plan your logistics around multi-day travel: navigation between junctions/linked trails, sufficient water, and the reality that this is wilderness terrain rather than a maintained corridor.

More information: Woodland Park Trail #164 — Hiking Trail in Gila, NM | OutsideAtlas, Trail Karma by Outside, TJ Corral Trailhead | All About The Woods | AATW