Page 89 - Volume 3 - Walks In The Black Range

This map is courteously provided by Doug Scott. It was lifted from his excellent website on New Mexico Waterfalls, specifically the West Curtis Falls page. See also his entry for East Curtis Falls. As he notes in his write-up, the yellow lines on the map are routes - not trails - this is rugged cross-country walking. The section of the route from East Curtis Falls to West Curtis Falls has not been travelled by Devon Fletcher and we are not able to advise on its use.
Spring in 2016, we were unnecessarily diverted around a knob on a hill to the south, and brought through some heavy oak and mountain mahogany brush. Had we continued to follow where the trail used to be, it would have put us on an extremely treacherous line on a near vertical hillside and through a gap in an enormous fin of rock that protrudes from the southeast into East Curtis Canyon. I don’t believe any further work has been done on FT 117 since that trip, but if you want a view into the spectacular East Curtis Canyon, it’s possible to bushwhack your way from the newish pasture fence, west, through the locust and snags for about a half mile to get a look.
Instead of turning west at the junction of 307/117 you can head north on FT 307. Hiking this section of the trail is initially much more pleasant than the rough climb that preceded it. The views of Apache Peak and red cliffs on the north side of the valley are wonderful. Walking downhill in the shade of oaks, pine and juniper will keep your spirits up, but, if you intend to go all the way down to Las Animas Creek, don’t lose sight of the fact that it is 1400 foot descent to the bottom, which means a 1400 foot climb back out. Unfortunately, the first time we hiked here, there was a series of treacherous washouts in this section as well as a few on the south side of the ridge.