'Be immersed in nature and wilderness': Less Traveled Trails explores New Mexico with backpacking outings, hiking trips and snowshoeing expeditions

Brian Johnson is something of an expert when it comes to leading outdoor enthusiasts off the beaten path.

A former Eagle Scout, Johnson has more than 40 years of backpacking experience and has been trained in the Sierra Club’s Advanced Mountaineering program, which, according to its website, is “the most enduring and influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States.” Johnson, who has been a resident of Santa Fe since 1989, has led outings for various organizations throughout the state and is well-versed in the wilderness areas of New Mexico and numerous other locations throughout the western and southwestern United States.

'Be immersed in nature and wilderness': Less Traveled Trails explores New Mexico with backpacking outings, hiking trips and snowshoeing expeditions

Eleven years ago, Johnson launched Less Traveled Trails, a Santa Fe-based company which offers overnight backpacking outings, one-day hiking trips and snowshoeing expeditions. All of the above are in the spirit of Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Not Taken,” which states, “I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” It’s no coincidence that the excerpt can be found on the Less Traveled Trails homepage.

“There are so many beautiful places in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado and wonderful wilderness areas and backcountry — the national forests and national parks that we’re fortunate to have right here in our backyard,” Johnson said. “And I just want to take people to these areas for solitude, to be immersed in wilderness, and also, gateway areas to the wilderness. My trails that I’m authorized for, we can get away from the busyness of our daily lives and just be immersed in nature and wilderness.”

While it might seem that Less Traveled Trails is geared toward the more advanced crowd, there are outings available for all levels.

“It’s the whole range from beginning hiker families all the way to experienced backpackers,” Johnson said. “(It can be) someone (with) family or friends just wanting a half-day hike in the local mountains that can be over by noon or a multiday backpack for out-of-state, experienced backpackers. Perhaps they want to rely on me for where to go instead of spending so much time researching it.”

Clients can choose from some of the outings Less Trailed Trails already offers, or they can customize their hike or backpacking trip and run it by Johnson to ensure that it’s realistic.

“I consult people on that, whether or not they want to go with me or not,” he said. “And, also, we often get calls from out-of-state people, and they want to climb a peak or go to a wilderness area, and I can kind of steer them in the right direction so that they’ll have a nice time.”

According to Johnson, two of the most popular options are the Ghost Ranch backpack and the Continental Divide Trail backpack. Both can be turned into day trips or into multi-day backpack affairs.

“These are more what I call high-desert hiking, meaning they’re lower elevation. And so they’re nice to go to in the spring and fall, perhaps when it’s harder to get to the alpine higher-up trails,” Johnson said.

“But I do offer many, many alpine trails year-round, whether it’s snowshoeing, day hiking or backpacking. And there’s a lot of choices for that and a lot of beautiful wilderness areas.”

While the Less Traveled Trails site displays trips ranging from one to five days — Johnson says he can offer even longer outings if that’s what the hiking client desires. Johnson is the lead guide for his company, but he will bring in assistants for larger groups or various experts depending on the area that is being traversed. Johnson has plenty of expertise to offer in that regard, as well.

“I myself have a lot of knowledge of northern New Mexico, the culture and the socioeconomic, the villages and their history — and also natural resources. I had a long career in state government, so I traveled all over New Mexico in that work, protecting the environment,” he said. “So I feel I can offer my clients a range of experiences.

“It’s not just pounding the trail and trying to get somewhere. That’s definitely not what I want to do. What I want is for people to have just a great experience immersed in nature.”