The West Rim Trail (or what I believed to be the West Rim Trail) extends 9 miles one way. You should take plenty of water, 1/2 gallon per person, minimum. A wide brimmed hat, and sunscreen are required. There are no facilities. Heed my warnings and directions here.

It suggest walking the West Rim Trail either very early in the morning (just at sunrise would be optimal), or later in the afternoon (so you can return before the sun has set and you are SOL). I left at around 3 pm and returned around 7:30 pm, which is a fair pace. The terrain is fairly easy to navigate, except for the initial 20 minutes of the trail, which can be steep walking, but the most scenic part of the trail. There are some hills further into the trail, though. If you are pressed for time, or don't want to do such a long hike, you should do the La Vista Verde Trail instead. I recommend La Vista Verde over West Rim Trail.

The West Rim Trail is very exhausting. I was tired of taking pictures on the return trip, took as fast a pace back to my car as I could. My water supply was almost exhausted, and the sun was still burning (but at least lower on the horizon.) When I made it back to Taos, I drove into a Sonic, got the largest drink I could find, drove back to the hostel and did nothing else that night.

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