The hike begins at an elevation of approximately 8,320 feet at the Nogal Trailhead located in upper Nogal Canyon. The path climbs gently up Nogal Canyon Trail (Trail 48) onto the ridge forming the watershed divide. The route follows Norman Canyon Trail (Trail 34) down Norman Canyon to the Tortolita Canyon Trail (Trail 54). The hike continues back up the Tortolita Canyon Trail to the intersection with the Nogal Canyon Trail which is retraced back to the trailhead to conclude the hike.

To reach the trailhead, take Hwy 48 north out of Ruidoso approximately 10 miles to the junction with Hwy 37 . Turn left onto Hwy 37 and go approximately 9 miles to the intersection with United States Forest Service (USFS) Road 400 just before the village of Nogal. Turn left onto USFS Road 400 (Nogal Canyon Road) and go approximately 8 miles to the trailhead located at the upper end of Nogal Canyon.. The trailhead is situated about 100 yards past the point where USFS Road 400 leaves the bottom of Nogal Canyon and begins to switchback up the slope toward the Bonito Creek drainage. USFS Road 400 is a good County-maintained dirt road for the first 4 miles but deteriorates over the last 4 miles. The road is marginally passable by car. A high-clearance vehicle is recommended.

Upon reaching the trailhead, notice a mine adit sunk into the canyon wall on the north side of the creek. The adit is approximately 30 feet deep and was driven into altered volcanic rock with a high pyrite content. The bottom of the mine typically stands in water.

The hike begins by ascending the Nogal Canyon Trail (48) for 1 1/4 miles to the intersection with Tortolita Canyon Trail (54). Although the trail climbs 800 feet over the 1 1/4 miles, the grade is gentle and the hiking is easy. The dominant tree along the initial section of this hike is the Gambel oak. Numerous open meadows separate the oak stands and are good places for a chance to see elk grazing.

The route turns north on Trail 54 for about 75 yards until the intersection with Norman Canyon Trail (34) is reached. A sign is present but only shows the direction of Tortolita Canyon Trail (54). Regardless, the Norman Canyon Trail follows a fenceline east up the ridge for 1/4 mile to the marked intersection with Pennsylvania Canyon Trail (51). The Norman Canyon Trail veers to the north and emerges on the ridge between Norman and Tortolita Canyons. The ridge is mostly open grassy meadows and the trail becomes very diffuse. To create a hike with an easy-difficulty rating, turn back at this point and retrace your route back to the trailhead. This alternative is less than 4 miles, has a net-elevation gain of only about 800 feet and can be hiked in around 3 hours. Otherwise, stay on the ridge and proceed north until the ridge narrows and the trail becomes visible again.

Upon arriving at a rocky knoll with several cliffs, the trail leaves the ridge and side-hills around the east side of the knoll. When the trail begins to disappear again just past the knoll, notice the ridge extending to the right (east) down into Norman Canyon. Follow the faint trail down the ridge to a relatively flat bench. Past this bench, the ridge plummets steeply into Norman Canyon so it is easy enough to recognize. The trail turns right (south) and goes off the ridge and down into the canyon. The trail quickly becomes obvious upon leaving the ridge as it descends steeply through Gambel oak and pinyon pine trees. The route passes a couple of prospect pits and an adit on the way down the slope. The entrance to the adit is partially caved but still recognizable. The mine extends about 18 feet into the slope. The adit and prospect pits are located along a fault that contains a carbonate vein rich in barium, manganese and iron. Unfortunately for the prospectors who worked this area in the late 1800's and early 1900's, the ore contained only marginal amounts of gold and silver.

The trail fades as it enters the upper part of a large meadow present in the bottom of Norman Canyon, but can easily be picked up again at the bottom of the meadow on the west side of the canyon bottom. Near the bottom of the meadow, a hand-dug, rock-lined water well is present. It is still approximately 20 feet deep, but is generally dry as is the adjacent creek bed.

The Norman Canyon Trail is easily picked up again on the west side of the stream bed as it exits the meadow and heads north down Norman Canyon. In places the trail is still recognizable as an old road that once traversed the canyon. After proceeding down the canyon for about 1/2 mile, ponderosa pines and some Douglas firs begin to make their appearance in the canyon.

The route turns west on Tortolita Canyon Trail (54) at the junction of Norman and Tortolita Canyons. The USFS topo map is slightly misleading regarding the trail locations in this area. The intersection of the Norman and Tortolita Trails occurs right at the junction of the Norman and Tortolita stream beds rather than a few hundred yards up Norman Canyon as shown on the topo map.

Follow Tortolita Trail (54) west along the south side of the Tortolita stream bank. After hiking 1/3 mile, the trail crosses over the stream bed to the north and enters a meadow. Tortolita Spring is present in the center of the meadow and consists primarily of a series of seeps. A pipe is stuck in the ground in one place and can have variable flow from it ranging from nothing to as much as 1 gallon per minute. Outfitters' "improvements" in the area certainly detract from the otherwise remote setting.

Tortolita Trail can be picked up at the upper end of the meadow on the north side of the stream bed, not the south side as shown on the topo map. A trail does exist on the south side but quickly leads the hiker up into a tangle of Gambel oaks and is definitely not the best route, trust me.

Tortolita Trail (54) continues up (south) Tortolita Canyon for another 3/4 mile to the trail intersection shown on the topo map. Trail 54 crosses over the stream bed at this junction, proceeds through a small meadow, and then begins climbing up the ridge just west of Tortolita Canyon. The trail is moderately steep and fairly loose as it climbs up the ridge. The other fork of the trail remains in the bottom of Tortolita Canyon. This unnamed and unnumbered trail ultimately rejoins Trail 54 but does not offer nearly as good of views.

Continue following Trail 54 south to the intersection with Nogal Trail (48). Retrace the route back down Nogal Trail to the trailhead to finish the hike.

Camping places are abundant along most of the route described. As with many areas in the White Mountain Wilderness, the primary concern for campers in this area is water, or the lack thereof. The only remotely-reliable source of water is at Tortolita Spring. My advice would be to day-hike this route prior to backpacking in to check the water availability.

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