The hike begins at an elevation of approximately 7,520 feet at the South Fork Trailhead located just above Bonito Lake. The trail climbs up the South Fork of Rio Bonito, loops around the Bluefront Trail to upper Bluefront Canyon and then back down this canyon to the trailhead.

To reach the trailhead, take U.S. Hwy 48 north out of Ruidoso approximately 10 miles to the junction with Highway 37. Turn left onto Highway 37 and go approximately 2 miles to the intersection with United States Forest Service (USFS) Road 107. Look for the sign pointing the way to Bonito Lake. Turn left onto USFS Road 107 and go approximately 5 miles to the intersection with USFS Road 107C (South Fork Campground turnoff) located about 1/2 mile past Bonito Lake. Turn left onto Road 107C and go past the entrance to the Westlake and South Fork Campgrounds to the end of the road. Free parking is available in the center of the turnaround loop at the end of the road. Most any other parking places require a fee as they are associated with the campgrounds. USFS Road 107 is narrow but paved and is easily traversed by car.

The hike begins at the South Fork Trailhead on South Fork Trail (19). This trail generally follows the South Fork Rio Bonito. The trail crosses the stream numerous times but split logs, strategically placed rocks and low-water levels combine to make the crossings easy. Just past the first crossing. the trail passes the ruins of some old buildings. This site was homesteaded by the Runnels family back in the late 1800s. Notice the remains of an old steel-wrapped wooden pipeline along the trail in this area. The pipeline transferred high-quality water to Carrizozo to be used in steam locomotives. The line was taken out of service upon completion of Bonito Dam. Just past the second stream crossing, the remains of a diversion structure, which funneled water into the pipeline, can be seen beneath a bluff on the opposite bank.

Continue on South Fork Trail (19) past the intersection with Bluefront Trail (33). The Bluefront Trail will be used on the return hike. The geology of the area changes considerably over this first mile. The rocks near the trailhead are associated with the Bonito Lake Stock. The trail crosses an outcrop of the volcanic Walker Andesite near the diversion dam remains and then into the Three Rivers Stock just past Bluefront Canyon. The Three Rivers and Bonito Lake Stocks were intruded into the volcanic flows of the Walker Andesite approximately 25-30 million years ago.

South Fork Trail climbs gently up the canyon for another three miles and then becomes progressively steeper over the last two miles. The last mile is particularly brutal as the trail emerges at the base of a large meadow and then begins switchbacking up the slope to the intersection with Bluefront Trail (33). This intersection is marked with a sign. Bluefront Trail is fairly faint initially, but is marked with rock cairns and generally follows the route shown on the USFS topo map.

Follow Bluefront Trail in a northeasterly direction along the divide between South Fork and Big Bear Canyon. Many panoramic views are available for the hearty hiker along this ridge. Aspens are extremely abundant in the upper South Fork Canyon and during late September to early October, the canyon is literally a sea of gold.

Proceed approximately two miles on Bluefront Trail and you will notice many of the Three Rivers Stock rocks along the trail have small swiss-cheese holes within them. Many of these holes, called miarolitic cavities, contain very small clusters of quartz crystals growing within them.

Continue northeast on Bluefront Trail for another mile and the route leaves the ridge and begins switchbacking down into Bluefront Canyon. The point where the trail leaves the ridge is marked with three large rock cairns. A portion of the trail in the vicinity of the Great Western Mine has been rerouted since the printing of the USFS topo map. The trail switchbacks steeply down into Bluefront Canyon, effectively avoiding the Great Western Mine.

The Great Western Mine is one of the more famous mines in the area. The mine area was first staked in 1887 by J.C. Coggins and L.H. Bourne. The mine aquired the name 'Great Western' in 1908 from T.J. Grafton and the name endured. Recent analyses of rock samples from the mine revealed trace amounts of gold but some silver assays were in excess of 5 ounces per ton of rock.

About 1/3 mile above Bluefront Pond, the Bluefront Trail merges with a road that extends from the Great Western Mine to the Pond. Follow the road down Bluefront Canyon to the Pond which is not much of a pond anymore since the dam is mostly washed out. The Pond was originally constructed to catch water that was then pumped over to the Great Western Mine to be used in their operations. The remains of a recent PVC line are still visible. During the late 1960s, Bluefront Pond contained a large population of stunted Brook Trout.

Continue east on Bluefront Trail (33) for another mile to the intersection with South Fork Trail (19). Follow South Fork Trail back to the trailhead to conclude the hike.

Camping locations abound on terraces along South Fork. Many of the locations closest to the trailhead are overused and have a trampled appearance. Perenial water is generally present in South Fork for all but the last 1.5 miles. Bluefront Canyon has some small camping sites in the vicinity of Bluefront Pond and usually has small amounts of running water. The only other camping option would be along Bluefront Trail (33) on the high ridge, but the complete lack of water makes it a less desirable location than the two canyons.

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