I have traveled most of the trails from Red River, New Mexico to Wheeler Peak. I had never climbed to the peak via the Williams Lake Trail out of Taos Ski Valley. Trail #67 comes out of the valley, past Williams Lake, and on to Wheeler Peak. The lower parts of the trail were damaged by the wind storm that tore through Taos and Red River in December of 2021. The destruction looked similar to the destruction caused by a Texas tornado, but they don't have those in NM in the mountains; do they?
The trail rises steeply out of the valley and divides to go down to Williams Lake or continue up to the Peak. The trail above the tree line has several sections of scree, which makes traversing the face of the mountain difficult.
The trail intersects with the Middlefork Trail on the ridge between Mt. Walter and Wheeler and leads to the peak. Neal and I made it in about four hours with stops to catch our breath, fuel and hydrate.
I prefer the Lost Lake Trail to get to Wheeler Peak, but Trail #67 from Taos provides its own challenges and views and worth the effort. The forests will never return to what they were, but they always have a way of continuing to recover and recreate no matter what happens to them.