While we climb, let me give you the seasons on this loop, because the Enchanted Circle is genuinely four different drives depending on when you show up.
AUTUMN is the famous one. Late September into the first week or so of October, the aspens turn and this becomes one of the best fall-colour drives in the country. It is also when the elk are bugling. The trade is traffic and full lodging — book ahead, and start early in the day.
SUMMER is the busiest and the most comfortable. Highs in the seventies at these elevations while Texas and Arizona are melting, which is exactly why the mountain towns up here fill with people from both. The thing to plan around is the monsoon: from about July into September, mornings are clear and afternoons build thunderstorms. Do your hiking early. Do not be above treeline after noon.
WINTER is skiing, and the loop stays open — but Bobcat Pass and Palo Flechado are real mountain passes with real snow and ice. Check conditions, carry chains or run proper snow tires, and do not attempt it in a storm in a rental sedan on all-seasons.
SPRING is the quiet one and the locals' secret. April and May bring mud, wind and unpredictable weather, but also empty roads, cheap rooms, snow still on the high peaks, and the rivers running hard with melt.
Any of the four is worth the drive. Just know which one you have signed up for.
Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author or not provided · Public domain