Beginner Off-Road Trails
Near El Rancho, New Mexico

This short road is somewhat deceiving as it appears to take you to a water pump station and nothing more. At the very end of the road is a single spot for dry primitive camping below a cliff and is close to the Northern end of Diablo Canyon. Be aware that this road has some deep dips and an arroyo c...
Learn more about Upper Diablo Canyon Rd

This is a dirt trail with some light up-and-down hills and no off-camber areas. It is an alternate route to El Camino Real from or to Diablo Canyon that is a bit more exciting than the main road. There is dispersed camping on the sides of this trail. There are no bypasses, but there is nothing to re...
Learn more about El Camino Real Alternate Pass

Clara Peak a relatively relaxed drive starting through the plains of the lower BLM land east of Espanola before starting to climb in the Santa Fe National Forest. 31 mile road which lasts the majority of the drive is a well maintained dirt road with spectacular views of the surrounding area. When yo...
Learn more about Clara Peak

This is a fun, open sandy wash to drive down. There are a couple of different routes to take within the sandy area that all lead back to the same sandy trail. The sandy wash is wide enough for multiple vehicles side by side. Be careful for cows in the road. There are one to two areas where the sandy...
Learn more about Sand Drag Strip

This dirt trail leads from Estrada Calabasas to El Camino Real and offers dispersed camping sites throughout the trail. There are no off-camber areas, but it is not flat and smooth. It is capable for a 2WD to do; no lockers needed. Near the Estrada Calabasas entrance, there are some hills that are u...
Learn more about Dispersed Camping Trail

Chupaderos Connector is primarily a section of Forrest Service Road 446 that connects Forrest Service Road 446H and the trail head Chupaderos Spur 824. It is an easy, full-width trail with no natural obstacles. There can be large ruts and small boulder sections depending on runoff off but it is most...
Learn more about Chupaderos Connector

Tightrope Connector is a very short single track through a grassy high desert terrain that links Maria's Canyon Road to Beanfield Ridge. It provides a method of jumping into some technical single track more early on and linking into the middle of Beanfield Ridge trail. The trail itself is a mix of s...
Learn more about Tightrope Connector

This road off of the Camino Real Road is an easy drive, except for a dip with soft sand early on crossing Alamo Creek. There are a couple of mud puddles that had bypasses. For the first 3 miles, it parallels the El Camino Real hiking trail. The road towards the SE end becomes part of the Santa Fe Ra...
Learn more about Dead Dog Trail & Santa Fe Ranch

This road leads to the overlook campground then dead ends at the trailhead located above Santa Cruz Lake on a high escarpment, overlooking the lake from the southern end. Owned and operated by the BLM it has 12 first come, first served campsites. Each site is spacious and level with a shaded picnic ...
Learn more about Santa Cruz Lake Overlook Campground

Beanfield Ridge is a short single track through a grassy high desert terrain that is easy to miss from both entrances because there are no trail markings in this area. It departs from Maria's Canyon Road and goes along a ridge on the top of a dry grassy mesa. The trail is a mix of sand, gravel, and ...
Learn more about Beanfield Ridge

This is a fun little obstacle: a steep hill off the El Camino Real main trail. There are no rocks, no loose rocks, and the top of it is flat. Going back down on the other side is steep, but doable. Nothing intense, simply a fun hill to hit.
Learn more about Hill Obstacle

The El Camino Trail road will take you to Diablo Canyon and to the Rio Grande River. It is almost an extension of the Camino la Tierra road off of Hwy 599. It changes in name to Old Buckman road as it forks to the right after 6.7 miles. The road is well marked with signage at the fork and a wide, wh...
Learn more about El Camino Real y Diablo Canyon Trail

Chupaderos Spur is an easy road-width trail that starts off Chupaderos Road 446. It's a dead-end trail that doesn't really end at anything but could be fun for a beginner to explore the area since it's in an Archeological Historic Site. The entrance to the trail is not marked, but there is a sign on...
Learn more about Chupaderos Spur

Cany is a road-width braided trail in the Sante Fe National Forest north of the town of Los Alamos. It's a short trail, 0.9 miles, that connects FS Roads 446 and 445. The trail is mainly a road but has small bits of single track that pop on and off of the road at times. It's all extremely easy and f...
Learn more about Cany

Corral Jumper is a short trail, that connects FS Roads 831 and 445C. The trail can be rather hard to find at first and may require some route-finding skills but does offer a few small log jumps that traverse up the mountain side and ends up at FS445C. It offers a few challenges with small embedded r...
Learn more about Corral Jumper

Maria's Canyon, FS 416, is a scenic off-road forest service road that offers an engaging experience and serves as the main access route into the extensive trail system in the area, making it a vital pathway for both recreational users and those exploring the natural beauty of the region. The journey...
Learn more about Maria's Canyon - FS 416

FR445B is a major access road providing access to the western trail system in the area. 445B features a rock bed surface, providing a natural and rugged experience while remaining accessible to most vehicles equipped for light off-roading. The varying elevation adds an element of challenge without o...
Learn more about FR445B

Pajarito (FR446CC) serves as an access road used to connect users to the northern trail system. The road begins at the end of Maria's Canyon, with a notable landmark, the large open grazing area that usually is accompanied by a large watering hole. Just past this landmark, Pajarito begins as you con...
Learn more about Pajarito - FR 446CC

Corral Canyon is a 4.2-mile single track in the Sante Fe National Forest north of the town of Los Alamos and is probably the most fun and most popular dirt bike trail in this area. It's a fast and flowy dirt trail through a sparse pine tree forest. It's kind of sandy, but mostly dirt, and very smoot...
Learn more about Corral Canyon

Guaje Trail is Forest Service Road #803. The lower portion of the trail from town is fairly mild and traverses the ridge top. As the trail climbs, expect a shelf road with a fairly steep grade and lots of loose rocky boulders. The dirt on the ridge top can become very slick and muddy during rainfall...
Learn more about Guaje

This short road is somewhat deceiving as it appears to take you to a water pump station and nothing more. At the very end of the road is a single spot for dry primitive camping below a cliff and is close to the Northern end of Diablo Canyon. Be aware that this road has some deep dips and an arroyo c...
Learn more about Upper Diablo Canyon Rd

This is a dirt trail with some light up-and-down hills and no off-camber areas. It is an alternate route to El Camino Real from or to Diablo Canyon that is a bit more exciting than the main road. There is dispersed camping on the sides of this trail. There are no bypasses, but there is nothing to re...
Learn more about El Camino Real Alternate Pass

This is a fun, open sandy wash to drive down. There are a couple of different routes to take within the sandy area that all lead back to the same sandy trail. The sandy wash is wide enough for multiple vehicles side by side. Be careful for cows in the road. There are one to two areas where the sandy...
Learn more about Sand Drag Strip

This dirt trail leads from Estrada Calabasas to El Camino Real and offers dispersed camping sites throughout the trail. There are no off-camber areas, but it is not flat and smooth. It is capable for a 2WD to do; no lockers needed. Near the Estrada Calabasas entrance, there are some hills that are u...
Learn more about Dispersed Camping Trail

This short road is somewhat deceiving as it appears to take you to a water pump station and nothing more. At the very end of the road is a single spot for dry primitive camping below a cliff and is close to the Northern end of Diablo Canyon. Be aware that this road has some deep dips and an arroyo c...
Learn more about Upper Diablo Canyon Rd

This is a dirt trail with some light up-and-down hills and no off-camber areas. It is an alternate route to El Camino Real from or to Diablo Canyon that is a bit more exciting than the main road. There is dispersed camping on the sides of this trail. There are no bypasses, but there is nothing to re...
Learn more about El Camino Real Alternate Pass

This is a fun, open sandy wash to drive down. There are a couple of different routes to take within the sandy area that all lead back to the same sandy trail. The sandy wash is wide enough for multiple vehicles side by side. Be careful for cows in the road. There are one to two areas where the sandy...
Learn more about Sand Drag Strip

This dirt trail leads from Estrada Calabasas to El Camino Real and offers dispersed camping sites throughout the trail. There are no off-camber areas, but it is not flat and smooth. It is capable for a 2WD to do; no lockers needed. Near the Estrada Calabasas entrance, there are some hills that are u...
Learn more about Dispersed Camping Trail