Beginner Off-Road Trails Near Elephant Butte, New Mexico

This trail picks up right off of the Paloma Gap trail and veers off and follows the river. The overall trail is very scenic but exercise caution. When rain is present the levels of the…
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Penasco Springs is a wonderful desert experience that takes you down into the canyons at the base of the mountains and through some fun terrain that most 4x4 vehicles will handle. Starting out, the road…
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Burma Road-Garcia Falls begins on a decently maintained dirt and rock road that is wide enough for two vehicles for the first several miles and will be easily traveled with most high-clearance AWD and 4x4…
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Springtime is one of the longer forest trails in the area and provides diverse exploration, areas for dispersed camping, designated campsites, and hiking trails. Springtime connects from Highway 1 at the east and runs through…
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The Old Spanish Trail is one of the longer tracks in the area and features amazing views of the mountains to the west, grasslands at the north, and a fun desert feed before getting closer…
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Holdup Spur is a short end-to-end trail that is intersected at its midway point by FSR-377/Burma Road-Garcia Falls and gives anyone exploring more ground to cover, as well as additional dispersed camping. The surface is…
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San Juan's Skeleton, also known as forest road 332 and 332A is a 12 mile trail (round trip) that takes you up the the San Juan Peak. This trail is an off-shoot of The Old…
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Seven HL Ridge is the furthest northeast trail that takes you just inside the foothills of the Black Range Mountains in the Gila National Forest. The entry point of this trail is clearly indicated and…
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Antelope Tank is an extremely well-maintained road and will be a pleasant exploring experience for most high-clearance 2WD and AWD vehicles. While some sections of rocks interrupt the dirt surface, there are no large obstacles…
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Wildcat Run is a combination of FSR-378 and FSR-378A that runs deeper into the foothills of the mountains to the west as it passes by Wildcat Peak to the north. The track begins as a…
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Easily accessed from highway 52, this simple trail leads into the Cibola National Forest ending with a view of Mt. Welty. This trail passes private property, please be respectful. The end of this trail offers…
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This narrow two-track is an out-and-back that dead-ends at private property, more specifically, Frank's Ranch. The surface is a combination of rocks and dirt, with some rocks being around 8 inches in size, but no…
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1026D is a fun, simple trail that connects back to FR330 via FR1026, making a fun loop. 1026D is simple to navigate and does not have any real obstacles. There is potential for some off-camber…
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This section of Rosedale road or FR330, is a simple 4-mile road connecting Highway 107 with the Cibola National Forest. The road is well maintained, plenty wide for a single vehicle with opportunity to pass…
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This is an alternate route approaching the highlands surrounding Mt. Withington. Highlights of this road include unique rock formations, sweeping vistas, and downright spooky drives through previously burned forests. One section of the route drives…
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A short and unassuming trail that leads to the still actively used, Grassy Lookout. Grassy Lookout offers incredible near 360-degree views of the surrounding ranges and valleys. Deer and elk are common and often seen…
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Forest Road 549, also known as "Old State Highway 52" makes for a fun day drive with plenty to see along the way. As the name implies, before the current highway 52 was built, this…
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Valley View is a spur that continues southward off of Muleshoe/FSR 234 and provides a great view of almost all the surrounding mountains in this area of the Cibola National Forest. The trail features a…
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Big Rosa Canyon is a very diverse trail that runs along the east perimeter of the Withington Wilderness area. Starting at higher elevation, the views are wide open and give a glimpse of the canyons…
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Powderhorn Ridge begins in a short section of private land tracks before meeting the Gila National Forest boundary that is designated via a large sign and a water crossing that cuts through the Mimbres River.…
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This easy, well-maintained trail begins off of Highway 59 and connects to the Chloride Canyon trail. This trail appeared to see a fair amount of traffic. There are no technical sections on this trail, but…
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Adobe Ranch Road is the camper's dream. Although the surface does have some significant rutting, most high-clearance 2WD vehicles will be able to complete the trail in its entirety as there are no other major…
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A scenic but straightforward out and back leads to some dispersed camping options in the Chloride Canyon area. Not a challenging trail by any means, the trail crosses Chloride Canyon from Silver Monument and follows…
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House Mountain Road is a provide-all trail that begins on a rutted dirt surface, just over single vehicle width, and narrows as it continues to its abundant features. Lined with trees for the majority of…
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Located in the northwestern foothills of the San Mateo Mountains range, Baney Canyon features an overall well-maintained road. The surface changes from dirt to rocky sections several times, with a few low-lying washes, but will…
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Little Rosa Base follows the northern foothills and grasslands of the Withington Wilderness and is a point-to-point trail connecting FSR-549 to CR-107. The views along the route are mostly wide open and give a great…
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The Molino Peak Trail is a short, 5.3-mile route that takes you up past an old manganese mine (The Manganese Chief Mine). It winds its way up an old two-track that becomes progressively rockier the…
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Muleshoe is one of the longer trails on the west side of the foothills in the area. The track is an overall well-maintained single-vehicle-wide road with room to pass if needed and will be suitable…
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Mount Withington dominates the landscape around the Very Large Array, rising to just over 10,000 ft. In the spirit of adventure, it just begs those driving nearby to drivers to go see if they can…
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Starting in the flats of the Plains of San Austin, Sargent Canyon leads to Forest Road 549 passing through the Very Large Array and offering a chance to see the dishes from the road. Easily…
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