Beginner Off-Road Trails Near Middle Mesa, New Mexico

This trail isn't technically challenging and is well-maintained--if the drive up American Canyon was completed, there wouldn't be any problems driving Carracas mesa. The road is generally just wide enough for two vehicles but is…
Learn more about Carracas Mesa/ NFS 218

Starting on 539 just south of where it goes across the dam, you'll head up Francis Mesa Road and over Smith Pass to the top of the mesa. There is some rough exposed rock on…
Learn more about Francis Canyon Pueblito

This 2.3-mile-long ATV trail starts off of Ute Creek, and has some steeper descents/climbs that are rutted with loose rocks, but also fast easy sections through wide open meadows and pinyon pine. It goes up…
Learn more about Reservoir Canyon

The Horizon Loop is a 3-mile ATV loop east of Bayfield, Colorado. It has sections of two-track through the forest, but part of the trail is on oil well access roads that are full-width gravel…
Learn more about Horizon Loop

This trail isn't technically challenging, though mud, weather, and the isolated nature of most of the terrain should all be serious considerations, as there is little-to-no cell service along most of the trail. The trail…
Learn more about American Canyon - FSR 310

Skimmer makes a 1.1-mile ATV loop off of the Horizon Loop. It's a dirt two-track that ducks off from the oil well access road portion of Horizon Loop. The trail has dips and ruts through…
Learn more about Skimmer Trail

608 Connect- 694 is an ATV trail that connects two portions of the Forest Service Road 608. The south end starts as an oil well access road past a gate, but there is a trail…
Learn more about 608 Connect- 694

Lange Canyon ATV trail makes a 5.4-mile loop off 608 Road in the San Juan National Forest in the trail system east of Bayfield, Colorado. The route has many sections on oil well access roads…
Learn more about Lange Canyon

Manzanares Ridge (CR 520) is a gorgeous Sunday drive, winding through fields of sagebrush dotted with juniper and pinion trees. Its placement along the high point of Manzanares Mesa offers panoramic views as the trail…
Learn more about Manzanares Ridge - CR 520

This is an easy trail off New Mexico Highway 64 to the Hill Road Pueblito, an archeological site constructed in the late 1730s and early 1740s. Hill Road Pueblito sits on a boulder outcrop overlooking…
Learn more about Hill Road Pueblito

Trail 699 is a short ATV trail through the San Juan National Forest on a full-width oil well access road that has been repurposed into a trail for 50" vehicles. The south end is a…
Learn more about Black Draw

This route travels up a rutted hill and then on some easier oil and gas roads before getting rocky and rougher right before Old Fort Pueblito parking. A free New Mexico State Land Permit is…
Learn more about Old Fort & Three Corn Pueblitos

The west end of First Notch 1 starts on First Notch Road, about 1.5 miles north of the staging area. The staging area is a dirt parking area on First Notch Road just a half…
Learn more about First Notch 1

This trail is lightly used, with the possibility of saplings and tall grass growing on the trail. You'll encounter loose rocks. It is mostly used by hunters for access to the southern portion of the…
Learn more about FR 708

Camping, Jeeping and Hunting on Devil Mountain-Fr Rd 626 There is some space when you first turn onto the trail from Hwy 160 to air up or down. After that area the Devil Mountain trail…
Learn more about Devil Mountain-Fr Rd 626

Malquadis Point is a great route that begins as an oil road turn-off from RT 64, just east of Manzanares Canyon. The trail starts with a steady climb to the top of the mesa before…
Learn more about Melquadis Point

This route is appropriately named Rock Garden. There are rocks of all shapes and sizes, including hoo-doos, arches, and balancing boulders. It is north of New Mexico State Highway 173 and is a short drive…
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This is a really easy 50" trail off of First Notch Road that is popular for hunting access and ATV riding. It has small embedded and loose rocks but is generally fast and straight and…
Learn more about First Notch 2

This easy trail utilizes oil roads just off of Highway 64 to loosely loop around the portion of Manzanares Mesa northwest of Cutter Reservoir before intersecting with the Cutter Reservoir Trail. Expect gorgeous vistas, heavy…
Learn more about Manzanares Mesa

The Devil Creek trail is a short trail leading to the 561 acre Devil Creek Wildlife Management area. Part way up the trail is a very interesting rock on your left. At the end of…
Learn more about Devil Creek Wildlife Management Area-Fr Rd 627

The north end of this 2.2-mile-long ATV trail starts at a small parking area on First Notch Road and enters behind a gate. It's a wide dirt path with ruts and small rocks through scrub…
Learn more about First Notch 3

This is an easy 1-mile connector trail between First Notch 3 and 2. It goes straight and fast through the forest, with small rocks in the trail, small ruts, and past big open meadows. It…
Learn more about First Notch Connect

This route starts at US Route 64. Initially following oil roads on BLM land, it climbs a little over 700 feet through sagebrush, juniper and pinon pine to the top of Laguna Seca Mesa and…
Learn more about Laguna Seca Mesa

This spur makes a loop off of Mule Mountain trail and Spur 2 for some extra mileage. It's an easy two-track with small loose rocks in the trail. It has a couple steep and loose…
Learn more about Mule Mountain Spur 1

This spur makes a loop off of Mule Mountain Trail to add some easy extra mileage to your ride. It's similar to the first spur, tightly maneuvering through the oak bushes. It has bits of…
Learn more about Mule Mountain Spur 2

Uncle Charlie is an easy two-track through oak brush, aspen trees, and pines through the San Juan National Forest. It remains accessible throughout the route, making it an excellent trail for newer riders. The surface…
Learn more about Uncle Charlie

Jungle Connect is a mile-long connector from Jungle Canyon Road to the Uncle Charlie trail. It starts off with some slabby rock in the trail, then goes between pines and aspens, traversing up a hillside.…
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A paved road west of New Mexico State Highway 550 leads to this beautiful adventure in Hart Canyon. The arch is a short drive north of the main route. The small, majestic arch spans a…
Learn more about Arch and Aztec UFO Site

The Cutter Dam Trail winds from Largo Canyon up through Cutter Canyon, leading to the Cutter Reservoir Dam and Picnic Area. Along the way, travelers will encounter deep ruts in some sections and stretches of…
Learn more about Cutter Dam

This is a 1.3-mile connector trail between Beaver Meadows Road and First Notch Road. It connects some of the lower ATV trails, like Uncle Charlie, to the north end of the trail system. The south…
Learn more about Moonlick Connect