Beginner Off-Road Trails Near Ojo Encino, New Mexico

Select a location:

Backway to Cabezon Peak

This set of well maintained, dirt roads provides access to Cabezon Peak from nearby Pipeline Road. It passes through some typical New Mexican high-desert scenery, with shrubs and cacti on either side of a winding…
Learn more about Backway to Cabezon Peak
Total Miles
11.7
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Copper Mine

The Copper Mines are located in the Santa Fe National Forest just east of Cuba, New Mexico. The trail begins from Highway 126 and the intersection of Eureka Mesa Road. Off-highway parking is suggested due…
Learn more about Copper Mine
Total Miles
18.8
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

FS376

FS376 is a 23-mile long trail that weaves through the Jemez National Forest, gaining about 3,200 feet in elevation high above the Rio Guadalupe. This route takes you through the historic Gilman Tunnels, which were…
Learn more about FS376
Total Miles
16.7
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Resumidero Meadow Camping

This short, easy route takes off from Forest Road 103. It leads to gorgeous, alpine meadows and disbursed, primitive camping at 9000 feet elevation. The camp area is a great staging area to explore the…
Learn more about Resumidero Meadow Camping
Total Miles
2
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa / Sp

Largo Canyon to Crow Canyon

This out and back trail leads to several panels of petroglyphs and a ruin that all require a short walk to view. Simple oilfield dirt roads lead you to the canyon entrance that will take…
Learn more about Largo Canyon to Crow Canyon
Total Miles
21.2
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Hill Road Pueblito

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
Total Miles
13.3
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Sp

Jemez to Espanola

This is a very scenic route around the North side of the Valles Caldera. It goes from the Jemez Mountains over to Espanola and is a great full-day loop with plenty of exploring to be…
Learn more about Jemez to Espanola
Total Miles
57.7
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Fa / Su / Sp

Mt. Taylor Peak 4x4 Road

This 4x4 road is a great intro to overlanding, with stunning views and minimal technical obstacles. Starting from Grants, the road climbs almost 5000 feet to within 1/2 mile of Mt. Taylor peak. The road…
Learn more about Mt. Taylor Peak 4x4 Road
Total Miles
16.7
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

Encino Mountain Trail

This trail takes you up into the Santa Fe National Forest. This is an easy trail for most with AWD or 4WD. Make sure you have gas as this is a vast mountain range where…
Learn more about Encino Mountain Trail
Total Miles
14.4
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa

St. Peters Dome Wilderness Exploration Route

This is one of the more varied trails in New Mexico in terms of scenery and topography. Starting in the Jemez mountains with large pine forests, this trail transitions to mesa prairie, and then dives…
Learn more about St. Peters Dome Wilderness Exploration Route
Total Miles
18.2
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Forest Loop Road 445

Forest Loop Road 445 leads from NM Highway 165 to the northern base of the Sandia Mountains and back to NM 165. The western side of the loop is more difficult with some washouts, arroyos…
Learn more about Forest Loop Road 445
Total Miles
5.5
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Wi / Sp / Su / Fa

Clara Peak

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…
Learn more about Clara Peak
Total Miles
15.7
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

Palo Duroso Canyon

Despite appearing on most maps as NM state road 165, Palo Duroso Canyon is an unimproved dirt road from the time it leaves Placitas until until it meets 536 going to Sandia Crest. This road…
Learn more about Palo Duroso Canyon
Total Miles
7.9
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

Caja del Rio to La Bajada Mesa-USFS 24

The Caja del Rio Road (#24) is a 23-mile drive across the Caja del Rio Plateau to La Bajada Mesa. It ends with a large escarpment dropping 1000 feet to the valley below with the…
Learn more about Caja del Rio to La Bajada Mesa-USFS 24
Total Miles
20.8
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Hang Glider Road

Hang Glider road is a short side road near the end of Caja del Rio Road USFS 24. There is nothing special about this trail until you reach the end with spectacular views to the…
Learn more about Hang Glider Road
Total Miles
0.3
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

El Camino Real y Diablo Canyon Trail

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…
Learn more about El Camino Real y Diablo Canyon Trail
Total Miles
8.8
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Upper Diablo Canyon Rd

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…
Learn more about Upper Diablo Canyon Rd
Total Miles
0.8
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Close to the Southern Edge

This is a short side road off of Caja Del Rio Road USFS 24, which takes you to a Southern escarpment of the plateau overlooking the Santa Fe River basin below. There are a few…
Learn more about Close to the Southern Edge
Total Miles
1.4
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Hole in the Wall at Malpais National Monument

This excellent day trip starts on the western edge of Malpais National Monument, drives by the Big Tubes cave system and then crosses an easy introduction to driving over rock before accessing the "Hole in…
Learn more about Hole in the Wall at Malpais National Monument
Total Miles
14.1
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Buckles Lake-Fr Rd 663

Buckles Lake road will take you to trailheads for a short hike to Buckles Lake or V-Rock. The Navajo Peak ATV trail and Big Branch road are four miles up from Hwy 84. A small…
Learn more about Buckles Lake-Fr Rd 663
Total Miles
7
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

Eight Mile Mesa E-USFS Rd #651E

Eight Mile Mesa E (#651E) forks right with Eight Mile Mesa D (#651D) forking to the left at the end of the main Eight Mile Mesa Road, approximately 6.5 miles from the highway turnoff. This…
Learn more about Eight Mile Mesa E-USFS Rd #651E
Total Miles
3.5
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

Eight Mile Mesa D-USFS Rd #651D

Eight Mile Mesa D (#651D) forks left with Eight Mile Mesa E (#651E) forking to the right at the end of the main Eight Mile Mesa road, approximately 6.5 miles from the highway turnoff. This…
Learn more about Eight Mile Mesa D-USFS Rd #651D
Total Miles
2.5
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Fa / Su / Sp

Eight Mile Mesa C-USFS Rd #651C

Eight Mile Mesa C (#651C) forks left off the main road about 5 miles from the beginning of the USFS road. It's about 4.5 miles to the end where there were a few disturbed primitive…
Learn more about Eight Mile Mesa C-USFS Rd #651C
Total Miles
4
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Fa / Su / Sp

Devil Mountain-Fr Rd 626

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
Total Miles
10.9
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

Eight Mile Mesa B-USFS Rd #651B

Eight Mile Mesa B (#651B) forks to the left off of the main road about half a mile from the first fork to the right for Eight Mile Mesa A. It's just under a mile…
Learn more about Eight Mile Mesa B-USFS Rd #651B
Total Miles
0.9
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

Dead Dog Trail & Santa Fe Ranch

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…
Learn more about Dead Dog Trail & Santa Fe Ranch
Total Miles
4.1
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Devil Creek Wildlife Management Area-Fr Rd 627

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
Total Miles
1.4
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

Eight Mile Mesa Rd-USFS Rd #651

Eight Mile Mesa Road (#651) will take you to the top of Eight Mile Mesa South of Pagosa Springs, Colorado with a network of trails leading to different points of the mesa. After turning off…
Learn more about Eight Mile Mesa Rd-USFS Rd #651
Total Miles
6.1
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Fa / Su / Sp

Fr Road 664

Big Branch road runs from Buckles Lake road (#663) to the Blue Creek road (#612). Right as you start the trail it warns of a rough road, following are several spots with large dips from…
Learn more about Fr Road 664
Total Miles
13.4
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Fa / Su / Sp

Blanco River Road-Fr Rd 656

The Blanco River road runs off of Hwy 64 between Pagosa Springs and Chama, NM. As you drive along the Blanco River there are four pull off spots for primitive dry camping along the river.…
Learn more about Blanco River Road-Fr Rd 656
Total Miles
2.1
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa