Beginner Off-Road Trails
Near Taos, New Mexico

Drive east from Taos or west from Shady Brook to reach Forest Road 10, located on the north side and marked by a sign for the monastery. This gravel road follows an out-and-back route through scenic forest terrain, offering peaceful views and a quiet drive. Several spur roads provide access to dispe...
Learn more about Capulin Forest Road

This route is the main forest road that provides access to the 70 Moto Trail, which is a width-restricted motorized trail that climbs to Osha Pass. This trail also provides access to the Elliot Barker Trail 1, a hike, bike, horse trail that runs 12 miles along the east edge of the National Forest. I...
Learn more about Osha Pass - FS 70b

This trail is an offshoot of Forest Road 70/Osha Pass trail. It leaves the main trail and tracks along the boundary of public and private land for a short while before climbing the mountainside and tracking further north into the National Forest. It provides access to a network of logging roads in t...
Learn more about Apache Trail

La Junta Canyon is an easy-going, scenic drive ideal for beginners, families, and high-clearance passenger vehicles looking to explore the beautiful Carson National Forest near Taos, New Mexico. Spanning approximately 1.0 mile with an easy climb of about 354 feet, this trail winds through lush pine ...
Learn more about La Junta Canyon

This trail is a well-maintained forest road that leads from US 64 to some logging trails along the border of the Taos Pueblo. The road is closed near the logging trails as its condition deteriorates and has many dispersed camping sites along the length of it. Use caution for wetlands near the creek,...
Learn more about La Jara Canyon

Difficulty: 2 (Easy) The West Rim trail offers 3.2 miles of scenic desert driving with spectacular canyon overlooks along the western edge of Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. Accessible from Taos Valley Road, this BLM route typically requires 45 minutes to complete, making it perfect for thos...
Learn more about West Rim Trail

This route is generally easy, with only a few areas requiring moderate ground clearance. It offers excellent scenery, including wetlands created by beavers along the Rio Chiquito. Numerous scenic campsites can be found beside the river. Trailers are not recommended, and cell service is limited for m...
Learn more about Rio Chaquito

Sardinas Canyon Trail 12 is a wide and rocky route through the Carson National Forest, off of Forest Road 76. Per the MVUM, the trail is designated for 50-inch vehicles, but there are no sign designations at the entrances of the trail, and it looks more like a full-width road, so you may see wider v...
Learn more about Sardinas Canyon Trail - FS 12

When the sign at the trail entrance states, "Not suitable for passenger cars", they aren't joking. This is a heavily unmaintained trail and is not recommended for anything with low clearance. Deep mud ruts are present throughout, both dry and wet. This trail may be even more challenging during/after...
Learn more about Cebolla Mesa

Bear Canyon is an easy ATV trail in the Carson National Forest that connects Trail 22 to Forest Road 1877. It is a wide, single-lane, road-width path that looks like it’s been bulldozed as a fire break and for logging. There are big log piles off to the side of the trail, and clear-cut hillsides. I...
Learn more about Bear Canyon Trail 28

This is an in-and-back leading through Carson National Forest. Winding through and cresting at nearly 10,000 feet this is an easy cruise with some awesome scenery. Minimal traffic in the area but there is woodcutting so you may encounter other vehicles or people cutting wood. Most of the road is wid...
Learn more about Forest Road 722

FS 195W is a short access trail into the Elephant Rock trail system, but this is not the main entrance into the system, and riders will need to be street legal to connect to it on Highway 38. It starts as a wide road-width trail on pea-gravel that climbs up into the forest from the highway. It is un...
Learn more about FS 195W

The FS 195 Connector Trail is a quarter-mile-long dirt bike trail that connects FS 195S and the main Elephant Rock Trail 195. It goes through a narrow forested tree corridor of aspens that are really pretty in fall when the leaves start to change color. The north entrance is unmarked off of FS 195, ...
Learn more about FS 195 Connector

Forest Service Road 134 is a rocky, relatively flat road that traverses down the Cabresto Canyon in Carson National Forest. This mostly gravel and dirt trail doesn't have any difficult obstacles and can be driven by any AWD vehicle. The 15-mile valley road is full of wildflowers, water-flowing creek...
Learn more about Cabresto Canyon - FS 134

This is a 1.4-mile-long dirt bike trail that parallels the main Elephant Rock Trail - FS 195. On the west end, it starts at an intersection with FS 195 where the signs indicate that FS 195 goes to a photo opportunity, while this trail goes left instead. This route is very defined and easy to follow,...
Learn more about FS 195 Alternate

Pioneer Creek Trail leaves from Red River behind the ski resort and then follows the canyon up. There are some large loose rocks towards the end and four water crossings where the trail crosses the creek. Although the map shows the trail goes further, it has been closed where the track ends, and a l...
Learn more about Pioneer Creek

Forest Service Road 134A is a steep, rocky road that leads to Cabresto Lake; it's a beautiful mountain lake surrounded by the high peaks of Carson National Forest. The trail is narrow and consists of sharp rocks no larger than 12 inches in height. High-clearance 4x4 is recommended but high-clearance...
Learn more about Cabresto Lake - FS 134A

FS 45 is a scenic, well-maintained dirt road that connects two small mountain towns, Vallecitos and Petaca. This can be considered part three of a fun and relaxing set of trails starting in Abiquiu, and ending up northeast in Tres Piedras. This route features dense pines and the occasional valley ov...
Learn more about FS 45 Vallecitos to Petaca

Greenie East is a moderately challenging 4.4-mile off-road trail near Red River, New Mexico, ideal for intermediate drivers looking for an alternative route to the high-elevation ridges of the Carson National Forest. Beginning in Mallette Canyon, this unpaved dirt route diverges from the Sawmill Tra...
Learn more about Greenie East

This is a rough and rocky mountain road that climbs high into the mountains of Carson National Forest. The route is generally easy with no technical obstacles and can be traveled in either direction. It offers excellent scenery and connects with several other notable off-road trails in the Red River...
Learn more about Sawmill

This route is the main forest road that provides access to the 70 Moto Trail, which is a width-restricted motorized trail that climbs to Osha Pass. This trail also provides access to the Elliot Barker Trail 1, a hike, bike, horse trail that runs 12 miles along the east edge of the National Forest. I...
Learn more about Osha Pass - FS 70b

This trail is an offshoot of Forest Road 70/Osha Pass trail. It leaves the main trail and tracks along the boundary of public and private land for a short while before climbing the mountainside and tracking further north into the National Forest. It provides access to a network of logging roads in t...
Learn more about Apache Trail

La Junta Canyon is an easy-going, scenic drive ideal for beginners, families, and high-clearance passenger vehicles looking to explore the beautiful Carson National Forest near Taos, New Mexico. Spanning approximately 1.0 mile with an easy climb of about 354 feet, this trail winds through lush pine ...
Learn more about La Junta Canyon

This trail is a well-maintained forest road that leads from US 64 to some logging trails along the border of the Taos Pueblo. The road is closed near the logging trails as its condition deteriorates and has many dispersed camping sites along the length of it. Use caution for wetlands near the creek,...
Learn more about La Jara Canyon

This route is the main forest road that provides access to the 70 Moto Trail, which is a width-restricted motorized trail that climbs to Osha Pass. This trail also provides access to the Elliot Barker Trail 1, a hike, bike, horse trail that runs 12 miles along the east edge of the National Forest. I...
Learn more about Osha Pass - FS 70b

This trail is an offshoot of Forest Road 70/Osha Pass trail. It leaves the main trail and tracks along the boundary of public and private land for a short while before climbing the mountainside and tracking further north into the National Forest. It provides access to a network of logging roads in t...
Learn more about Apache Trail

La Junta Canyon is an easy-going, scenic drive ideal for beginners, families, and high-clearance passenger vehicles looking to explore the beautiful Carson National Forest near Taos, New Mexico. Spanning approximately 1.0 mile with an easy climb of about 354 feet, this trail winds through lush pine ...
Learn more about La Junta Canyon

This trail is a well-maintained forest road that leads from US 64 to some logging trails along the border of the Taos Pueblo. The road is closed near the logging trails as its condition deteriorates and has many dispersed camping sites along the length of it. Use caution for wetlands near the creek,...
Learn more about La Jara Canyon