Beginner Off-Road Trails
Near Williams Acres, New Mexico

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 the Wall" in back country of Malpais Wilderness. Malpais consists of a series of large lava fi...
Learn more about Hole in the Wall at Malpais National Monument

Relatively easy trail to one of the more remote ruins of the Chaco Canyon culture. The trail was rutted and uneven, and the last few hundred yards had significant mud due to recent rains. Otherwise, the trail to the ruins was relatively easy, with incredible views of the high desert and Chaco Canyon...
Learn more about Chaco Canyon to Kin Klizhin

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 starts off as graded gravel, giving way to a more primitive dirt road, which is easily passable i...
Learn more about Mt. Taylor Peak 4x4 Road

This is a point-to-point route that takes you from Road 550 in Nageezi to the Valley of Dreams trailhead/parking lot. The first quarter to half mile or so is paved but quickly turns to a graded dirt road which gets increasingly less groomed the closer you get to the trailhead. Rutted and rough in pl...
Learn more about Valley of Dreams East

This double-track trail takes you through cattle grazing farmland and ends at an overlook. Cows can be seen near the trail. There is nowhere to camp or turn around until the end of the trail. The trail is smooth and can be done in 2WD under good conditions. The overlook is a great place to camp, rig...
Learn more about Chaco Overlook

The trail travels along the south and west boundaries of the El Malpais National Monument and surrounding BLM land. The trail begins in a wide-open plain with desert scrub largely used for cattle grazing before passing into a desert forest, passing numerous volcanic cinder cones with side trails. Th...
Learn more about Chain of Craters Backcountry Byway

Off of Da-Na-Zin Road, this short spur trail takes you to an overlook right on the edge of the Bisti badlands. There is a closed gate at the entrance that should be closed behind you. This short two-track trail has a few washouts but can be done in any typical 4WD SUV or truck. The trail is tight, s...
Learn more about Bisti Badlands Overlook

This trail is a mixed-use oil and ranching road that runs between Route 550 and Road 7007. It offers relatively rapid access to the trails that zig-zag between Angel's Edge and Largo Canyon. From 550, the trail starts as a clay-based, deeply rutted road that cuts across the open, high desert grassl...
Learn more about Jacquez Canyon Road

The route is relatively easy except for washboarding and ruts in spots. It takes you to breathtaking views of rock formations, including Castle Rock and Angel Peak. Picnic tables overlook the amazing canyons. The campground can accommodate single-vehicle campers and small trailers. There are several...
Learn more about Angel Peak Picnic and Campground

While this trail is not technically challenging there are a lot of terrain changes over it's 7.5-mile length. The west end of the trail starts with dirt, packed clay, and sand in a fairly open setting before climbing up over some bare sandstone with some minor ledges to drop down through surrounding...
Learn more about Kutz Canyon East

This easy route takes you from Highway 550 on CR 378 through Johnson Canyon to Largo Canyon. The sandy, rutted trail travels around incredible rock formations with black, yellow, and red layers of sedimentary rock. Wind and water erosion has created intriguing shapes with the harder rocks on top of ...
Learn more about Johnson Canyon

CR 7020 is a 7-mile off-road trail and oil access road that serves as the easiest and most direct route from Highway 550 to the Angel Peak Loop and Kutz Canyon. The trail combines sections of deep sand and packed dirt, providing a generally smooth drive under dry conditions. However, its accessibili...
Learn more about RD 7020

This oil road starts out wide and sandy but gradually becomes increasingly narrow as it winds its way deeper into the canyon. There are some ledges when entering and exiting washes, but this is a fairly easy trail for anyone with a high-clearance vehicle. Look out for narrow, deeply eroded cuts acro...
Learn more about Kutz Canyon West

This trail follows a 3-mile road through the land north of Snowflake and Taylor, Arizona, traveling from east to west with a variety of open desert views. Along the route are broad mesas, expansive blue skies, and several windmills that define the landscape. Early on, the road passes a clearly marke...
Learn more about Mill Road

This trail makes a great side trek for those passing through the area with about an hour to spare, though it can easily take longer depending on how much time is spent exploring. The route is only 2.2 miles, but the canyon offers plenty to see on foot, and the short loop can take around 45 minutes t...
Learn more about Five Mile Draw

This trail follows BLM 1103 from the floor of the Rio Puerco Valley up a steep, rocky section to the top of a mesa. The route travels between the Ignacio Chavez Wilderness Study Area, Chamisa Wilderness Study Area and the Empedrado Wilderness Study Area . There are numerous pull off parking spaces o...
Learn more about Wilderness Study Areas

Starting in the high desert immediately adjacent to a canal, the loop utilizes BLM oil roads to dip down into the badlands surrounding Angel Peak. Zig-zagging across the sandy washes that weave through the bottom of Kutz Canyon, the loop encircles Angel Peak for an all-angles view of the peak and fo...
Learn more about Angel Peak Loop

This trail is aptly named and serves as an alternate route out of the area after exploring Mill Road, avoiding the need to backtrack. The northern section runs north to south and remains a true off-road route with single-vehicle width, washouts, ruts, and wide-open high desert views, along with feat...
Learn more about Way Out

Lone Mountain is a spur that leads to the foothills of Lone Mountain and Castle Dome just to the west of the Sawtooth trail. The trail is primarily soft dirt and sand that will be extremely muddy after rain or snow melt. The road is primarily single-vehicle wide with room to pass in areas where open...
Learn more about Lone Mountain FS312

The northern half of this loop goes through a wide white sand wash, with big sweeping curves through the open desert. It's lined with bushes and pinyon trees and is smooth with no obstacles. Shortly after a powerline, the wash splits, and this trail goes southeast into another almost similar wash th...
Learn more about Choke Cherry ATV

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 starts off as graded gravel, giving way to a more primitive dirt road, which is easily passable i...
Learn more about Mt. Taylor Peak 4x4 Road

This is a point-to-point route that takes you from Road 550 in Nageezi to the Valley of Dreams trailhead/parking lot. The first quarter to half mile or so is paved but quickly turns to a graded dirt road which gets increasingly less groomed the closer you get to the trailhead. Rutted and rough in pl...
Learn more about Valley of Dreams East

This double-track trail takes you through cattle grazing farmland and ends at an overlook. Cows can be seen near the trail. There is nowhere to camp or turn around until the end of the trail. The trail is smooth and can be done in 2WD under good conditions. The overlook is a great place to camp, rig...
Learn more about Chaco Overlook

This trail is a mixed-use oil and ranching road that runs between Route 550 and Road 7007. It offers relatively rapid access to the trails that zig-zag between Angel's Edge and Largo Canyon. From 550, the trail starts as a clay-based, deeply rutted road that cuts across the open, high desert grassl...
Learn more about Jacquez Canyon 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 starts off as graded gravel, giving way to a more primitive dirt road, which is easily passable i...
Learn more about Mt. Taylor Peak 4x4 Road

This is a point-to-point route that takes you from Road 550 in Nageezi to the Valley of Dreams trailhead/parking lot. The first quarter to half mile or so is paved but quickly turns to a graded dirt road which gets increasingly less groomed the closer you get to the trailhead. Rutted and rough in pl...
Learn more about Valley of Dreams East

This double-track trail takes you through cattle grazing farmland and ends at an overlook. Cows can be seen near the trail. There is nowhere to camp or turn around until the end of the trail. The trail is smooth and can be done in 2WD under good conditions. The overlook is a great place to camp, rig...
Learn more about Chaco Overlook

Off of Da-Na-Zin Road, this short spur trail takes you to an overlook right on the edge of the Bisti badlands. There is a closed gate at the entrance that should be closed behind you. This short two-track trail has a few washouts but can be done in any typical 4WD SUV or truck. The trail is tight, s...
Learn more about Bisti Badlands Overlook