Beginner Off-Road Trails Near Youngsville, New Mexico
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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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
BLM-SFNF Connector & Camping
This short unnamed road is part of the Caja del Rio area of the Santa Fe National Forest. It provides access to the large BLM area with Diablo Canyon and the Camino Real trail adjoining… Learn more about BLM-SFNF Connector & Camping
Total Miles
1.3
Tech Rating
1
Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi
Santa Cruz Lake Overlook Campground
This road leads to the overlook campground then dead ends at the trailhead located above Santa Cruz Lake on a high escarpment, overlooking the lake from the southern end. Owned and operated by the BLM… Learn more about Santa Cruz Lake Overlook Campground
Total Miles
1.5
Tech Rating
1
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
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
Borrego Mesa Trail
Beginning in the New Mexico town of Cordova, this trail climbs into the foothills of the Sangre De Christo Mountains. While the Borrego Mesa trail itself is relatively easy, it provides access to several other… Learn more about Borrego Mesa Trail
Total Miles
8.5
Tech Rating
1
Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa
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
Pecos WIlderness Border Road
This route runs through the open highlands of Borrego Mesa, providing expansive views of the surrounding foothills. This section is not maintained and is prone to significant washouts and ruts. In dry conditions, the primary… Learn more about Pecos WIlderness Border Road
Total Miles
1.7
Tech Rating
2
Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa
San Antonio Mountain Loop
This is an easy route around the base of the San Antonio Mountain. The ride was pretty with grand vistas, an easy trail, and some wildlife. Not recommended for passenger cars, no winter maintenance. That… Learn more about San Antonio Mountain Loop
Total Miles
24.7
Tech Rating
2
Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa
Pacheco Canyon
Pacheco Canyon is a great easy trail near the Santa Fe Ski area, just outside Santa Fe, NM. The trail can be run in either direction, but the views heading downhill into Tesuque Village are… Learn more about Pacheco Canyon
Total Miles
7.2
Tech Rating
1
Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa
Borregoanger Cabin Cutoff
Borregoanger cabin is a foundation deep in the National Forest next to an unusual quartz and granite promontory. The trail to reach the cabin leaves from the Borrego Mesa Trail and climbs down switchbacks into… Learn more about Borregoanger Cabin Cutoff
Total Miles
2.2
Tech Rating
3
Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa
Trujillo Meadows
This is a short route out to a man-made alpine lake. You will want to spend some time hiking or fishing around the picturesque lake. The west end of the trail is very well graded… Learn more about Trujillo Meadows
Total Miles
3.3
Tech Rating
3
Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa
Arroyo Hondo Forest Service 79
Forest Service road that climbs a wide loose and rutted road. There are many shallow ruts and a few deep ruts that must be navigated around if clearance is an issue. There is a very… Learn more about Arroyo Hondo Forest Service 79
Total Miles
4.6
Tech Rating
3
Easy
Best Time
Su / Sp / Fa
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
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
Taos Valley Road 5030 North
If quiet and solitude are what you're looking for, you've found the right trail. This is one of the most remote section of trail in the San Luis Valley. Stunning scenery of the vast Rio… Learn more about Taos Valley Road 5030 North
Total Miles
49.5
Tech Rating
3
Easy
Best Time
Fa / Su / Sp
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
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
Dunn Bridge and Rio Grande Del Norte Loop
The Southern portion of the trail is easy for even for passenger cars. It features the stunning Dunn iron bridge with pit toilets available. Take a short side trip down either side of the bridge… Learn more about Dunn Bridge and Rio Grande Del Norte Loop
Total Miles
10
Tech Rating
3
Easy
Best Time
Sp / Fa
Glorieta Baldy
Glorieta Baldy is a trail on the South end of the Pecos Mountain area featuring numerous camp sites and an expansive view of the Pecos/Glorieta area. The trail starts at the back of a neighborhood… Learn more about Glorieta Baldy
Total Miles
14.4
Tech Rating
3
Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa
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