Dirt Bike Trails
Near Santa Clara, New Mexico

Bear Canyon Road begins in the Signal Fire burn scar but climbs into a beautiful Ponderosa pine forest. The road is generally easy and well-maintained. Great views of the Black Range as you climb higher. The vegetation is an interesting mix primarily Ponderosa pines but also some agaves. Agaves are ...
Learn more about Bear Canyon Rd-FS 855 A

A great short trail to test yourself and your vehicle. This is the only trail in the area that has any significant obstacles. The loose climb and small ledges can be done in a stock 4x4. The final ledge is significantly more difficult and is what earns this trail an advanced rating. Lockers and good...
Learn more about Granite Knob-FS 4083 H

The Signal Peak Road provides access to the Signal Peak fire lookout tower. It is a generally easy gravel road with a few spots that could be muddy following rain or during snow melt. The road traverses an area burned in the Signal Fire of 2014. The trees are slowly recovering but it will be many de...
Learn more about Signal Peak Road - FS 154

The Meadow Creek Road begins in a Ponderosa Pine Forest with great camping. The road quickly descends into the Meadow Creek Valley and riparian area. The lushness of the riparian area contrasts nicely with the surrounding landscape. The road crosses the creek multiple times. At the junction with FS ...
Learn more about Meadow Creek Road-FS 149

Powderhorn Ridge begins in a short section of private land tracks before meeting the Gila National Forest boundary that is designated via a large sign and a water crossing that cuts through the Mimbres River. The trail shows recent signs of being maintained as of 04/2024 and is primarily a dirt surf...
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The Mimbres River trail has a wide variety of obstacles and multiple water crossings as it winds north and cuts through the river multiple times. Several of these water crossings can be up to 18 inches in depth and are met with some short, steep-grade shelves going into or coming out of the riverbed...
Learn more about Mimbres River

ATV Trail #974 is short and easy, only 0.6 miles long. This is a good starting point to access the few trails in this part of the Gila National Forest. You can park at the horse pasture and easily access this trail after a cattle gate. The route is mostly gradual, with minimal rock and a few shallow...
Learn more about 974

North Star - Sapillo to Chloride Canyon has a long history in New Mexico dating back to the 1800s. The road itself is overall well-maintained except for some washboarding along the route. While there are no major obstacles along the route, there are several steeper grades and sections in the lower c...
Learn more about North Star - Sapillo to Chloride Canyon

Elk Pasture is a loop trail that connects to SR35 in the Sapillo Creek region and provides great views of the surrounding area and mountains in the distance. The road is primarily single-vehicle-wide, with a few areas providing enough room to pass, and is a combination of dirt and rocks. While there...
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ATV Trail #968 is 5.2 miles long through the Gila National Forest. The southern half from the Mimbres River Trail to the intersection with Trail #972 is more moderate difficulty, with steep and loose climbs and heavier rock sections, gaining almost 1,000 feet of elevation in the first 2.5 miles. Thi...
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Lincoln Canyon Road (FS 4079T) travels through a scenic wooded canyon between New Mexico Route 15 and North Star Road. The road starts in a Forest Service administrative horse pasture. The ascent through the canyon is gradual, and the surface changes from hard-packed dirt to looser cobbles and bould...
Learn more about Lincoln Canyon Road - FS 4079T

ATV Trail #979 starts out as a graded road, as a continuation of McKnight Canyon Road. It stays wide and graded until the livestock corral after about a half mile. From there, it becomes more primitive and enters a rocky wash. The trail either parallels the wash on a grassy, overgrown track or ride...
Learn more about 979

ATV trail #964 is the longest trail within the Sapillo Campground trail system, being almost 2 miles long. It is a wide path through ponderosa pine trees and big open grassy fields. The north end starts as a smooth dirt trail, ten feet wide, with easy curves along a fence line. An offline map is hel...
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The south end of ATV Trail #961 starts along a fence line right next to the Sapillo Campground. It is an easy and wide dirt trail with some loose and embedded rock and shallow ruts. It meanders through the ponderosa pines and wide open fields of tall grass, with not much shade. The trail is wide for...
Learn more about 961

Trail #972 is 2.1 miles long through the Gila National Forest. It is accessed on the north end from Trail #968, or near the southern end from Trail #974; however, the southern end ends at a locked gate on private property. The trail is mostly easy, except for one really steep hill near the northern ...
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FS 4083T heads 3.1 miles north along a scenic ridge north from Sheep Corral Canyon Road towards the Gila Wilderness boundary. The trail begins with a shallow grade but transitions to a rocky, moderately off-camber descent with views of the wilderness off to the east. There are a few short, steep hil...
Learn more about FS 4083T

Trail #963 is a half-mile-long ATV trail through the Gila National Forest accessed from the Sapillo Campground. It is a dirt track through a grassy, low alpine forest with ponderosa pine. The initial climb from the north end is a bit steep and rutted, with loose rocks and embedded rock layers that m...
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Just over half a mile long, ATV Trail #971 is a short spur off of ATV Trail #968 that rides across a flat hilltop and through grassy fields of juniper trees. It is a very minor and gradual descent from Trail 968, but mostly flat. The trail is smooth dirt lined with tall grass, with very minimal rock...
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Motorized Trail #976 is a two-track trail for ATVs and dirtbikes that ascends from the Mimbres River trail, first heading up a small canyon before climbing steeply up a ridge, heading along the top of Hay Mesa, and ending at the Aldo Leopold Wilderness boundary. The trail junction with the Mimbres R...
Learn more about Hay Mesa - Trail 976

ATV Trail #960 is almost two miles long, accessed from the Sapillo Campground in the Gila National Forest. The trail goes through a dry forest of ponderosa pines. The first half climbs up a couple of hundred feet in elevation, mostly gradually, but with a few short steep climbs full of loose rock an...
Learn more about 960

Bear Canyon Road begins in the Signal Fire burn scar but climbs into a beautiful Ponderosa pine forest. The road is generally easy and well-maintained. Great views of the Black Range as you climb higher. The vegetation is an interesting mix primarily Ponderosa pines but also some agaves. Agaves are ...
Learn more about Bear Canyon Rd-FS 855 A

A great short trail to test yourself and your vehicle. This is the only trail in the area that has any significant obstacles. The loose climb and small ledges can be done in a stock 4x4. The final ledge is significantly more difficult and is what earns this trail an advanced rating. Lockers and good...
Learn more about Granite Knob-FS 4083 H

The Signal Peak Road provides access to the Signal Peak fire lookout tower. It is a generally easy gravel road with a few spots that could be muddy following rain or during snow melt. The road traverses an area burned in the Signal Fire of 2014. The trees are slowly recovering but it will be many de...
Learn more about Signal Peak Road - FS 154

The Meadow Creek Road begins in a Ponderosa Pine Forest with great camping. The road quickly descends into the Meadow Creek Valley and riparian area. The lushness of the riparian area contrasts nicely with the surrounding landscape. The road crosses the creek multiple times. At the junction with FS ...
Learn more about Meadow Creek Road-FS 149

Bear Canyon Road begins in the Signal Fire burn scar but climbs into a beautiful Ponderosa pine forest. The road is generally easy and well-maintained. Great views of the Black Range as you climb higher. The vegetation is an interesting mix primarily Ponderosa pines but also some agaves. Agaves are ...
Learn more about Bear Canyon Rd-FS 855 A

A great short trail to test yourself and your vehicle. This is the only trail in the area that has any significant obstacles. The loose climb and small ledges can be done in a stock 4x4. The final ledge is significantly more difficult and is what earns this trail an advanced rating. Lockers and good...
Learn more about Granite Knob-FS 4083 H

The Signal Peak Road provides access to the Signal Peak fire lookout tower. It is a generally easy gravel road with a few spots that could be muddy following rain or during snow melt. The road traverses an area burned in the Signal Fire of 2014. The trees are slowly recovering but it will be many de...
Learn more about Signal Peak Road - FS 154

The Meadow Creek Road begins in a Ponderosa Pine Forest with great camping. The road quickly descends into the Meadow Creek Valley and riparian area. The lushness of the riparian area contrasts nicely with the surrounding landscape. The road crosses the creek multiple times. At the junction with FS ...
Learn more about Meadow Creek Road-FS 149