Trail Overview
Serving as a direct continuation immediately following the challenging Tower Road, the scenic Ben Lowe Road (BLM 860) offers a captivating 5.0-mile journey deep into rugged canyon territory. Because this isolated trail mandates the completion of Tower Road first, travelers are rewarded with profound backcountry seclusion. Over the course of approximately 0.72 hours, maintaining a steady average speed of 6.9 mph, drivers will embark from an initial gate, tackle a moderate, rocky climb, and trace an old fence line before descending into the sweeping canyon basin. Along this picturesque route, explorers must manually navigate a second gate at the 1.3-mile mark—remembering to respectfully close it behind them—before reaching a spectacular, flat overlook campsite boasting expansive, breathtaking valley views. Further along at 1.8 miles, a dramatic cliffside campsite provides an intimate resting spot perfectly sized for one or two vehicles. As the expedition reaches the 2.8-mile point, the path constricts noticeably, making light body pinstriping from encroaching, untamed vegetation highly likely. The final stretches feature deeply eroded 14-to-16-inch ruts, though the generous trail width fortunately allows most to be easily bypassed. Winding past additional shaded, spacious campsites showcasing magnificent vistas of the Rio Grande National Forest, the trail elegantly concludes near an active cattle watering area, demanding a slow, cautious pace to protect local livestock.
Difficulty
Ben Lowe Road BLM (860) warrants a solid level 3 Moderate technical rating, primarily defined by its remote access requirements and progressively deteriorating surface conditions over its 5.0-mile extent. Clocking an estimated completion time of 0.72 hours at a brisk but cautious average speed of 6.9 mph, the trail requires sustained driver vigilance to navigate safely. While the initial dirt and rock stretches are highly manageable, the difficulty noticeably escalates toward the conclusion, where deep, 14-to-16-inch earthen ruts severely test vehicle clearance. Fortunately, the trail remains wide enough to carefully bypass the most aggressive gouges. Additionally, drivers must contend with a tightly narrowing corridor mid-route that threatens paintwork with unavoidable vegetation pinstriping. Because reaching this segment strictly requires conquering the formidable Tower Road first, a highly capable, high-clearance 4x4 vehicle is absolutely essential to even begin this trek.
