Trail Overview

Trinchera Pass is an easy gravel and dirt road that can be traversed in any 4x4 and most 2WD vehicles. It offers scenic views of the north side of the Johnson Mesa/Raton volcanic field and an "off the beaten path" from Folsom NM to Trinidad CO. This road is fairly remote with limited cell service. Rain or snow could significantly and rapidly degrade road conditions, so be sure and check the weather forecast and travel prepared. Fall is the best time to take this road due to changing foliage colors. Heavy snow closes the road. The best place to start is at Capulin Volcano National Monument, read up on the geology, then drive through the volcanic field.

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Difficulty

As long as conditions remain dry, it's just a bumpy dirt road with some mildly steep sections. Precipitation will greatly increase difficulty.

History

Trinchera Pass was originally used as a more desirable pass over the mountians for Cowboys driving cattle heading north, it was better for cattle than the neighboring Raton Pass due to its ample grazing valleys and water for the cattle. As many as 2500 cattle a year crossed Trinchera Pass from 1884-1905

Technical Rating

Russell Pecot

May 21, 2026

Open

Drove north from Folsom. Great drive. Easy gravel. Saw deer, antelope, elk, turkey. Nice diversion from the highway traffic!

Zdravko T

Apr 26, 2026

Open

Very easy gravel road with good views. Plenty of wildlife so don't go too fast.

Danny Karr

May 18, 2025

Open

the trail is easy for the most part, but there is a lot of loose gravel on the Trinidad side. be careful on a motorcycle on the curves. there is also a lot of livestock and deer right on the road, so don't go faster than you can stop if you come over a hill and it's full of cows. the weather was super windy, so much so that it was pushing me sideways on the trail. I went straight at the intersection with the Cimarron Valley trail for a more straight shot into Clayton. the road turns to better dirt at this point with much less gravel. the last 30 or so miles into Clayton are long, straight dirt roads with not much to look at, but it's a lot of fun up to that point. I got a flat about 15 miles north of Clayton and had to fix it in 30-40 mph winds, so that was fun.

Arty Ochoa

Mar 16, 2025

Open

not bad at all, nice to get off the main highway and away from traffic, would be very cognizant of the strong winds though

Arizona Adventurer

Aug 28, 2023

Open