Ojito Maes Trail - FS 182

Ojito Maes Trail is a long trail in the Carson National Forest with varied terrain and scenic views through the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The west end starts at the Amole Trailhead on FS Road 703, and it starts as an easy, wide, and smooth ATV trail through a forest of scrub oak and ponderosa pine. It has minor loose rock in the trail at the beginning, with shallow ruts, on a gradual slope. It starts to get steeper, with more frequent roots, ruts, and rock in the trail as it goes east. There are several steep climbs full of loose cobble, small boulders, short rock ledges, and slippery roots. Some sections are more off-camber from deeper rain ruts. From the beginning, there are several intersections that are unmarked and confusing, as it intersects with several unmarked roads throughout the route, making downloaded maps essential. After the initial climb and intersection with Trail 5, it flows more gradually on the hilltop for several miles, with wide road sections interspersed with narrower trail sections. The most important thing to note about this trail is that after the intersection with Trail 4, the trail continues east through a narrow segment that is more like singletrack, and likely not suitable for ATVs. It climbs up a rutted and narrow trail, with a couple of big root obstacles right away. It then flows through the aspen trees on a single track with a few steep climbs and descents, side-hilling across grassy slopes. This is one of the harder parts of the trail. The single track portion continues until the trail intersects with Gallegos Road. After the intersection with 492, the trail is wide enough for ATVs again, and descends down towards Trail 8 with frequent roots and rocks again. This trail is open to motorized use from 3/15 to 11/15.