Trail Overview

Palomos gap is a fun variable New Mexico trail South East of Truth or Consequences. The route takes you from maintained dirt roads, through soft sand river beds, and more technical rocky narrow canyon trails. This trail will make you think in a few places with a stock 4x4 with high clearance and few narrow roadways with steep drops to overcome your fear of heights. This area has many intersecting trails with a plethora of potential route options so you can create your own adventure, but be aware as some of the off-shot canyon washes can up the difficulty. The trails are not marked and cell service is intermittent so plan ahead and download maps. This trail is set up as a point to point with an additional add on out and back to the summit of Timber Mountain for some spectacular views of the surrounding area.

Photos of Palomos Gap

Want to see more?
View All Photos

Difficulty

With a combination of terrain including steep roads, loose rocks, and tight roads this road needs a more adventurous mindset for the stock 4x4/high-clearance vehicle.

Technical Rating

Rhett

Apr 25, 2026

Open

The description does not do the trail justice. The off camber section of Palomos Gap is not for the faint of heart. The tight turns, steep cliffs, and larger obstacles make this trail a strong 4 if not a 5. Be prepared for the technical driving and have a spotter.

jason steiner

Jan 16, 2026

Open

I road this on a xp1000 polaris sxs . The trail is nice sandy at the bottom. As it winds up the the mountain pass it gets narrow when u make the pass it is narrow !!!!. My machine is 65" wide there was only a foot or 2 to the edge of 200 ft drop . I would not drive a truck or jeep up it there. but is a nice senic trail

Greg Sorensen

Nov 23, 2025

Open

Ran Palomos Gap yesterday and had the entire route to ourselves-no other vehicles encountered the whole way through. The trail was fully open and passable without any closures, boulders in the path, or washouts that required rerouting. Very manageable in stock 4Runner TRD. Great route if someone is looking for a bit of a challenge without anything dangerous, although there are a few spots with a drop off, but the trail is plenty wide (it looks worse than it is 😄).

Ramon Briones

Sep 27, 2025

Open

Beautiful mountain views at 4,000+ feet, saw cattle out in the open range.

L. Berto

Nov 11, 2024

Open

James Landon

Aug 30, 2024

Open

Good trail, a few of the washes were pretty deep, but passable with care in a stock Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara. There were a few places where it was hard to see the trail pop out of the riverbed, so pay close attention to your trail tracking. Stunning views passing through the gap; well worth the trip.

Chris Thomas

Aug 17, 2024

Open