Trail Overview

This trail picks up right off of the Paloma Gap trail and veers off and follows the river. The overall trail is very scenic but exercise caution. When rain is present the levels of the washouts and the river rise rapidly so make sure to check the weather prior to taking the trail. The trail overall is maintained but there are spots on the trail that have narrow sections and are off-camber. Use caution when going into washouts. Due to the nature of the desert, the trail can become more difficult depending on how the rain has moved the rocks or boulders. Plant growth becomes abundant after raining season so do expect to encounter trail pinstriping.

Photos of Rio Grande Trail

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Difficulty

The trail is cleared by the Las Cruces 4WD club for local events in the fall. Prior to that, the trail is not trimmed. Crossing the washouts can have up to 18-inch boulders. Multiple places on the trail are narrow but overall you can find a place to allow either vehicles or UTVs to pass. There are multiple steep climbs and declines where 4WD is suggested. Watch out for the trail sides washing out and falling into ruts.

Technical Rating

Evan Williams

May 23, 2026

Open

The first few miles of the trail are doable in 2wd if you’re careful through some sandy areas. However, after marking the left turn at the water tanks, the trail goes bad quickly. I was able to get through a ways in my bonestock frontier pro-4x on K03s but I definitely banged up my armor. There are many rocks that are very high that normally wouldn’t be a problem but because the road is rather narrow and on a shelf there’s really not much choice is choosing a line. If you’re on 35s(maybe even 33s)then the trail probably is a 3. As for everyone else make sure you have good skid plates. Also there’s at least one area where I would imagine someone may be able to flip.

Blue Geezer

May 08, 2026

Open

I was hoping the “green” rating would run the entire length, but it deteriorated about 10 miles in. I’m proud of my OEM Forester Wilderness, but risking serious damage and/or getting stranded, we turned around. I’m not going to officially rate the deteriorated area, but I’m estimating them at a 5. I couldn’t picture any OEM compact/sub-compact AWD continuing on past 10 miles. Good luck!

TXDOZER Saylor

Oct 02, 2025

Open

It’s a 3 for the first 3 miles. It definitely steps up to a 5 for the next 3+ miles due to wash outs on the hairpins. You’ve got to pay attention in this area or you’ll quickly be wheels up.