South Pipeline Road

Total Miles
7.3

Technical Rating

Easy

Best Time

Summer, Spring, Fall, Winter

Trail Type

Full-Width Road

Accessible By

Trail Overview

This route follows the pipeline easement along the Ojito Wilderness to the east and through Zia Pueblo land. It connects Cabezon Road with Backway to Cabezon Peak or the North Pipeline Road. The route has some bumps, dips, and ruts and can be slick with the slightest bit of moisture.

Photos of South Pipeline Road

Want to see more?

Difficulty

The ruts can be difficult to navigate when wet.

History

This route follows a wagon trail.

Technical Rating

Status Reports

Once again, my friend in the 2019 Jeep Rubicon and I headed out, this time around 11:15 a.m. The trail changes noticeably once you reach South Pile Line Road—it becomes rough, rutted, and slow-going with plenty of bumps. It’s a flat stretch but dusty, and we passed quite a few cows along the way. OnX rates this trail as a 3, but given the dry conditions and 80-degree weather, I’d personally rate it a 2 that day. However, in heavy rain, I can see the difficulty increasing considerably.

We have driven this road many times since 1999. From before the Cabezon Road Pipeline road junction past the San Luis Road, if there has been rain or more than a trace of snow I would stay away from here if at all possible. If you have modified vehicles with rescue gear in convoy you could still turn this 9 mile drive into an all day battle.