Off-Road Trails in New Mexico

This trail ascends a mountain surrounded by the desert to the South-East of Mountainair. When approaching the peak, it will be visible long before you start the trail when approaching from the west. The first part of the trail is driving on light gravel roads before you enter the National Forest. Th...
Learn more about Glorieta Peak

Wandering Wake is a trail that shows minimal signs of use and is very primitive with no signs of maintenance being performed. The surface changes frequently from dirt to sand with some smaller rocky sections scattered through the length of the trail. While there are no large obstacles along the trai...
Learn more about Wandering Wake

Clarion Course is one of the more clear-cut trails in the area and shows more signs of use than many of the others. The trail surface is a combination of dirt, sand, and rocks but does not have any obstacles larger than 10 inches. There are sections with minor rutting and some off-camber turns, howe...
Learn more about Clarion Course

Sandwash is a trail that is exactly as named, beginning as a dirt hard-pack trail that quickly changes to a sandy wash track. As the trail begins to descend, it narrows to single-vehicle-width and changes from dirt to soft sand with one small rock garden hidden in the sand. The trail is easily trave...
Learn more about Sandwash

Windmill Way has a decent variety of terrain along its route. Composed of a combination of soft sand, dirt, and rocks, the trail winds its way to the southwest giving views of the surrounding mountains and a plateau to the north full of wind turbines. There are no obstacles larger than 10 inches alo...
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Red cloud trail works its way across the top of the peaks in Gallinas before descending into a forested area. With many dispersed camping opportunities, this is a great area for some more secluded outdoor activities. Multiple excellent views of the surrounding desert are available, especially while ...
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A wide dirt track through the Gallinas district of Cibola National Forest. This route skirts the base of the Gallinas peak and is primarily used as a quick through road from the south side to the north side of the area. There are minimal washouts or other obstacles on this road, and it could easily ...
Learn more about Cougar Mountain Road

This trail is easy and full of scenery. Most of the trail has amazing views of the nearby peaks and has very active wildlife. The trail comes to a dead-end at private property. Much of the trail is well-maintained dirt, but some sections have uphill climbs with rock gardens and ruts. High clearance ...
Learn more about Coyote Canyon

The trail is well maintained with a few portions that contain small rock gardens. Towards the end of the trail, there are a number of old, abandoned structures. One appears to have been an old general store, really cool looking. Keep a lookout for wildlife, especially elk. The trail contained some m...
Learn more about Elk Standoff

Relatively low threat at the start, but as you continue on, the two-track becomes slightly more narrow with larger rocks. The increased difficultly level is due to ledges with more significant mud holes proceeding them. It is situated on a more pronounced mesa before dipping back into the rolling hi...
Learn more about The Ascent

This route travels through the southern tip of the Manzano Mountains and connects the village of Manzano on State Highway 131 with State Highway 60. It travels along a right-of-way through private property on both ends before entering the Cibola Forest. The trail can be dusty and has a few low water...
Learn more about FS 422 Priest Canyon

This is an easy route to the beautiful, well-shaded, and peaceful Red Canyon Campground. The campground is at 7,600 feet in elevation. It can accommodate RVs up to 22 feet. It is easy access to the Manzano Wilderness on the Red and Spruce Canyon trails on foot or horseback. The campground has corr...
Learn more about Red Canyon Campground

This route is officially WSMR P Route 5 but most of the signs are gone. It is a smooth sailing, picturesque route that travels along ridges and drops into arroyos and drainages. The vegetation is the upper Chihuahua Desert biome. The route is sandy in spots with erosion ruts along the sides. There a...
Learn more about Smooth Sailing

This beautiful, narrow route is a little challenging in spots. Fortunately, the challenges are navigable and not very dangerous. If you get into trouble, there are various places to have another vehicle help out. The main issues are deep sand, arroyo crossings, erosion, and rocks. Soaring hawks and ...
Learn more about Little Challenge

Indian Divide is located northwest of Capitan, NM, and is nestled between the larger mountains in this area. The trail gives a great combination of surface types from dirt to larger rocky obstacles, light rutting, and some minor off-camber sections, as well as some steeper grades and some low-lying ...
Learn more about Indian Divide

The Quebradas Backcountry Byway is a National Scenic Byway, starting north of Socorro and zipping through the desert down to Highway 380. Along the way, you will see a variety of desert landscapes, with rainbow-hued stratification visible on the mountains to the east. The start of the route also ser...
Learn more about Quebradas Backcountry Byway

This route is rocky in some areas and has other areas with deep ruts and slick, sticky mud with any type of moisture. It travels through private property before entering the Carson Forest. The route gradually climbs out of Diablo Canyon and levels out with gorgeous views of the Manzano Mountains.
Learn more about FS 55 Tajique Canyon

Edge is located on the outer boundary of the Quebradas BackCountry ByWay, thus the name Edge. It begins at the bottom of an arroyo and follows it up to a series of large boulder fields and challenging ledges. Shortly after completing the hardest sections, the trail loops back into itself and exits t...
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Coyote Exit begins just off the Quebradas Backcountry Byway, works its way around the Cerillos de Coyote plateaus, and culminates into a panorama overlook of the surrounding mountain ranges. This includes the Sierra de la Campana, Fra Cristobal, Chupadera, San Mateo, Magdalena, and Sierra Ladrones M...
Learn more about Coyote Exit

Coyote Hills is one of the area’s longer, more iconic hard trails, packed with a variety of obstacles that keep drivers engaged from start to finish. True to its name, the trail features multiple large “waterfall” ledges scattered along the climb, each offering its own unique challenge. The trail wa...
Learn more about Coyote Hills

This trail ascends a mountain surrounded by the desert to the South-East of Mountainair. When approaching the peak, it will be visible long before you start the trail when approaching from the west. The first part of the trail is driving on light gravel roads before you enter the National Forest. Th...
Learn more about Glorieta Peak

Wandering Wake is a trail that shows minimal signs of use and is very primitive with no signs of maintenance being performed. The surface changes frequently from dirt to sand with some smaller rocky sections scattered through the length of the trail. While there are no large obstacles along the trai...
Learn more about Wandering Wake

Clarion Course is one of the more clear-cut trails in the area and shows more signs of use than many of the others. The trail surface is a combination of dirt, sand, and rocks but does not have any obstacles larger than 10 inches. There are sections with minor rutting and some off-camber turns, howe...
Learn more about Clarion Course

Sandwash is a trail that is exactly as named, beginning as a dirt hard-pack trail that quickly changes to a sandy wash track. As the trail begins to descend, it narrows to single-vehicle-width and changes from dirt to soft sand with one small rock garden hidden in the sand. The trail is easily trave...
Learn more about Sandwash

This trail ascends a mountain surrounded by the desert to the South-East of Mountainair. When approaching the peak, it will be visible long before you start the trail when approaching from the west. The first part of the trail is driving on light gravel roads before you enter the National Forest. Th...
Learn more about Glorieta Peak

Wandering Wake is a trail that shows minimal signs of use and is very primitive with no signs of maintenance being performed. The surface changes frequently from dirt to sand with some smaller rocky sections scattered through the length of the trail. While there are no large obstacles along the trai...
Learn more about Wandering Wake

Clarion Course is one of the more clear-cut trails in the area and shows more signs of use than many of the others. The trail surface is a combination of dirt, sand, and rocks but does not have any obstacles larger than 10 inches. There are sections with minor rutting and some off-camber turns, howe...
Learn more about Clarion Course

Sandwash is a trail that is exactly as named, beginning as a dirt hard-pack trail that quickly changes to a sandy wash track. As the trail begins to descend, it narrows to single-vehicle-width and changes from dirt to soft sand with one small rock garden hidden in the sand. The trail is easily trave...
Learn more about Sandwash