Dirt Bike Trails Near Vaughn, New Mexico

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Cougar Mountain Road

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…
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Total Miles
8.8
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Fa / Su / Sp / Wi

Red Cloud Trail

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…
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Total Miles
8.8
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

El Cerrito Area of Santa Fe National Forest

Open mesa plains with a web-like network of dirt roads with the occasional rocky obstacle and/or ledge. The general area is wide-open with scenic views of surrounding mesas. If you navigate deep enough into this…
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Total Miles
32.3
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Glorieta Peak

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…
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Total Miles
15.2
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Wi / Fa

Windmill Way

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…
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Total Miles
6.1
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Sandwash

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…
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Total Miles
5.4
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Wandering Wake

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…
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Total Miles
5.9
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Clarion Course

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…
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Total Miles
4
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Coyote Canyon

This trail is pretty easy and full of scenery. Most of the trail has amazing views of the nearby peaks and has very active wildlife. It does deadend at private property. A large portion of…
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Total Miles
14.1
Tech Rating
4 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Elk Standoff

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…
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Total Miles
25.1
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

The Ascent

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.…
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Total Miles
2
Tech Rating
4 Moderate
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

County Road A19A to Hermits Peak

This is a county road with beautiful scenery that runs along a creek and passes through small villages. It leads up to the National Forrest and a mountain peak with amazing views. On this trail,…
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Total Miles
18.2
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Pecos Barillas 83

When I tell people I'm in New Mexico, they automatically think about the desert, but the Santa Fe National forest encompasses 1.6 million acres of mountains, valley's and mesa's. This trail ranges from an elevation…
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Total Miles
12.3
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

Capitan Gap

Capitan Gap is a locally well-known and well-traversed out-and-back trail with wide open views, steep grades, and many dispersed camp sites. While the burn scar is still very visible, the trail features an abundance of…
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Total Miles
10.2
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa

West Mountain

West Mountain is located just to the west of the Capitan Mountains and north of the town of Capitan, NM, and is a narrow, mostly single-vehicle wide, out-and-back trail with several spurs available to explore.…
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Total Miles
4.6
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Indian Divide

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,…
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Total Miles
6.5
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

West-End Slope

West-End Slope is deceiving and escalates quickly to a very tight dead-end. The trail starts out on a dirt surface that is easily passable by most 4x4s, with some rutted areas that are very muddy…
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Total Miles
2.7
Tech Rating
4 Moderate
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

Salazar Canyon East

Salazar Canyon East begins just east of Baca campground inside a private land boundary before returning to USFS. The surface is a combination of rock and dirt with some small rock gardens, low-lying areas that…
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Total Miles
10.4
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Bull Creek 86

Bull Creek is one of the most beautiful drives I've ever been on. Driving past the Santa Fe National Forest off Interstate 40, I knew that taking the time to explore this area was going…
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Total Miles
11.4
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

Baca Traverse

Baca Traverse sits in the foothills of the Capitan Mountains and starts out with some minor off-camber rutted areas that are a combination of rocks and dirt. The initial ascent opens up to a more…
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Total Miles
4.3
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Molino Meadows

This is an easy trail across some open meadows on NM State Land. Unfortunately, despite maps of the trail showing National Forest access, the trail currently dead ends at a gate preventing access to FSR…
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Total Miles
2
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

Calf Crossing

Calf Crossing starts and ends at gated private property lines, and intersects off Baca Traverse. This trail has the potential to be very muddy, with signs of rutting and washes, as well as multiple small…
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Total Miles
3.9
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Campesino

Campesino is overall an easy-to-traverse dirt road, that has some rock gardens along the route. There are signs of some rutting and washouts and can become very muddy and slick during or after rain or…
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Total Miles
2.5
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

Granger

Dispersed camping with a beautiful view of the Sacramento Mountains. There are three trails that disperse out. Easy terrain for beginners riders. The trail is mainly dirt and loose rock, with a few rutted-out places.…
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Total Miles
1.1
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

Glorieta Baldy

Glorieta Baldy is a trail on the South end of the Pecos Mountain area featuring numerous camp sites and an expansive view of the Pecos/Glorieta area. The trail starts at the back of a neighborhood…
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Total Miles
14.4
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

Fourth of July Campground

This route leads to the premier area to see the Big Tooth Maple in the Manzano Mountains. It is the largest stand of maples in New Mexico. The road is easy but narrow in spots.…
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Total Miles
2.8
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

FS 55 Tajique Canyon

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…
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Total Miles
7.1
Tech Rating
4 Moderate
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

Red Canyon Campground

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…
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Total Miles
2.3
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

Dalton Canyon

This trail is one of the more accessible routes into the Pecos Mountains. Navigable by most cross-overs, this trail is a local favorite for camping and riding. The trail is mostly well-maintained gravel, with some…
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Total Miles
2.4
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Nogal Canyon FSR-400

Nogal Canyon is a very easy trail to traverse, accessible by most vehicles, and is well maintained. If the road is accessed from its entry off Highway 37, the first 4.7 miles is primarily private…
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Total Miles
6.8
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi