The Best Mountain Biking Trails in New Mexico

Located in a breathtakingly beautiful area of north-central New Mexico, the Galisteo Basin Preserve is framed by the Ortiz Mountains to the southwest, the Cerrillos Hills to the west, the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the northeast, and the Jemez Mountains to the northwest....

While the mountain bike trails in Taos's foothills are unabashedly grueling, to the southwest of the city lies a delightful beginner-friendly trail network that bobs and weaves along hills filled with sagebrush....

Cub Scout is one of the easiest trails down the mountainside in Pajarito Bike Park. This green-rated trail is, in fact, singletrack most of the way, but it follows old logging road grades that traverse across the mountainside....

The local town trails are known as either the "Greenbelt Trails" or simply the "Angel Fire Trails," and they are located across the highway from the ski resort. Running through residential areas and into the woods, you can create several small loop options, ranging from true beginner to upper-intermediate in difficulty....

Even though the Placitas trail system is known as a beginner-friendly mountain biking hot spot, this 6-mile lollipop loop combines the easiest of the easy trails in the network for the perfect beginner ride! While these trails are easy and non-technical, that doesn't mean they're not fun! The flow factor is absolutely *dialed* on this route right from the trailhead, with Down & Out providing a swoopy entrance into the trail system and Ewok ratcheting up the flow factor as it twists down a hillside....

When people refer to the "Placitas" trails, they're almost always talking about the trail system located directly off Highway 165, which has a perpetually crowded parking lot. But for a much more remote and isolated ride, you can also drive north through the sprawling mansions and reach *another* Placitas trail system on BLM land....

When people refer to the "Placitas" trails, they're almost always talking about the trail system located directly off Highway 165, which has a perpetually crowded parking lot. But for a much more remote and isolated ride, you can also drive north through the sprawling mansions and reach *another* Placitas trail system on BLM land....

If you're looking for a screaming fast and mostly non-technical downhill romp, then Santa Fe's Winsor trail is just the ticket. This trail drops over 3,000 vertical feet in just under nine miles, and it does so with little in the way of threat to a less-than-expert rider....

Located in a breathtakingly beautiful area of north-central New Mexico, the Galisteo Basin Preserve is framed by the Ortiz Mountains to the southwest, the Cerrillos Hills to the west, the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the northeast, and the Jemez Mountains to the northwest....

The High Desert Trail System is a unique ride in that it provides the opportunity for a highly entertaining, sometimes remote, and potentially lengthy ride, all within convenient distance from a major interstate highway....

La Tierra is one of Santa Fe's go-to trail systems, especially in the winter. Depending on the temps and the way the snowstorms roll in, La Tierra can often stay rideable 12 months per year....

When you first arrive at the trailhead for Horsethief Mesa, you may rightly question if you're in the right place. The trail begins behind a gate that leads to a trash transfer station—look for it on the right, just a few feet down the road, off the highway....

The Alien Run trails fly well below the radar, but mountain bikers in the know rave about this small trail system as one of the best in northwestern New Mexico. While the [High Desert Trails](https://fatmap....

The Alien Run trails fly well below the radar, but mountain bikers in the know rave about this small trail system as one of the best in northwestern New Mexico. While the [High Desert Trails](https://fatmap....

Aspenola, aka Aspen Flow Trail, is the only somewhat easy flow trail in the entire Pajarito Bike Park as of the time of this writing in 2023. Yes, there are a few easier trails down the mountain (such as Cub Scout), but those other trails ride more like access roads than actual mountain bike trails....

If you head to the Pajarito Bike Park during the week when the lifts aren't spinning, the Aspen for Trouble trail provides an achievable uphill climb. Winding its way from the base area to the top of the mountain, this switchbacked climbing trail is a reasonable pedal—albeit with some spicy bits mixed in....

If you head to the Pajarito Bike Park during the week when the lifts aren't spinning, the Aspen for Trouble trail provides an achievable uphill climb. Winding its way from the base area to the top of the mountain, this switchbacked climbing trail is a reasonable pedal—albeit with some spicy bits mixed in....

If you head to the Pajarito Bike Park during the week when the lifts aren't spinning, the Aspen for Trouble trail provides an achievable uphill climb. Winding its way from the base area to the top of the mountain, this switchbacked climbing trail is a reasonable pedal—albeit with some spicy bits mixed in....

Lemonade is one of the easier, but still very exciting, blue runs on the mountain. With mixed terrain, from small rocky sections to fast flowing straightaways to tight technical singletrack, this trail has a little something for everyone....

Lazy Susan is a quick, intermediate technical trail through the trees that allows you to skip the small climb on Combi. For an easier workaround, try the end of Duke nearby....