Trails

Before you use this page as a guide please consider these points and proceed at your own risk.

Realize that riding on old mining and logging roads, back country roads, and trails can be hazardous. Always be self sufficient.
Carry tools and know how to use them.
Carry food and water.
Carry a map of the area, and know how to read it.
Atmospheric conditions, multipath errors, poor satellite coverage and ephemeris errors can all degrade GPS accuracy.
Dead batteries make GPS unit relatively useless
Know how to read the "i" blazes that are used in this part of the country
A cellular phone is not a tether to safety. Cell coverage around the county is spotty at best.
Don't travel alone if you don't have to.
When you are in the backcounrty, or pretty much anywhere in New Mexico, you are no longer the top of the food chain.
Be prepared to get yourself out of whatever you got yourself into.
Don't blame others (particularly me).

Trail 11 (map)

A true Magdalena classic, Tr 11 is a good loop, a good shuttle, or a heinous uphill hike.

To get there:

Take Highway 60 (Spring Street) west out of Socorro towards the town of Magdalena.
About 15 miles out of Socorro watch for the sign for "Water Canyon Campground" (just past mile marker 124). Turn left onto the paved road leading to Water Canyon. Watch your speed, it is about four miles to the your start destination but remember there are serveral private homes along the upper end of this road.
At about 4 miles from your turn off of Highway 60 the pavement ends. A right (uphill) turn takes you to the new campground, the left (downhill) turn takes you to the old campground (now a day-use area). If you are just into it for the day, turn down to the left to the day use area and park on the left beyond the vault toilets

0.0 miles. From your parking spot, head south on Forest Road 235 (FR 235). Note that during times of active construction on the Magdalena Ridge Observatory FR 235 may be closed. You are going to climb from 6800 ft to 9900 feet in ~6.6 miles, but remember you will be hitting a great singletrack and dropping from 9900 ft to 7500 ft in ~3.3 miles.
2 miles you will see the bottom of TR 11. The pull-out on the right is a favorite for hikers and shuttle monkeys. The bottom of Tr 11 is where the you get your first taste of "climbing" on FR 235. Don't let the early grade fool you ... the trail is steeper ... stay to the road for the climb.
3.4 miles you pass the cut-offf for FR235B. Stay on FR235, the real climbing is just about to start.
6 miles, on your right, you pass the sign for Langmuire Lightning lab and a parking area for (shuttle) parking area for Trail 14. The trailhead for Trail 14 is uphill on the left, but you are heading up the road through "Sure Woody Forest." As you leave Sure Woody Forest you pass the trailhead for Timber Ridge on your left and FR 235 begins to level a bit.
6.6 You have done the work or shuttled your way to the trailhead for TR 11. Look for the big turnout on the right side of the road, TR 11 drops off the edge of the northwest corner. It's pretty much all down hill from here. There are no trail intersections along this trail. TR 11 is ~ 3.3 miles of steep, rocky, narrow single track. Keep you speed in check. This trail is not a race course it is an open trail that is popular with hikers in the season.

From the end of the trail turn back down FR 235 and return to your car and the day-use area. Watch your speed ... FR 235 is well maintained which means there is a fine layer of loose material covering a well packed well graded road surface. FR 235 has claimed more riders than any trail in the Magdalenas.

The Race Course (map) (GPX)

Fast desert riding. Built as a dedicated race course, this ride offerers sections of fast single track connected by sections of unmaintained mine roads.

To get there:

From Socorro, take I-25 North to Exit 152 (Escondida).
Turn right (East), following the county road (North) to Escondida Lake Park. (~1.6 mi)
Turn right (East), cross the Rio Grande, to the "T" at the village of Pueblitos. (~0.8 mi)
Turn right (South), The Bosquecito Road turns to dirt. Follow the road to the start of the Quebradas Backcountry Byway. (~0.9 mi)
Turn left, (East) on to the Quebradas Backcountry Byway. The race Start/Finish line is at the pullout on the right (South). (~2.6 mi)
Parking on the top of the hill in the pullout will leave your vehicle visible from the far side of the race course, and is a good visual reference. On race day ... DO NOT PARK ON THE COURSE!

0.0 miles.Start turnout on South side of Quebradas Backcountry Byway.
1.7 miles Right on mining road to Minas del Chupadero.
2.0 miles. Left, faint track coming in from the right (west).
>.1 (~2.1)miles. Right, single track marked by carsonite sign.
2.4 miles. Dozer scrape leads to the right, Yellow Tanker trailer to the left.
3.4 miles. Road to the right leads down arroyo to the west, stay on main road headed south.
>.1 (~3.5) miles. Right (west) Carsonite sign marks beginning of Hogback Trail (singletrack).
5.2 miles. Left Hogback Trail intersects dozer scrape.
>.1 (~5.3) miles. Right, dozer scrape intersects Barite mine Road.
6.2 miles. Right, intersection of Barite mine road and Madre Trail. Carsonite sign marks trail head at the bottom of the hill.
7.3 miles. Madre trail crosses arroyo. Trail exits arroyo up stream to the north east ~15 yards.
8.2 Madre Trail intersects Arroyo de los Pinos. Cross the arroyo and contiue up the mining road to the north.
8.9 back to start finish line.

Barite Mine/Box Canyon (Map)

A vintage trail ride in the Quebradas. This ride has been done by local riders since the early 1980's. The ride includes a section "Cherry Stemmed" by the BLM. Be very careful to stay on the trail when riding, and explore off the trail on foot only.

To get there:

From Socorro, take I-25 North to Exit 152 (Escondida).
Turn right (East), following the county road (North) to Escondida Lake Park. (~1.6 mi). You can park at the pullout on the left (North) side of the road, or continue East towards the Escondida Bridge. On the west bank of the Rio Grande, on the South side of the Bridge is a day-use picnick area ...also an excellent place to park.

0.0 Escondida Bridge. Ride east on the paved road, across the bridge over the Rio Grande.
0.4 Intersection: At the split turn right. The road turns down hill, heads south, and becomes dirt.
1.4 Pass the turn-off for the Quebradas Back Country Byway. Don't turn! Continue South on the Bosquecito Road.
2.6 Round a bout/ split in the road, both branches of the road rejoin shortly. Go south.
2 8 Arroyo de los Pinos.: Look for a knocked down section in the berm along the east edge of the road. Turn left (East), up the arroyo; the road quickly exits the arroyo up the southern bank. Do not continue up the arroyo. After a short climb, the road becomes very sandy. I f you are not good at riding in deep sand, you soon will be. If you miss the turn-off, you will soon see the burned out remains of an old adobe on the right; go back to Arroyo de los Pinos and try again.
3.5 Cross a buried pipeline, the cut runs North/South across the road. You are now past most of the deep sand. Stay on the road and climb up the switchback
3.9 Fence line of the Four Hills Ranch lease. Go through the gate and continue east. Make sure to close the gate.
5.6 The road splits. The trailhead for Madre trail is on the left (north) side of the road at the bottom of the hill. The left side of the split is short and steep, the right side is shallower, but is often very loose. Both sides go to the same place, and rejoin in ~ 0.1 miles.
6.8 Fence line marking the boundary between BLM land and State Trust leased land. Go through gate, make sure you close the gate. You will be in a narrow valley, heading south.
7.1 A short steep climb bings you to a “Y” in the road and the “Gonzales Prospects” barite mine. Stay to the left hand leg, and exit this area toward the southeast on an old road right along the rock wall. This road is unmaintained and enters a BLM Wilderness Study Area. Stay on the road surface. The road is “Cherry stemmed,” if you feel like exploring some of the spurs do so with caution, and on foot.
8.2 Top of a steep loose treacherous downhill.
8.4 The road ends after a steep down-hill into a large arroyo. Down stream, to the right (west), is a very narrow. You can lower your bikes through the canyon and continue following our route which will circle back to the mine or you can leave your bikes here, explore the canyon by foot, and return to the mine the way you came. To continue on the loop ....
8.5 Follow the arroyo downstream for about 0.6 miles.
9.1 Turn right up a side arroyo that is wide enough for a jeep, and soon shows evidence of vehicular traffic.
10.3 Back at the Barite Mine. Retrace your path back to the Escondida Bridge
17.8 Escondida Bridge