2nd in 6 part series of MTB rides in New Mexico. New Mexico doesn’t get top billing when it comes to destination MTB rides due to neighboring states of Arizona and Colorado. But if you’re just coming to mountain bike, you’re truly missing what make’s New Mexico enchanted - culture, food, art, historical sites, and natural landmarks. When a work/vacation opportunity presented itself, it was time to rediscover a state I moved from seven years ago.
Cloudcroft - Rim Trail
To think that you can ride most all day at 9,000’ a mere 90 miles from the US-Mexico border might sound impossible, but the Sacramento Mountains east of Alamogordo will have you believing you’re nearer Colorado. Pine, aspen, oak, and maple are just some of the trees that cover this area. In 1900, a logging railroad was built from the Tularosa basin into the mountains.
Although the tracks are long gone, numerous forest roads and trails permeate the area. The result is a fairly extensive network of MTB accessible trails. The premiere ride in the Lincoln National Forest is the Rim Trail consisting of some 34 miles of trail beginning 5 miles north of Timberon and ending in Cloudcroft.
Interestingly, we sandwiched a ride between two points of interest. Starting in Sunspot, NM, the Apache Point Observatory contains 0.5, 1.0, 2.5, and 3.5 meter star telescopes.
Next door, the National Solar Observatory located atop Sacramento Peak contains a visitor center and several solar telescopes. The sundial worked very well showing that we were already an hour behind schedule.
The Dunn solar telescope rises upward like some futuristic ship’s mast.
And what you see above ground is just the iceberg.
Inside you can view the optical benches and see the projected sun.
Back outside on the bike, aspens were showing off their colors,
And a path of gold was to be followed.
White Sands in the distance can be viewed along the way.
Fall is definitely here,
And lots of singletrack was enjoyed.
While the trail ends on the outskirts of Cloudcroft, we continued riding right up to the hotel where we were staying.
The Lodge at Cloudcroft built in 1911was a by-product of the 1900 logging railroad as a resort destination for tourists coming from El Paso, TX, and southern New Mexico. While the hotel has undergone updates over the years, rooms are furnished with period furniture.
Although the Rim Trail is way over-hyped as a Top 10 MTB trail in the US, it lands in the Top 10 of New Mexico. Although this is classic cross country riding with barely a 1000’ of elevation difference throughout the ride, it has a tendency to wear you down with descents into canyons and climbs back out along with the entire ride being between 9,300’ to 8,400’. The trail is multi-use to include motos. As a result, some of the climbs aren’t so MTB friendly and require a bit of hike-a-bike up grades of loose rock. There are multiple bailout options to Sunspot Scenic Highway should the need arise. Contact High Altitude on Burro Ave in Cloudcroft for more area trail information. Overall, it’s a great all-day experience in the mountains especially when the aspens are going off.
Rim Trail - Sunspot to Cloudcroft
Type: Point-to-point XC
Mileage: 23.7 mi
Ascent: 2,853’
Descent: 3,085’
Starting elevation: 9,107’
Ending elevation: 8,757’
