New Mexico: a cyclist’s land of enchantment. Tucked way back into the broad in the shoulder New Mexico Rockies looms a mountain biker’s paradise, as exalted as a Buddhist monastery in The Himalayas. Still largely undiscovered in an all-knowing data age, some of the best trails in all the western hemisphere are also some of the least frequented, by virtue of their enviable isolation. Get ready to be floored by a mountain bike journey through New Mexico’s highest range country, more than 10,000-feet (3048m) above sea level. Be one of the very few to drift over these majestic High Plains, past the heritage sites and redoubts of Aztec, Zuni and 1400-year old Pueblo culture, the archeological epicentre of the Southwest.
Join this supremely exclusive New Mexico Rockies singletrack tour, headlined by a long-time local favourite, the South Boundary Trail. At the southern edge of The Rockies, you will drop in at a rarefied 8600-ft (2621m)., ascend to 11, 000 (3352m), only to closeout in the charming, culturally rich community of Taos. Looking east, you can take in the visually arresting Cimarron range, the scope and heft of its numerous 11,000-ft (3352m) peaks. Glancing south, where Utes once gathered to connect with Great Spirit, Franciscan Friars to Kit Carson found the light: the Angel Fire. Named for a dawn and dusk phenomenon, a splash of brilliant orange light created by the morning sun seems to dance across the tree-covered slopes. Not unlike The Northern Lights, Angel Fire verges on the supernatural, a vision of the divine. Now fold that experience into buffed out trails that are unparalleled, truly world-class, the match of any from Patagonia to The Pacific Northwest.
Headed north, you'll transition from High Desert expanses to sweep over glorious alpine trails above the 500-acre Red River ski and mountain bike park. An unbelievable ride up to Lost Lake lends breathtaking views into Wheeler Peaks Wilderness. The wrap-up ride rolls from the Northside Ski Resort to the summit of Frazer Mountain, among New Mexico’s highest points at 12, 200-ft (3718m).
Downtime is spiced by visits and warm interactions within the small communities between trailheads, melting pots of Old European ethnicities and Far West tribes. Superb New Mexican cuisine highlights every stop. Tailored to the seasoned mountain biker keen for something really different, this tour offers as much deep regional history as flavour, if not a totally off the beaten mountain bike map destination. No, it wouldn’t be surprising if you had the sacred Zia sun symbol tattooed on your ankle soon after.