New ‘Motorcycle-Only’ Trail System Opens in New Mexico
Elephant Rock trail system is a slice of paradise for all types of motorcycles.
New Mexico, known for its lofty mountains, sprawling caverns, white sand deserts and colorful hot air balloon festivals, can now add another asset — a unique motorcycle-only trail system — to its list of enchantments. That’s right, a playground just for us. And it was created with adventure bikes in mind.
You’ll find this slice of paradise, named Elephant Rock Motorcycle Trail Network for a nearby rock formation, in Northern New Mexico’s Carson National Forest within the southern region of the Rocky Mountains, near Questa and Red River along New Mexico’s famed scenic highway loop, The Enchanted Circle.
So how did this seeming two-wheel retreat come to be? Well, according to the Albuquerque Journal, it began with a tangle of partially eroded 1960-era mining roads that no one knew what to do with. A local off-highway advocate Roger Pattison, Co-Creator of the New Mexico Backcountry Discovery Route (NMBDR), had long thought the area was ripe for a motorcycle trail project, though when he’d explored the area in years passed he found the crumbling roads, haphazardly cut atop decomposed rock, to be nearly unrideable.
Eventually, as part of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, officials with the Questa/Red River Ranger Districts of the Carson National Forest were called upon to survey the road system to determine which roads could safely remain and which should be demolished. One of these officials was totally onboard with Pattison’s assessment that the area was perfect for a motorcycle-friendly network of trails, and so, the Enchanted Circle Off-Highway (ECO) organization was born.
What? A new off-highway riding area borne from an environmental protection act? Yes! It appears that environmental stewardship, at least when entrusted to the right people, can actually open gates instead of closing them.
With Pattison at the helm the ECO went about seeking grants for the project, eventually raising around $60,000 from various groups including a substantial donation from the Backcountry Discovery Routes (BDR). Inna Thorn, BDR’s director of operations, says the project, a 50-mile side trip from the NMBDR, was a great opportunity to showcase how private funds can be leveraged to secure public grants for projects that benefit adventure motorcyclists.
In addition to the grant money, the Elephant Rock trail network required several seasons of back-breaking labor, much of it volunteered, to make the roads and smaller trails safe, fun and sustainable.
What’s In Store For Riders at Elephant Rock?
Firstly, there are four narrow, motorcycle-sized entry points intended to keep larger 4-wheel vehicles out of the area. A 10.5 mile main loop, intended for bikes in the 500-700-pound range, is one of the sections created for adventure travelers stopping by for some fun. This long loop was worked with a mini-excavator, says Pattison, so it’s a wider trail that is not as technical as other routes. But while it doesn’t have “huge obstacles” the main route is still considered intermediate.
The next loop is 10 miles and passable by full-size adventure bikes, but Pattison warns riders on heavy bikes should be expert level for this route, which he says was designed for intermediate to expert riders on bikes in the 250-300-pound range.
The third is a narrow and challenging route intended for “no-fear riders on lightweight enduro-bikes, adaptable for extreme terrain.” Pattison says the crew handworked these rough, tighter trails, leaving obstacles for riders who enjoy technical terrain.
In total, the entire park consists of some 35 miles of intermediate and challenging trails.
Sounds incredible, right? And guess what? It’s also fee free. Area officials are counting on the network of trails to draw visitors who will spend money on food, lodging and – yup – lots of post ride beers in the neighboring towns of Questa and Red River. If you’re camping, there are several Forest Service-run campgrounds nearby including the Fawn Lakes 18-site Campground, which adjoins the trail system (some sites are first come, others are reservable at recreation.gov). Dispersed camping can also be found within the Carson National Forest.
The only bad news for those ready to jump on their bikes and head off right now is that the trail system sits at around 8,500 feet elevation and will be well under snow until late spring.
Certainly this new trail network appears to be a unicorn. Pattison is hopeful this “motorcycle only” area, crazily borne from the same bureaucracy that closes so many areas, will open the door to larger developments of dual-sport and adventure riding opportunities in New Mexico.
And if we’re really lucky, other states will likewise catch on to this “build it and they will come” concept, making purpose of the thousands of miles of deregulated trails and fire roads currently gated and doing nothing to benefit the surrounding communities.
UPDATE: Since the posting of this article we’ve been in contact with a Carson Forest Service official who let us know the Elephant Rock Trail is still open and not scheduled to close until Dec 31st. It will open for the 2021 season on May 1st. Evidently their website isn’t always up to date, so better to call the local Forest Service office before heading up late in the season (575) 758-6200.
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This is amazing and I am so happy that it exists! UTVs and slow moving Jeeps ruin the experience for us Coloradans. Looks like my summers will be in NM going forward.
Bravo!
How theres so much single track to ride there. You just need to move to new places.
Great article going to try my hardest to get there in 2021 thanks
Is there any technical single track for the 2 stroke non adventure motorcycles.
The article mentions a technical route for enduro bikes.
Just across the canyon from Elephant Rock Trails is the Pioneer Loop, also a motorcycle only route, which is predominately single track, some of which is pretty extreme. This trail is recently reopened at long last after a severe windstorm last December. You can keep up with the local activities on these trails here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/419518338686080
It’s amazing what cooperation can do. Now the task will be to keep the four wheeled vehicles from using it. Great idea and sounds like a ton of fun.
I agree, less chance of the out of staters to shoot guns and burn couches and all the other nasty crap I see out on the trails. Keep the cages and definitely the UTVs out! I would even pay for that luxury.
So out of staters not welcome ?
Everyone is welcome. And no doubt everyone will treat this area like the Valhalla it is!
I always haul my couches out of state to burn them. Too easy to do it near home, no fun in it. I was going to bring one from VA to NM but I guess I won’t now. I never even thought that some might take exception to the practice. I guess I’ve learned something in addition to reading about a cool trail system.
LOL
I always burn people that burn their couches….
I very much agree with your statement Mr. Thomas.
They mention the entrances to the trail are designed to have narrow gaps that can only fit motorcycles so four-wheel vehicles can’t enter.
What are the OHV and licensing requirements for the loops?
Any bike with a spark arrester, street legal or not.
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Excellent job by Roger Pattison and crew. I be there after the snow. I am good friends with Rogers brother Will and we used to ride every week before his accident. Thanks for this!!
It’s not motorcycle only. “… can also be used by Mountain Bikes, Motorcycle, and in the winter months can be used for cross country skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling.”
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/carson/recreation/ohv/recarea/?recid=44564&actid=93
We spoke with an official from the Carson National Forest Service and were told to ignore the current info on its website relating to additional activities on the Elephant Rock Trail system. He confirmed the trail is indeed designated as “motorcycle only” and the site needs to be updated. Any reference to snow machines was in relation to the trail before it was reworked. Additionally, snow machines won’t fit through the new motorcycle-size gates, so no need to worry they will slice up the trails.
As for mountain bikes during the motorcycle season, there are plenty of single track mtb trails in the area that don’t allow motorcycles. Who would want to pedal on trails being used by a bunch of crazy adventure bike riders?
I work for the government also. I wouldn’t take his word for it.
Hi Jamie :
For plated Bikes only ? Spark arrestees , etc. ???
Excellent cooperation in achieving this. I wish more areas in all states would see the value to users to develop this type of system.
From what we’re told, bikes don’t need to be street legal but do need to have spark arrestors.
I ride some of the logging trails near here. Address? Where is the exact location?
No address of course. Googleable Forest Service directions: From Red River, travel west 3 miles. Motorcycle trail begins at the parking area west of Fawn Lakes Campground and climbs north to the rock formation called Elephant Rock. From here, 3 inner loop trails bring you back to Highway 38. A fourth trail travels west along the ridge for approximately 4 miles before it descends in a northerly direction to join Forest Road 134 in Cabresto Canyon. From Cabresto Canyon, motorcyclists can travel east and return to Red River on either Forest Road 134 or on Sawmill Road, Forest Road 597.
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You obviously haven’t spent much time around “some” of the NM crowd.
fs.usda.gov identifies the trail to be ope to mountain bikes.
Yes, we noted as much in earlier comments. Firstly, the forest service informed us its posting needs updating, which is why we deleted the link you’ve just posted. As for mountain bikes, even if the routes were not closed to bicycles, it’s doubtful anyone would pedal there when there are extensive MTB trail networks In the area that don’t allow motorcycles.
Is there a map available?
Is there any gps information available like “Tracks”?
None that we’ve heard about so far. No doubt it’s only a matter of time.
Found them on the Carson Forest MVUM, then went to USFS Topo on GPSvisualizer.com and drew tracks. They are all numbered 195 plus two short ones 195A & 195B.
Absolutely will heading to New Mexico in the Spring ! Sounds fantastic! On my list right after I ride Hatfield McCoy in Virginia. I’m thrilled about the prospect of more good trails to ride.
A couple of notes:
1. This would not have happened without Roger Pattison, who drove the idea from the start, created ECO, and called for volunteers who contributed their labor, equipment, and materials.
2. The seed money, $15000 from the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish OHV grant program, came from the New Mexico Trail Safety Fund, collected from OHV users via OHV registrations in the state and non-resident OHV permits. It was used as leverage with other grant awards such as Backcountry Discovery Routes. The New Mexico Off-Highway Vehicle Alliance (NMOHVA.org) served as the fiduciary agent because grant programs such as NMDGF’s are reimbursable, meaning you have to have the money first to spend and then get reimbursed.
3. A primary reason the project could happen at all is because the trails had previously been identified through the Forest Service’s Travel Management process, so they were already on the Motor Vehicle Use Map for the ranger district. That means the project did not have to work through the obstacles that creating ‘new’ trail miles would require. This emphasizes the need for user communities to insist upon accurate on-the-ground surveys whenever a land management agency is documenting trails on public lands.
Many thanks to everyone involved. I’m looking forward to riding this treasure this spring.
Thank you Chris, you are very kind, but let’s be clear: There have been a lot of good people involved in this program.The idea originally came from our local USFS OHV Ranger, Richard Holmes.He alerted me many years ago to the fact that these trails needed attention or they would literally melt off the map, and he was right. When we organized our first look at the trails, it was difficult to get through or even find some sections. The rehabilitation itself required many many hours, and here are some of the people involved: Kerrie Brokaw and Scott Evans worked tirelessly for many days cleaning brush while the excavator was in operation. Scott Draney, Mark Werkmeister, Lane and Samuel Cross, Kelly Sears, Bishop Pattison, Richard Holmes, Jake Wilkes, Sam Lambie, Shawn Ludwig, Macky Franklin, Chris Roberts, Michelle Cassella, Geneva Jorgenson, Madison, and Scott Lacek all contributed hours while the trails were being rehabilitated. Lately, ongoing trail maintenance has been carried on mostly by Tom Bishop, with lots of help from Adam Babb, Jude Vigil, and Lane Cross. https://www.facebook.com/groups/419518338686080
These days, it requires the ongoing and passionate work of the folks who live and ride in northern New Mexico to keep these valuable routes open and ride-able. Thank you one and all.
No trail entry locations? Nice that there’s a trail…Just don’t know how to access it…