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2nd Annual Tour of Socorro |
April 19-20, 2008 Socorro, NM, USA |
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Land Access |
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2nd Annual Tour of Socorro |
April 19-20, 2008 Socorro, NM, USA |
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Land Access |
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All these rides are on established roads, tracks, trails or arroyo washes. Please do not strike out on virgin terrain. The damage that bike tire tracks can do to the fragile plant life of this area is considerable. By staying on the trails you will also find that you have more time to enjoy the scenery instead of patching tires. Help us keep these lands open to mountain bikers!
Many of the rides in this booklet cross private property; none of these rides comes with implicit permission to enter private land. Whenever possible, ask permission; always respect the rights of the owners. Keep all gates closed and tread softly.
Almost all roads, tracks, and trails on BLM land are open for mountain bikes, though cross-country riding is prohibited. Some areas east of Socorro are being considered as future Wilderness Areas, which will then close them to biking.
Much of the BLM land is leased for grazing; please respect the rights of the ranchers by closing all gates and not spooking the cattle.
The BLM Office is located at 200 Neel Avenue in Socorro (835-0412).
Near Socorro, agricultural fields on the west side of the Rio Grande are irrigated by a system of irrigation ditches that bring water from the river. Nearest the river is a large Low-Flow Channel which feeds the array of smaller ditches. The MRGCD (703 Manzanares, Socorro; 835-1454) is responsible for assigning irrigation schedules to the ranchers, and for maintaining the ditches and the access roads that usually run along both banks.
These roads are not intended to be public thoroughfares, but they nevertheless serve as a wonderful network of pleasant paths for mountain bikes. There are occasional vehicles on the ditch roads, and the roads may sometimes be very muddy, sandy, or have a washboard surface-they can vary dramatically from one day to the next!
Occasionally you may find cattle obstructing the road. Approach slowly, to avoid causing them to panic and run into the barbed-wire fences or fall into the ditches.
The MRGCD offices are located at 703 Manzanares, in Socorro (835-1454).
The Cibola National Forest west of Socorro is managed by the Magdalena District Ranger Station on Highway 60 in Magdalena (854-2281). Bicyclists in the National Forest should stay on marked roads and trails, and should not ride within wilderness areas. Yield to pedestrians and horseback riders. The Ranger Station can provide trail maps and information on campgrounds.
All rides in this book that fall within the Forest have been reviewed by the Magdalena District Ranger's Office.
This is a wonderful bird refuge about 20 miles south of Socorro, particularly noted for the variety of waterfowl that spend the fall and winter there. Many of the roads in the refuge are closed to the public. The main roads in the refuge are open to bicycles as well as cars, but the Refuge suggests that the birds are less likely to be disturbed by cars than by bicyclists. The Refuge is open from an hour before sunrise until an hour after sunset every day.
If you tour the Bosque by bicycle during warm weather, be sure to take along bug repellent.
The Bureau of Mines on the campus of New Mexico Tech sells most topographic maps of the state, as well as a wealth of geological publications.
The Publication Office (835-5410, open weekdays) is in Room 107 of the Bureau of Mines Building.