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Trails |
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Trails |
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There is a wide, wonderful variety of trails in and around the Socorro area. Short easy trails let you explore the town and the foothills of the surrounding mountains; longer, moderate trails offer a jaunt along the river or between the irrigated farmlands; and more difficult trails up and down the hills, and through the canyons and sandy arroyos offer challenges to the most skilled riders.
Socorro's fat tire trails are spread out all over the county, with new trails being developed on a regular basis. Perhaps the easiest way to get acquainted with what Socorro has to offer is to use the area map. Alternately, you can peruse the full list of trails by name, by difficulty, or by length.
Before you go, please check out the additional information presented in our overview--especially the section on safety. We strongly suggest that ANSI or SNELL approved hard-shell helmets be worn on all rides (some rides even warrant body armor)! You are also encouraged to bring sunscreen, bug repellent, plenty of water, and any food or medical items you might need. Mountain biking in the high desert is an incredible experience, but requires special preparation.
The Fat Tire Trail Guide offers a wide range of trails, from short to near epic, and from leisurely romps along paved roads to "I'm gonna die" descents. Obviously, not all rides are suitable for all riders. In order to help you choose trails which match your personal skill and fitness levels, we classify our rides by their length, elevation, and subjective skill level. From these we distill, via a secret formula protected by highly-trained roadrunners, an overall "difficulty" rating.
All of these metrics run on scales from 1 to 5: "1" means that anyone who can physically climb onto a bike (or push it, for that matter) should be able to do it; "5" means that anyone who isn't very good at riding will be miserable, and may well hurt themselves in the attempt.
| 1 (Easy) | 2 | 3 (Moderate) | 4 | 5 (Hard) |
We assume that a beginning mountain biker will start with the easy to moderate rides. Generally, the moderate to difficult rides require strong aerobic conditioning, and technical riding skills to negotiate steep and challenging terrain.
Please be honest with yourself. We really don't want to see anyone get hurt.
We've made every effort, spent countless hours riding trails, and had far too many sleepless nights ensuring that this guide is accurate and comprehensive. Alas, perfection is not human nature. If you find an error in one of our trails (and we're sure you will), or simply have a suggestion, please let us know.
Do you have a favorite fat tire trail which is not listed in this guide? We'd love to hear about it! This trail book is a work in progress (and probably always will be--sigh): additional legal trails are always welcome. Just drop us a line, and we'll work something out.
