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Level:
Length: 6 mi (9.7 km)
Surface: Singletrack
Configuration: Loop
Elevation: +3,911/ -659 ft
Total: 2 riders
Mountain Biking Placitas Open Space
#169 of 283 mountain bike trails in New Mexico
There is theoretically a main loop here, but there are lots of forks, merges, criscrossing trails, doubletracks, and service roads. If you are able to stay on the main loop, there will also be a couple gate crossings. It's easy to get off track, but you can't get really lost as the area is all exposed. If lost, just head back west and you'll ultimately find the start.
Where the trail is singletrack, it often fades and some route finding will be necessary. Most intersections are unsigned. Surface is a mix of small, loose rock and soft dirt/sand.
First added by John Fisch on Dec 6, 2016. Last updated May 1, 2020. → add an update
Before you go
- Drinking water: unknown
- Lift service: unknown
- Night riding: unknown
- Pump track: unknown
- Restrooms: unknown
- Fat bike grooming: unknown
- E-bikes allowed: unknown
- Fee required: unknown
This trail information is user-generated. Help improve this information by suggesting a correction.
Heading north from Albuquerque on I-25, take Exit 165 exit and go east until you can turn north on the frontage road. Go north on the frontage road until you see two right turns, one right after the other. The first goes goes to an industrial site--ignore it and take turn immediately after onto Camino Manzano. Follow Camino Manzano for a couple miles and turn left on Santa Ana Loop. Take Santa Ana Loop until you can turn east on to Cloud View Ct where you'll soon stop at a find a gate. You can park facing north off the road just before the gate. The trail begins at the NE corner of the gate.
Like Juan Tabo or Manzano/4 Hills, this trail system (not to be confused with the larger Placitas Trail System which lies to the south) isn't much fun and is only worth riding if you've done everything else in the area and positively must ride something new.
The area is unmapped and unmarked. Many trails merge in and fork out of the main loop, and the main loop isn't always the most obvious course, so it's easy to get off track. The constant small loose rocks are only broken up by deep, super soft dirt.
The "loop" is best ridden counterclockwise. Heading east, you gradually gain elevation via many ups and downs. Once reaching a saddle on the return, be sure to keep left to complete the loop. there will be some ridgetop riding but the payoff for all that sandy climbing is a single, ridiculously steep fall line plunge that loses all that elevation in a short distance, and is on super soft sand filled with loose rock.
Bottom line, there's just not much fun to be had here.
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