From Aztec Tiger Park, follow the orange arrows/ATOS sign up the dirt road. The first 1¾ miles are primarily roads with small sections of singletrack mixed in there. Just keep following the arrows. You cross the highway at about 0.8 miles. Continue in a northerly direction past the go kart track and a large pole with a vintage bicycle on it and veer onto the singletrack, as the arrows and ATOS sign indicate. About a half mile later, reach a fork and follow the yellow arrow to the north to continue the clockwise loop (the orange arrow leads the way for a counterclockwise loop). You will come back to this junction later. Cross a wash and two service roads, picking up the trail at the obvious spot on the other side of the crossings. Cross another road approximately ⅛ mile later. The trail then winds through the woodlands and over a few rocks. Again, follow the defined and well-worn trail. The trail then comes to a dead end at a service road (approximately 2.9 mi mark). Turn right. After about 0.1 miles, look for a singletrack trail veering off to your right and resume the loop. Cross another road, climb up a steep ridge to a 'Y' junction with another trail. Stay left. (Going right will allow you to complete a shorter version of the loop by going up and over a couple of steep ridges.) Cross a road and reach a junction with another road soon thereafter. Pick up the trail on the other side of the road, marked with a blue arrow. Go up another steep but short hill and follow the trail around a well. Continue in a southeasterly direction, eventually curving west, crossing a number of roads, wells, and washes. Ascend a ridge, which includes riding on a large sandstone, then enjoy a fun descent back down the other side. Enjoy the amazing view of the Four Corners area landscape from the top of the ridge and along the descent (being careful not to lose traction on any sand). Continue straight at junctions with trails and roads (one of these being the trail for the shorter route mentioned earlier). The route then winds through pinon and juniper trees to a junction with a dirt road. Continue straight. The trail will eventually curve southwest. After that, enjoy a two mile section which is probably the most fun part of the ride (heading west again). There are a number of dips, curves, and banked turns. Also it seems there is less sand here, so this is where speed can pick up. After crossing a wide wash and climbing a short hill, come to a dead end. This is the junction encountered at the beginning of the ride. Turn left and follow the arrows back to your vehicle (or turn right and go for another round).
The trail winds through a bunch of low juniper forest amid the oil fields. Not too many rock obstacles for the most part, so even a relative newbie like myself can feel comfortable picking up some good speed in a lot of places. The trail has some nice views of the mountains and it is easy to find. One thing you need to be cognizant of is the sand in the washes as you are riding down through - it can get pretty deep and in some places it really wants to grab your bike from you. Sand aside, it remains a good ride. My one complaint is that there is nary a map to be found of this place. Can't find one on here nor elsewhere on the internet. There isn't one near the trailhead or anywhere on the trail either. It would be super useful, because my boyfriend and I were following the orange loop (I know this to be a loop thanks to the other commenter on here) and it seemed to end at this oil road that was really just 5 inches of sand (near a big pumping station and just past a bike wheel / dream catcher hanging from a tree limb). We turned back to the fork by said bike wheel and took a route marked by blue arrows instead. This route took us to another fork with a green arrow. At this point, it seemed like rain might be heading our way so, being uncertain of where either trail might take us (per lack of a map), we chose to go back the way we came. Wish I had a map, because it was pretty cool on the ridge we were following up on the blue trail.
| ThankSome of the Mountain View trails are used in conjunction with the Alien Run trails for the popular annual Alien Run Competition, but this is a fun high desert XC singletrack loop ride by itself. The trails are in the middle of a wide open BLM owned pinon-juniper forest/oil and gas area, but the Aztec Trails and Open Space did a great job making them user friendly. The trails are indicated by colored arrows throughout, as well as BLM posts with a 'Mountain View Trails' logo on several of them. Some sections are not marked, but the well-defined trail with its numerous MTB tire tracks is easily spotted at all times. Another huge plus is the trails are closed to motor bikes, as indicated by the 'No Motors' signs encountered throughout the ride. This trail is not technical unless the numerous sections of pure sand that threaten to pull your bike from under you count. With that said, keeping speed under control throughout the singletrack loop is advised since the soil type changes continuously. This ride is suitable for beginners. Great place to avoid the crowds. Best seasons for riding are early spring and late fall. Winter riding is probably doable as long as the weather has been dry for at least a couple of days. I wouldn't recommend this trail in the summer due the amount of sun exposure and sand.
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