![]() Terms of Use: As with each bikepacking route guide published on, should you choose to cycle this route, do so at your own risk. GAS STATION SCUM MAP FREEWe used the free black and white Forest Service map, the Lincoln National Forest map, and Gaia GPS’s topo mapping.Just inform the staff of your plan and park in the smaller northwest lot. Vehicle parking at the Smokey the Bear Ranger District – 901 Mechem Dr, Ruidoso, NM 88345, is great.Bear this in mind when riding, and drink lots of water. Ruidoso lies at just under 7,000 ft (just over 2,000m), so it’s likely out of town visitors will notice the altitude.The museum in Fort Stanton shows a short video on the area’s history, which really helps infuse a sense of context to our journey.If you’re riding during the winter, bring a book/good conversation, as it gets dark early!.We rode in February, enjoying warm days and chilly but bearable nights. ![]() When to go: Lying some three hours drive south from Santa Fe and two from Albuquerque (and two from El Paso, TX), the climate is a notch warmer than much of the Southwest, making it a great spot for a late winter/spring break bikepacking escape.A 2.4″ tire on a 30mm rim is likely a good sweet spot. Recommended bike: anything with a 45mm+ fast-rolling tire will work.You could easily add in another day to the ride and extend your explorations towards White Oaks, or spend some time railing round the area’s developed trails. With its blend of natural beauty and historical intrigue, this pocket of south-central New Mexico is filled with possibilities. At the visitors center, learn about forest health, wildfires, the science of fire ecology, and take a historical look at wildfire prevention. Nearly three decades earlier, Smokey was an orphaned little bear cub with burned paws, found in the aftermath of the Capitan Gap wildfire, who later rose to fame as the icon for forest fire prevention nationwide. Be sure to check out the fascinating museum, packed with old black and white photos depicting moustachioed, banjo-playing soldiers, and Apache elders solemnly signing treaties.įurther round the loop, fuel up in Capitan and pop into the Smokey Bear Historical Park, established in 1979 to honor the settlement’s favorite son, Smokey Bear. ![]() Nearby Fort Stanton, now developed into the area’s most extensive singletrack network, claims a similarly colourful past, with protagonists that include cavalries of Buffalo Soldiers, Kit Carsen (trapper, scout, soldier, and a dime novel hero), as well as the Mascalero Apaches, whose ancestral home lies in this region. ![]() Surrounding Ruidoso lies Lincoln National Forest, the setting for pine, fir, aspen, oak, and grassland meadows – as well as an equally diverse web of dirt roads that offer miles of bikepacking potential. The old courthouse in neighbouring Lincoln is even pocked with gunshots from one of Bonney’s particularly daring and bloody escapes. Indeed, the whole area is steeped in history from the pages of the Old West, notably through its association with Sheriff Pat Garett and the notorious frontier outlaw William H. Thanks to Colt Felters for the update.įounded in 1885, Ruidoso – meaning noisy, in Spanish – harks back to a former life, when the quiet river it flanks was known as roaring Rio Ruidoso. Until we work out reroutes, please refer to this map for current issues and adjust your plans according. Note: at the time of riding, this route was completely legal. ![]()
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