NM: Glorieta Trails

 So far on this northern New Mexico trip I had crammed 5 rides into 3 days. We dubbed this weekend the Scott Morris MTB Boot Camp and it was paying dividends to my ride fitness in spades. However, after the big ride the day before and neither of us super stoked to go shuttle the South Boundary trail on a holiday, I opted to head back to the desert and use my extra day off for....recovery?? Yeah, something like that. I'm learning.

Of course, I wasn't just going to head straight home, there are more trails to ride. I had heard a lot of great things about the Glorieta trails and they weren't too far out of the way on the east side of Santa Fe.

The trailhead was right off I-25 and I got a couple of good tips from some riders in the parking lot.

Good signage at the trailhead. The Trailforks app had everything loaded too.

The couple I met in the parking lot asked me if I liked rocks or flow? Yes. They preferred rocks and were doing an out-n-back on the Cairn Me Up trail. I figured I would follow behind them, then take the flow trail, Chips & Salsa back down for a quick introduction to the trail system.

Nice tread in the forest.

Great signage at every junction. Lots of info.

Good to know since I missed a turn and ended up doing a small loop before finding my way up Cairn Me Up.

Really nice climbing grade.

The rocks began to pile up, the topography becoming much more interesting.

Great progress signs, 3.5 miles to the top, 4 miles total.

Couple these signs with Trailforks and it was pretty easy to find your way around.

Really cool routing through this lively forest.

Halfway to the top.

Reminded me a lot of the Spence Basin area in Prescott.

Using all the natural gems here.

This was right after the short tunnel.

Nice rock armored berm.

One giant rock made into a berm.

Crossed paths with the couple from the parking lot on their way down.

Views open up near the top.

Distant view of Sandia Peak near Albuquerque.

Made it.

Now that you mention it, I am getting hungry.

Air time!! Yeah, I grabbed a little.

I really didn't want to stop, but I also wanted to show you how rad this trail is.

Huuuge berms to carry the speed!!!

Choices on the way down too.

Through the gap or over it???

This was the landing, which led into a second gap jump. What a cool natural feature.

More berms and smiles.

Jump lines?? Wasn't I just on one? Ok, let's go!!

Dropping in.

The lower jump lines were fun, but not quite as fast as the upper trail. Still fun though. This ride was just a sampling of what the Glorieta trails had to offer and I can't wait to check out more.

Route:

Since I was in New Mexico, I had to grab a some solid food fare. I wanted something close to the freeway and the Posa's Tamale Factory & Restaurant hit the spot.

Mmmm, green chile, sopapillas & horchata.

Roadside stop along US60 west of Socorro, NM.

The VLA, Very Large Array.

Massive!!

I was too late for pie, but it was cool to finally see the place. Next time via bike!!

Another iconic sight in Pie Town, NM.

A pay phone?? Would you look at that.

The Toaster House is another popular place in Pie Town, often housing Divide riders & hikers of the CDT.

Yep, there are a lot of toasters there!!

I liked this bird house.

Bike work stand in honor of the late Divide rider, J.D. Pauls. RIP.

Nice entryway.

The long view towards Arizona. Escudilla Mtn. is in AZ.

Home sweet home.