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South Boundary Trail #164 - IMBA EPIC

 4.7 (63)
  1. Areas
  2. NM
  3. …Northeastern New Mexico
  4. Angel Fire
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21.4 Miles 34.4 Kilometers


0%

Singletrack

1,608' 490 m

Ascent

-4,384' -1,336 m

Descent

5%

Avg Grade (3°)

29%

Max Grade (16°)

10,710' 3,265 m

High

7,171' 2,186 m

Low

Shared By Taber West

Conditions

Bad / Closed 9 days ago
Snowy History
Getting forecast...

“This classic little-bit-of-everything sub-alpine forest ridge ride is consistently ranked among the best in New Mexico.”

— Taber West
Driving DirectionsGPX File

Dogs Off-leash

Features -none-

Trail is snow-bound in the winter, and downed-trees can make travel unpleasant until crews get a chance to clear them, usually by mid June.

Overview

The IMBA EPIC South Boundary Trail begins at the El Nogal Picnic Area on US Highway 64 (~3 miles east of Taos) and ends on FR 76 close to Angel Fire.

There are a few popular rides and several burly loops that incorporate the South Boundary Trail—though most people ride it from east to west, either starting at Garcia Park (40-minute shuttle from Taos) or doing the full ride from FR 76 near Angelfire (1 hr shuttle). This direction offers more downhill and smoother climbs.

Description

The "full" SBT starts from FR 76—a washed-out, rocky access road best tackled in someone else's vehicle—and begins with a 1.5-mile, 800-ft rocky loose climb that may require some hiking. From Osha Mountain, the trail descends a loose road for less than a mile before entering the "Heaven on Earth" section: a consistent flowy classic side-hill singletrack descent through conifer forest and aspen groves. Then wipe the grin off your face with the 1.5-mile, 350-ft climb to Garcia Park.

At Garcia Park, the trail follows the road briefly before cutting right across the field and back into the forest where a series of old two-track and singletrack connectors weave westward. Route finding skills are important there are lots of unmarked turns, old roads, and meadows where the trail isn't well developed. The trail eventually continues it's side-hill traverse / descent through aspen and conifer forests that are even more stunning in the fall.

SBT loses most of its elevation in the last 5 miles, with the steepest and most technical bits thrown at you in the last 3, known as the El Nogal section. This challenging final descent is fast at times, loose at times, stair-steppy at times, scary at times, and exceedingly fun (at times.) Many riders will feel more comfortable walking through the tricky bits.

(For an alternate route, turn south on the Ojitos Trail #166 just past the obvious log drop. It's a longer, but mellower descent to the highway.)

This ride is normally done as a shuttle; some ride it as an out-and-back from Taos in a long day. There is no potable water on the trail, so bring plenty, and watch out for afternoon thunderstorms during summer.

Contacts

Local Club: Del Norte MTB Alliance

Land Manager: USFS - Carson National Forest

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Your Check-Ins

Check-Ins

Sep 25, 2018
Don Childrey
22.8mi
Sep 22, 2018
Frank Villa-Abrille
Sep 3, 2018
Jackie White
Aug 26, 2018
Stanley Wills
Jul 28, 2018
Vinh Nguyen
20.7mi — 8h 14m
Jul 21, 2018
Tarah Nelson
Jun 22, 2018
Alen Sugar
20.6mi
Jun 10, 2018
JesseTremaine Tremaine
43mi

Stewarded By

Supported by IMBA EPIC
Stewarded by Del Norte MTB Alliance
Full Details

Trail Ratings

  4.7 from 63 votes

#1

in Angel Fire

#77

Overall
  4.7 from 63 votes
5 Star
71%
4 Star
24%
3 Star
5%
2 Star
0%
1 Star
0%
Rankings

#1

in Angel Fire

#2

in New Mexico

#77

Overall
375 Views Last Month
36,698 Since Sep 9, 2013
Intermediate/Difficult Intermediate/Difficult
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10%
73%
18%
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Photos

Fall on the South Boundary Trail
Fall on the South Boundary Trail
 4
Hittin' booters and poppin' wheelies coming down the SBT outside of Angel Fire, NM!
Hittin' booters and poppin' wheelies coming dow…
 7
Ripping singletrack at the top of the South Boundary Trail!
Ripping singletrack at the top of the South Bou…
 6
Such sweet singletrack on Heaven on Earth... the trail deserves its name!
Such sweet singletrack on Heaven on Earth... th…
 7
Nice rest spot in the aspens before beginning the major decent.
Nice rest spot in the aspens before beginning t…
 8
Corner Park on a dry bluebird day.
Corner Park on a dry bluebird day.
 4

22 Comments

Sort by: Oldest
Newest Oldest Popular
Big LBellski
Big LBellski  
Shout out to the volunteers from Enchanted Circle Trails Association, Moreno Valley Trekkers, and Del Norte MTB Alliance who helped the Carson National Forest clear 24+ trees this last weekend. delnortemtb.com/ enchantedcircletrails.org/ facebook.com/groups/mvtrekk… May 7, 2018
Virginia Bell-Pringle
Virginia Bell-Pringle  
This trail is a blast! Go do it! Jul 20, 2018
Mandatory Gap
Richmond, VA
Mandatory Gap   Richmond, VA
Great trail, I'd prob rate it in top 10 of all time. The road (76) to the shuttle drop is rough! Aug 4, 2018

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