Gramont Peak Out-and-Back

Dogs Leashed

E-Bikes Unknown

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This route connects the newest trails in the Socorro area. From the trailhead nearest Socorro, this route starts out on the Blue Canyon Trail, crosses Blue Canyon, up Black Canyon and progresses generally uphill towards the Gramont Peak summit. The ride back to the trailhead is predominantly down hill and well worth the effort on the climb.

Blue Canyon has high clay content and should not be ridden for a few days after rain.

The technical difficulty increases as you progress west. The mesa segment of the Blue Canyon Trail is a nice warm up, and you get to enjoy the drop into the canyon bottom. The climb out the west side of Blue Canyon Trail is a bit steep but rideable, except for one of the two switchbacks which can be especially challenging. Black Canyon includes rocky technical features that progress in difficulty towards the west. The Gramont peak trail is an aerobically challenging climb, but provides a nice capstone to the ride with a great view and natural turnaround spot.

A benefit of riding this route as an out-and-back is that riders can turnaround if the difficulty exceeds their comfort zone. It also makes navigating the Black Canyon trail obstacles appreciably easier on the downhill direction if this is your first ride in the area.

The ride back from Gramont Peak is predominantly downhill and the whole route is quite fun heading back to the trailhead.