Bikepacking Routes

Situated 15 miles to the west of Santa Fe, New Mexico, the Caja del Rio is a high desert volcanic plateau, ringed by cliffs and escarpments, bordered by the Rio Grande, and flanked by the distant protrusions of the Jemez and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Given that the area is predominantly National Forest and laced with a tangle of dirt roads and cow trails, it makes a compact playground for mini-adventures; one that's just a short ride out of Santa Fe, or a convenient train ride from Albuquerque.

Nestled in the crook of a deep and chiseled valley, Ruidoso, New Mexico, isn't a place you'd likely find yourself by chance – unless you were seeking out the most southerly ski resort in the US. Set in the mellow yet undeniably beautiful Lincoln National Forest, its Sierra Blanca peak erupts from the brittle plains of the Chihuahua Desert, towering almost 12,000 ft above sea level.