The Radavist Cycling Guide to Santa Fe –

Santa Fe is where The Radavist calls home, so what better location to look at in our first Cycling Guide? Read on for a look at The City Different…

The Radavist Destination Guide to Santa Fe, The City Different, is sponsored by Visit Santa Fe and Santa Fe County.

Santa Fe, New Mexico, is nestled on the edge of the Colorado Plateau and at the Southern Rockies’ terminus. This city has been a trading hub for hundreds of years, offering rest and relaxation for travelers throughout the Americas. Because of its proximity to endless and expansive public land, The Radavist calls this city its home, and over the years, we’ve been compiling immersive coverage of what the region has to offer in terms of being a cycling destination.

Geography and Weather

At 7,199′ in elevation, Santa Fe is New Mexico’s capital and the highest in the United States. While commonly referred to as a “high desert,” we are, in fact, in a semi-arid steppe. Thanks to our summer monsoons or afternoon thunderstorms, we average 14 inches of rainfall each year. In the summer months, from July through September, we experience daily monsoons, so pack a rain jacket and be mindful of thunder and lightning while out and about.

Thanks to its high elevation, the Santa Fe region receives an overage of 32″ snowfall in town throughout winter but still manages 320+ sunny days yearly. Snow can come as early as mid-October and usually hangs around in the high country until mid-late June.

Getting to Santa Fe

Drive Time from Neighboring Metropolitan Areas:

1 Hour North of Albuquerque
6 Hours Southwest of Denver
7 Hours Northeast of Phoenix
10 Hours Northwest of Dallas
12 Hours East of Los Angeles

Flying:

Santa Fe Regional Airport
Albuquerque International Airport

Train:

The New Mexico Rail Runner departs from Albuquerque and arrives in Santa Fe multiple times a day.

A Green City

One of the things visitors to town often remark is, “I had no idea there would be so many trees here!” Aspen, cottonwood, blue spruce, juniper, piñon, and more call this region home. Thanks to the Santa Fe River carving its way through town, ample shade trees, such as cottonwoods that act as a cooling canopy, even on the hottest summer days.

Best Time of Year to Ride

Peak riding months are from June through the end of October in the the Sangre De Cristo Mountains high country but year-round riding can be found in the foothills and mesas around town.

The best months for gravel and mountain biking are September and October before the high country gets blanketed with snow.

Read on below for a look at some of our favorite rides in Santa Fe and the best-equipped bikes for these rides.

Best Bike to Bring?

Visitors are encouraged to ride from town on each of these rides. You can even take advantage of the free Blue Bus Shuttle to gain access to Aspen Vista for the Tesuque Peak Loop.

While Santa Fe might seem like a mountain bike town with hundreds of miles of singletrack, there is exceptional gravel riding as well. Below are the recommended specs for each of our routes listed here.

Gravel Bike Spec

Mountain gearing, either a 2x drivetrain or a 1x drivetrain with a wide gearing spread for Pacheco
40 mm tough casing tires minimum for Pacheco Canyon; 50 mm tires for Town to Towers
Tire puncture kit or spare tube
2 L of water
Water filter

Flar Bar Gravel / Rigid MTB / ATB

Mountain gearing, either a 2x drivetrain or a 1x drivetrain with a wide gearing spread for Pacheco
2.3″ mm tough casing tires minimum for Pacheco Canyon, 2.5″ for Tour of Santa Fe Singletrack route
Tire puncture kit or spare tube
2 L of water
Water filter

Hardtail Mountain Bike Spec

Mountain gearing
120 mm travel hardtail minimum recommended for the Tour of Santa Fe Singletrack route
2.4″ tough casing tires minimum
Tire puncture kit or spare tube
2 L of water
Water filter

Full Suspension Mountain Bike Spec

Mountain gearing
120 – 160 mm travel full suspension recommended for Tesuque Peak Loop and Alamos Vista Trail
2.4″ tough casing tires minimum
Tire puncture kit or spare tube
2 L of water
Water filter

From Gravel to Mountain Biking – Rides Hub

Whether you’re craving an alpine gravel ride that traverses ecotones and terminates at 12,000′ or an upper mountain singletrack ride, we’ve got you covered with a selection of epic Dream Trails. Take Pacheco Canyon up to the top of Teseque Peak for a spicy descent on the Town to Towers ride, or climb central Dale Ball to the Winsor corridor and over Saddleback for a challenging, yet rewarding afternoon of New Mexico’s finest singletrack.

DREAM TRAIL Pacheco Canyon Gravel Ride: Green Chile or Red Chile

Pedal from town along the Old Taos Highway into the village of Tesuque, make your way across badlands and climb up into the Santa Fe National Forest along Pacheco Canyon road. This secluded and shaded gravel road follows a canyon before wrapping around the mountains to Hyde Park Road. From there, either take on the Red Chille climb up to the towers, or descend back down to town on Hyde Park Road. Add in some extra Dale Ball central singletrack to spice things up!

Difficulty: Intermediate
Bike: Gravel, Mountain Bike – Rigid, Hardtail
Distance: 35 miles
Elevation: 4000′
Estimate time: 3-4 hours
Best time of year: Late Spring through Fall
Pacheco Canyon Gravel LINK TO GPS ROUTE GREEN CHILE
Town to Towers LINK TO GPS ROUTE RED CHILE

Other Pacheco Canyon Corridor Reportage from our Archives:

DREAM TRAIL Tour of Santa Fe Singletrack: Red Chile

In what has to be the best sampling of the singletrack trails Santa Fe has to offer, our route takes you through the foothills of Atalaya, into the Dale Ball network as you climb into the Southern Rockies before descending one of the wildest rides in the area. This ride has the potential to be an all-day affair, so pack accordingly!

Difficulty: Intermediate
Bike: Mountain Bike – Rigid, Hardtail, Full Suspension
Distance: 27 miles
Elevation: 4000′
Estimate time: 3-5 hours
Best time of year: Late Spring through Fall
LINK TO GPS ROUTE

Winsor Corridor Reportage from our Archives:

Tesuque Peak Loop and Alamos Vista Trail: Red Chile

A local’s favorite after-work ride, the Tesuque Peak Loop and Alamos Vista Trail, include a long, alpine climb through Aspen trees before dropping down one of Ski Santa Fe’s iconic slopes, Gayway, into the Alamos Vista Trail. This steep and technical descent is best left to advanced riders and full-suspension bikes. While the iconic meadow might look smooth and flowy, the rest of the terrain is strictly Red Chile territory!

Difficulty: Advanced
Bike: Mountain Bike – Full Suspension
Distance: 8 miles
Elevation: 3000′
Estimate time: 2-3 hours
Best time of year: Summer through Fall
LINK TO GPS ROUTE

Alamos Vista and Tesuque Peak Reportage from our Archives:

Caja Del Rio Adventure Route: Green Chile

The Caja Del Rio Adventure Route is a favorite mixed terrain ride for the winter months when blue bird skies shine on snowfall within the town’s foothills. The Caja Del Rio is a volcanic tableland to the west of town and offers a myriad of chunky doubletrack riding. The Adventure Route circumnavigates the mesa and offers stunning views of the Jemez and Sangre De Cristo Mountains . Known for its sharp rocks, we recommend tough casing tires for this route. Look for our POI for a hidden lava tube along the route, too!

Difficulty: Beginner/Intermediate
Bike: Gravel or Mountain – Rigid or Hardtail
Distance: 45 miles
Elevation: 2000′
Estimate time: 3-4 hours
Best time of year: Winter, Fall
LINK TO GPS ROUTE

Caja Del Rio Ride Reportage from our Archives:

Around Santa Fe: What Else to Do?

When you’re done riding, explore the beautiful city by visiting its numerous restaurants, breweries, museums, galleries, and historical sites. Saturday mornings at the Railyard is the Santa Fe Farmer’s Market, and during the summer, catch free concerts on Friday nights there, too! Take a day off and hike in the Pecos Wilderness, accessible from the ski basin. Did we mention that Santa Fe has a ski basin? Shhhh!

Santa Fe is an hour’s drive from whitewater rafting on the Rio Grande and Chama rivers, world-class fly fishing, and car camping. Many locations are accessible by passenger car, but backcountry destinations are best accessed by 4WD vehicles.

Red or Green? Enjoy Your Stay!

One of the most common questions you’ll be asked by locals during your stay is “red or green?” This refers to red chile or green chile. There is no wrong answer. Pick one or the other or mix the two in what we call “Christmas.”

If you’re coming through town, be sure to say what’s up in the comment section. Or if you have questions about trails in the area, drop them in the comments and we’ll do our best to answer them.

We’ll be updating this guide with more rides and resources in the months to come, so bookmark this post and be sure to visit it again when you’re planning your trip.

We call Santa Fe our home, and as such, we’d like to encourage all visitors to enjoy their stay and please, while riding, follow the Leave No Trace Principles.