Taos riding in early April?

[Pegleg]

Gonna be in Taos the first weekend in April for a work thingy. Thinking of bringing my bike and checking out the local trails, but not sure what the conditions are like down there (I'm picturing dry desert, but then again there's a ski mountain so...). Does anyone have info on what conditions are likely to be in a couple of weeks? And any specific recommendations for trails that are likely to be dry? I may ride solo (in which case I'm looking for any level of fun trail, tech OK) or I may have a couple of work folks with me (in which case I'm looking for mellower but still fun rides). Thanks!

[gravitylover]

My recollection from ~25 years ago is it's dry as a bone at the bottom of the access road. It's all high desert so you'd probably find plenty of riding to be done. Don't miss the hot springs on the river, you'll probably need a 4WD to get to it but it was worth the effort.

[bobbuilds]

The hot springs on the river is downstream of the put in bridge for the lower Taos box. The name of the bridge escapes me just now. However the high bridge is the middle bridge and the lower bridge is called the John Dunn bridge.

Moving along.

If you were to drive up the road to the camp sites above the Pilar yacht club and park at the bridge you’d be faced with a stout climb up to the rim on a dirt road. Once you are up that road a single track follows the canyon rim for 7 miles to the high bridge. Amazing views and riding along a box canyon rim. Super rad!

If you were with beginners you could start at the high bridge visitor center and ride it as an out and back. Not technical but exposed at times for sure.

It should be dry there as long as it doesn’t rain, and both roads leading down to the hot springs are manageable in a car as well, as long as it doesn’t rain.

As for Taos, it’s just up the road, and they did have a good season for snow this year. It might be wet in the hills, but if you stay out by the box it will be dry and warm.

Have fun, sorry I’m not much help. I’m a kayaker. Though I have done the trail from both bridges and it is definitely worth seeing. You could also explore the earth ships from a bike as well. Super friendly area, kind of scary to an out of towner, but fun I promise.

[bobbuilds]

https://www.mtbproject.com/trail/7002802/west-rim-trail

Here is some info, more trails nearby

[jackstraw]

Hit up a shop like Gearing Up and they'll give you some advice. All the trails on mesa will be good to go most likely.

[panchosdad]

https://www.mtbproject.com/trail/7002802/west-rim-trail

Here is some info, more trails nearby

Great camping in the BLM campground outside Pilar, puts you just below the Rift Valley trails. The trails themselves aren't anything special, good for a couple hour tour, but the camping is sweet.

[Danno]

I have a buddy who lives on the mesa, I could put y'all in touch if you want. Don't think he's a mt biker, but he is a backcountry skier, rides motorcycles, etc, and is a professional musician, so y'all might have a bit in common, and he might have the knowledge.

[Pegleg]

Followup: We ended up riding Horse Thief Mesa on the advice of Taos Cyclery (who said it was the most legit singletrack that's currently not muddy or snowy). Solid ride - not too much elevation gain or loss, but some punchy little climbs and slow rises that kept us breathing heavy, and some decent views into the Rio Grande. Not particularly technical, in contrast to what the shop said, just a bit loose on some of the climbs. Overall a fun afternoon.

The sketchiest part was when we heard gunshots and came around a corner to find what looked like a couple of 15 year olds with pistols and assault rifles shooting at an old fridge in front of a berm. The trail went right behind the berm, so we had to yell and get their attention to stop shooting while we rode through, and they didn't seem particularly happy about it (started up again when we were barely past). That's rural NM I guess.

[grskier]

Followup: We ended up riding Horse Thief Mesa on the advice of Taos Cyclery (who said it was the most legit singletrack that's currently not muddy or snowy). Solid ride - not too much elevation gain or loss, but some punchy little climbs and slow rises that kept us breathing heavy, and some decent views into the Rio Grande. Not particularly technical, in contrast to what the shop said, just a bit loose on some of the climbs. Overall a fun afternoon.

The sketchiest part was when we heard gunshots and came around a corner to find what looked like a couple of 15 year olds with pistols and assault rifles shooting at an old fridge in front of a berm. The trail went right behind the berm, so we had to yell and get their attention to stop shooting while we rode through, and they didn't seem particularly happy about it (started up again when we were barely past). That's rural NM I guess.

That's about as Taos as it gets.