Lincoln National Forest

The dirt bike riding around Cloudcroft is in the Sacramento Ranger District of the Lincoln National Forest, high in the Sacramento Mountains of southern New Mexico. Elevations run from roughly 5,400 feet in the desert foothills to more than 9,600 feet on the peaks, with ponderosa pine, Douglas fir and aspen up top and piñon-juniper lower down. Riders describe cool summer temperatures, grassy meadows, and twisty loops through canyons and mixed pine forest. It is a big forest, and this listing covers the whole Cloudcroft-area motorized network rather than one trailhead.

The Forest Service says the Sacramento district has the most varied set of motorized trails on the forest, open to motorcycles and to OHVs 50 inches wide or less. The backbone is the 31.2-mile Rim Trail (T105), an old railroad grade that runs from the south end of Cloudcroft to the Sacramento River Road south of Sunspot; the first 0.73 miles to Slide Campground are non-motorized, and south of Slide it is open to motorcycles only, not OHVs. Dry Canyon Trail (T5574) is 5.2 miles between Forest Road 5574 and Forest Road 90 and is open to motorcycles and OHVs up to 50 inches wide. The Benson Ridge and Benson Canyon area (T5005) and the neighboring Wills and Hubbell Canyon loops, reached from the Upper Rio Penasco Road, add roughly 17 miles of mostly hard-packed trail with some loose chunk rock. RiderPlanet rates the terrain mostly amateur-level.

Getting there

Cloudcroft has gas, food and lodging, and the Sacramento Ranger District office is at 4 Lost Lodge Road. For the Benson Ridge area, head south from Cloudcroft on the Sunspot Highway about 8.5 miles, turn east onto the Upper Rio Penasco Road, and the trailhead is about a mile along on the left. The Rim Trail has several parking areas along NM 130 and the Sunspot Highway; the first is just past Deer Campground. Bluff Springs, with primitive camping, sits near the middle of the Benson and Wills trail network.

Fees, permits, and rules

The Forest Service lists no trail-use fee for these trails. Every OHV, including a dirt bike, must be registered with New Mexico and display a valid sticker. Nonresidents from states without an OHV registration or use-fee program must buy a New Mexico nonresident permit ($18 for 90 days or $48 for two years), while riders who can show a valid OHV registration from another state are exempt. Ride only on designated routes shown on the district's Motor Vehicle Use Map. New Mexico law sets a 96 dB noise limit, and the Forest Service requires a working spark arrestor. Riders under 18 need a helmet and eye protection. Yield to hikers, horses and mountain bikers, who share these trails.

When to ride

The Rim Trail is open all year, and the Forest Service calls spring through fall the most comfortable window; winter snow can limit access at this elevation. Summer is popular because the mountains stay cool while the desert below is hot. Check the forest's alerts page before you go, since fire restrictions and closure orders can apply to the Sacramento district, and call the ranger district at 575-682-2551 for current conditions.