One of several major arroyos in the Quebradas area, Arroyo de Los Pinos runs alongside the first six miles of the west end of the Quebradas Backcountry Byway near Socorro, NM. There are many trails along the Byway, which divides the 6,000-acre Gordy’s Hill Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Area from west to east, providing offroad driving challenges for all experience levels and offroad vehicle capabilities.
Upper Arroyo de Los Pinos is most notable for its increased technical difficulty in driving as compared to some of the other trails in the area. Moving through the arroyo is nonetheless scenic, as bands of red and yellow sandstone, red and purple shale, and white to gray limestone are all exposed in fascinating geological features.
The Quebradas are located between two major protected wildlife areas, the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge to the north and Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge to the south.
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From I-25: Take Exit 152 at Escondida, head east and follow the east frontage road to the north, just over a mile to Escondida Lake. Turn right at the Escondida Lake sign and head east over the Rio Grande River. At Pueblito, a T-intersection, turn right and head south for about 1 mile to the beginning of the Quebradas Backcountry Byway (County Road A-152). Turn left (east) onto the Byway and travel 4.3 miles to the parking/staging area on the left of the Byway.
You will see the Minas Del Chupadero Trail 500 feet ahead on the right (south) side of the road. Head south on the Minas Del Chupadero Trail for 0.2 miles where you will reach the trailhead (a wide arroyo crossing). Turn right on to the trail (into the arroyo).
Great day to hit multiple Quebradas/Gordy's Hill area trails. Dry trail surfaces with clear and sunny weather - upper 50's at the end of January! You cannot beat this area for great winter wheeling conditions.
This was a fun quick trail.
For me, all of the excitement was in the waterfall, but there were plenty of fun little rocks in the creek throughout. Stock jeep could do everything except the waterfall. Though with VERY careful tire placement, a good spotter and some rock stacking, it's probably passable.
We had a blast on this trail last weekend, particularly crawling through the optional Waypoint 2, the Waterfall, a.k.a. the Gates of Hell. The Hi-Lift jack, winch, and Maxtrax all came into play along this section that day. The great thing about this area is the variety of trails - something for every skill level. Highly recommended!
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Scott Mitchell is a Personal Defense and Defensive Tactics Instructor in Albuquerque. A New Mexico native, Scott lives in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains, adjacent to the Sandia Mountain Wilderness Area in the Cibola National Forest.
Scott likes to get out at every opportunity to explore his state's off-road trails. As a Trailsoffroad contributor, his goal is to find and share as much reliable information as possible to help others navigate and enjoy the great New Mexico outdoors.
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