MtbREVIEW.com supports IMBA and responsible riding. Please submit only legal
trails to our list. If you discover a trail posted on this site that is not
open for public mountain biking, please email our IMBA friends at
info@imba.com with detailed info.
They'll help us remove the unauthorized trail from the site.
Click here for info about keeping our trails open.
If this is the correct location, click "Save Point" below or type the nearest location (country, city, Zip, or land mark) and the map will pan over to the location if the location is found.
Save Point
Go to Nearest Location:
Lat:
Lng:
South Boundary Trail
27 reviews
4.81 of 5
Once the climb is finished... they could charge admission to this trail...its that much fun... groomed single track through the aspen and pine a majority of which is downhill. Watch out for the turns, someone has stolen most of the signs, I believe the trail number is 164... Trail gets vague at Garcia Park, ride the dirt road through the park, the trail takes off to the left over some high dirt mounds... If you miss the new left turn at El Negal you are in for a rough ride down to Taos. Get or arrange a shuttle from Taos to Angel Fire
From Angel Fire Ski Area take Dirt Road 76 to top of hill to trail head on the right, be prepared for a 4-5 mile climb at that point... You can go past the trail head off 76 to the top of the mountain and turn right on 153 and continue 2 miles up a rock infested jeep road both routes will get you to the same point
Summary: Wow, so I drove six hours to ride this trail because of all the hype and it was just that hype! I rode the rode from Taos to Angle Fire luckily someone picked me and took me to the top, once on the trail I was very disappointed. Lacking trail signs first off, which is a nightmere for non-locals, than the trail is neither fast or technical, though it is epic if you like rolling hills for a long, long time! The very end is nice and rocky with some good drops! Other than that I would say most rides that have national rec are indeed over rated! Cannan Valley in WV sucked, if you want some serious fun head to Asheville, NC ride Pisgah National Forest and do not be suprised to have a smile all day with some bloody knees and elbows. I have rode all that Moab has to offer, almost all of what Taos, has to offer, 90% of CO front range, and by far Aville is the best, fastest, most technical and smile inducing!
Recommended Route: Angel Fire-Taos
Other recommended trails in the same area: Gold Hill much better ride!
Well, I finally got my greasy mitts on this one. Quite a ride. It definitely merits being mentioned in the same breathe as other national caliber rides such as 401, McKenzie River Trail, etc. It's epic no question.
I'll see if I can lend some beta here so, if like me, you scrutinize these postings late at night thinking "some day!".
First off, be organized. You're going to need all the requsite epic tools/supplies. You're out in middle of nowhere, and it feels it. The shuttle takes a solid 45 minutes from Taos, and you need to get GOING EARLY. If it's summer, expect thunderstorms, and beating those makes a big difference. The forest service road 76 gets rough, a regular car is going to be tough to get through as of summer 07. The singletrack trailhead is marked on the righthand side of the road. There is no parking lot, so you just park on the shoulder.
Alrigthy, the ride. The first 1.5 climb, and only major climb, is a huff and the terrain makes you think "I drove xxx hours for this?!" Check out the pic posted above with this review. You see all those rocks half sticking out of the earth, that's an easy section of the climb. It's not unrideable, but the trail is pretty unkempt, and it's not a glorious start to say the least. Stay with it, one section is very likely a push.
At the top of the climb head right down the road. Nice views the singletrack busts off right after a few minutes of downhill. You'll spot it. HOWEVER, GET A MAP, you will not enjoy this ride without it. There are probably 20-30 turns you need to make during the ride, and you would likely get them but spend a good portion of the day doubting your decisions. Local bike shops have a good map available with directions written on the back.
This section of singletrack rips! Now you know why you came. Several giant wild turkeys erupted out of the forest in front of me, and cruised down the trail for 1/4 mile at 20mph while I talked to them about my Thanksgiving plans. Magic. Lower your seat a bit, whatever it takes to get dialed here, this is stellar stellar stuff. the trail is narrow and nicely carved into the hillside and very buff. Too good! Nobody out there the entire day other than 2 hunters in mid August!
Stay with the singletrack all the way to Garcia Park. As noted many times this is the somewhat confusing part. There are ususally signs but half of them are
Recommended Route: laying down, or somewhat ambiguous. At Garcia Park, and open area, you're spit out on road. Go left and curling around and going slightly downhill. You'll see a faint road going right and staying kinda high on the ridge, that's not it. Go 100 yards down the road and take a similar faint road/trail on the right (I believe there is a sign) and go through the old barb wire fence, within 1/8 miles, that's your landmark. Then continue straight shortly at the next random feeling 3 way intersection. When you're spit out on a road, head left (this wasn't described on my map, right heads slightly up.) Then stay with the road slight up and right and the next junction. Shortly after find the signed singletrack on the right just past the next intersection. This short bit of ragged uptrail again spits you out on the road and you begin going down. SLOW HERE, you don't want to miss the next right onto singletrack after 5 minutes. It was obvious in summer of 07 with some small branches layed across the road, but apparently this is where folks go badly wrong. Now a another sh*t ton of singletrack awaits. The trail turns steadily more technical and , not bad, but after mulitple miles you might not
Other recommended trails in the same area: appreciate it...not so much. There is also a fair amt of deadfall. When you reach the final junction with the Obitos (sp?) trail, I'd have to recommend continuing straight on SBT, altho' apparently it's a rocky chute. The Obitos trail where I went has 40 or so near vertical berms which are not real mtb friendly, and has a ragged feel of a trashy ORV trail IMHO.
In Summary: start early and beat the rain (the trail has many, many miles of flatish middle ring riding that feels gluey if wet), get a damn good map/directions from Native Sons, other shop/outfitter, the first climb doesn't represent the terrain at all, and get yourself in the mindset of a 4-6 all day epic the splendid wilds.
Would you like to Comment? Join MTBR.com for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Summary: anyone coming down this trail while i'm climbing up better make an immediate and wide yield or i will crash your trash. after u are laying splayed and prostrate on the turf, then i will dismount and finish the deal w/ a good face grinding on the nearby rocks. any resistance will be deflected by the massive crushing force of my piston-like legs, for shore dude.
Recommended Route: stay away from me, unless u are going up, in such case as we can have a contest til someone's lungs burst
Other recommended trails in the same area: devisadero
Summary: I live in North Carolina and am a part timer to Taos. We are blessed here in NC with some terriffic single track, but I have to say the SBT wins hands down as my favorite trail. Firstly this is more than just a "trail", it could best be characterized as a series of trails that all find their way up to, and down from the SBT. Nobody knows the exact length of the SBT. estimates range from 20 to 35 miles depending on who you talk to. Thats because there are so many ways into and out of the trail. The trail itself lies on top of the many ridges between Taos and Angel fire ranging from near 11,000 down to 7,500 feet. Many different routes can be linked together. Secondly the climate here is unequalled in my opinion. Endless bright sunny days with dry trail conditions are the norm. Definately bring some good shades. The trail has it all, from steep murderous climbs (getting up to the trail) to rolling aspen lined single track, to extreme rocky decents which all lasts for hours and hours. Ending up in Taos where you can coast right into town to a cool adobe for some cold beer, green chlli burritos and an awesome sunset.
Recommended Route: Take FR 76 at the far end of Valle Escondido to begin your ascent. Then take a little marked (or no marked) single track "164" to the right. Climb through the trees for a while then the trail becomes an open alpine meadow, then back into the trees and through some climbing rock gardens always looking for "164". You will see some great mountain vistas over and across Angel Fire and the Moreno valley before you go back to the right across the ridge and down into the aspens on the Sbt. Now on the Sbt just follow it through miles of rolling wooded single track till you come to Garcia Park. Then follow the FR out til you cross a cattle guard and take an immediate left and again look for "164". Back on the single track you will ride for miles descending trough aspen and alpine meadows down into ponderosa and pinon forests all the way into sage and chamisa high desert getting rockier, steeper and drier as you go. A longer travel, stiffer front fork (z-130 or comparable) is a must for this lower section into town, otherwise you can kiss your butt good bye.
Other recommended trails in the same area: My cabin is in Valle Escondido and I recomend any of the un-named miriad of trails there which all somehow can be linked to the Sbt. Just jump on one and go up and eventually you are on the Sbt.
Would you like to Comment? Join MTBR.com for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Summary: This trail is everything that the other posters have mentioned. It is easily at or near the top of all of the trails I've ridden in 20 years of mountain biking. It really isn't difficult except for the final descent to El Nogalm, which I would call intermediate/advanced. The rest of the trail would be intermediate for someone who is reasonably fit. Go see Chad at Taos Cyclery for a map.
As an alternative to beginning near Angel Fire, Start at trail #70 in Valle Escondido.
Have a beer at Eske's and a Suzy Relleno at Mante's CHow Cart when you're done!
Recommended Route: You can avoid a long shuttle if you park at Valle Escondido (on US 64 btw Taos and Angel Fire). From there ride up trail #70 which climbs up about 4 miles to Osha Meadow then drops down Elliot Barker trail (#1) on the USFS map for about 3.5 miles to South Boundary trail (about 2mi above the traditional starting point at Angel Fire). This adds about 5 miles to the ride, but it makes it a lot easier to shuttle. You could also just park at El Nogal and ride the 10 or so miles up the canyon to Valle Escondidio.
Other recommended trails in the same area: Winsor near Santa Fe and Quemazon in Los ALamos.
Would you like to Comment? Join MTBR.com for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
4.81 of 5
3 of 5
3 of 5
2 of 5
View Comments (1)
4 of 5
4 of 5
5 of 5
5 of 5
