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Reviews 1 - 5 (10 Reviews Total)
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Review Date
November 2, 2009 Overall Rating
 3 of 5
Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5
Technical Difficulty
3 of 5
Ridden Trail:
Ridden Once
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Reviewed by: pburnsky
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Cross Country Rider Summary:
If you are reading this to decide where to ride in Santa Fe, and you have limited time to explore the OTHER vast areas around the town: Go ahead and ride Dale Ball central and north. You'll like it. Not too technical. Tough ups. Keeps you interested, and is a good 2 hour work out. Cant get lost. Trails are marked superbly. Some nice, but short descents. Lots of hot ladies ridin around too. BONUS!
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Review Date
September 7, 2009 Overall Rating
 5 of 5
Aerobic Difficulty
3 of 5
Technical Difficulty
3 of 5
Ridden Trail:
Ridden Once
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Reviewed by: blainefree
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Cross Country Rider Summary:
Great trails. North seems to be harder pack and a bit faster than Central. Certainly faster than South which is very steep and loose. Recommended Route:
I rode twice. Once from St Johns connecting South to Central to North and back, the other time I connected the Central to North and back in one big loop. I hope to get back to Santa Fe again to ride these trails again.
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Review Date
September 21, 2006 Overall Rating
 4 of 5
Aerobic Difficulty
3 of 5
Technical Difficulty
 2 of 5
Ridden Trail:
Ridden Once
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Reviewed by: O' Tim
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Cross Country Rider Summary:
What a great urban trail system for Santa Fe! The city deserves kudos for acquiring this open space and making use of it like this. I envy the homeowners on these ridges that have the trails running right through their backyard (they may not be as thrilled). I've never seen such a well-marked system, what with every junction numbered and a small map posted at each so it is virtually impossible to get lost. I loved how the trails take you up and down through the different geologic strata ranging from deep red to light tan, and the flora of cactus, sagebrush (smells wonderful!), chimisa and other beautiful late summer wildflowers. I'd love to see what pops out in the spring. Like other reviewers said some of the switchbacks are a bit tight but that's about as technical as these trails get. Flow and sightlines are fair - as some said there are tight jogs through trees that could be improved. There is a lot of fall line routing that is starting to show erosion on these young trails, and several spots on the contour sections that are starting to berm up a bit. There's a good mix of some rocky climbs and descents with buff, fast-rolling singletrack. This is some great high desert riding that should not be missed if you are in the area! Recommended Route:
I didn't do the south section as I was out of shape and was told the climbs are pretty heinous (especially for unacclimated flatlanders). I started at the Nature Conservancy trailhead near the junction of Cerro Gordo and Upper Canyon Road, going counter-clockwise on the perimeter of the central and north sections, a total of about 11 miles. These trails are just minutes from the Plaza, so they make for a great after-work roll. Other recommended trails in the same area:
Windsor Trail at Santa Fe Ski Area and South Boundary Trail near Angel Fire.
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Review Date
June 24, 2003 Overall Rating
5 of 5
Ridden Trail:
Ridden Once
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Reviewed by: Bill Snure
, from Amarillo, Tx Summary:
Just rode these trails once the weekend of 06/21-22/03. They are very close to Santa Fe so it is a great ride if you are in town. The trails are very nicely constructed and are in terrific shape. Hard packed and smooth. There is nothing technical in the north or central sections. There is some technical stuff in parts of the south section which doesn't seem to be as bike friendly.
As most reviewers have pointed out, the only complaint I have is the many switchbacks are not wide enough to comfortably ride a bike around.
The trails are incredibly well marked and you can't get lost. There are professionally made hard signs/maps at every intersection and there are many, many intersections. There are a multitude of different routes one can take. This being my first and only ride on the trails I didn't know which routes to take and it seemed like I ended up doing everything the hard way. Doing the steeps going up and the easier grades on the downhills. It wouldn't take long to figure out the best routes and directions to go. There is a lot of climbing but none of it is unrideable if you've got a great set of lungs and legs. I also wish there were paper maps available somewhere so you could make some notes as you go to tell future riders which way to go. It is an awesome project and a lot of money and work has gone into making is an extremely attractive place to ride.
I was amazed that I didn't see another bike on the trails when I was riding, which was a Saturday morning between 9 a.m. and about 1:30 p.m.
The fact that no motorized vehicles or horses are allowed keeps the trails really buff.
It is obvious as the sport of mountain biking matures how the trail design and building improves. Even tho some reviewers say these trails weren't built for mountain bikes. They are a great place to ride really close to Santa Fe. Recommended Route:
Unknown at this time, I need more time to figure it all out. Other recommended trails in the same area:
Winsor Trail for the Santa Fe Ski Basin to Santa Fe
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Review Date
April 29, 2002 Overall Rating
5 of 5
Ridden Trail:
Once a week
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Reviewed by: Crash
, from Los Alamos Summary:
This Trail system is a nice addition to this area's options the trail have a good mix of climbing and descents. but WATCH OUT for those switch backs they are very tight in most locations Most are ridable vrey few techincal challenges but a very fun place to ride this trail system will take a lot of hikers off of the windsor trail network so be prepared to let them by.
Recommended Route:
Can't say yet there are so many route choices. hit the parking lot and check it it out. Other recommended trails in the same area:
the new perimeter trail in Los Alamos is quite nice the new section has a lot of climbing and switchbacks. Come check it out
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Reviews 1 - 5 (10 Reviews Total)
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4.3 of 5
