Jemez Mts, NM

[Tommys]

Hello OB Members,
I just finished a simple trek in the Jemez Mts this past Christmas and it was great!
Please note, I was camping at Fenton Lake, SP and ventured towards Cuba, NM.
I took an off road option (NM-126) towards Cuba, NM (29 miles) and it was commoving for my family as well as for me.
Captain of a 2WD Trailblazer, it was not a problem for my modified mode of transportation. In fact, it was perfect! With its scenic dirt roads and scary bends up the MTS, it was a good balance of safe and rivaling choices which made the excursion worth its 45 min trip.

After coming into a valley with seamless views, it was obvious that I was in an area of NM that the greater population was able to experience. I was OVERLANDING!

After Mooncanyon, I realized that the civilization of Cuba, NM was not far away.
In the end, it was a good travel with not so much technical maneuvers as much as a country road with challenging turns.

Try it! It was less harsh and more pleasant to experience.
T

 

[PinnaclePete]

Our family had a cabin up in the mountains above La Cueva. Hundreds of miles of roads and trails to explore. Beautiful part of the state.

 

[theBROFESSOR]

Love love love New Mexico. Beautiful scenery and awesome food!

 

[Tommys]

Love love love New Mexico. Beautiful scenery and awesome food!

I agree! Fantastic area for vacation, camping and of course OVERLANDING.

 

[HoffmanMark]

Trying to plan a trip to NM The Weeknd before July 4th with some buddies. We want it to be an off roading trip for 2-3 days. Does this mountain area have some good off road routes that aren’t too technical?

 

[Tommys]

Absolutely. I will pull my course work out tonight and give you the information to use as you see fit. For now, check out a few videos of mine. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbKuf_XNgbYNYzq7Kiz9xskF8gbTqNiaD

 

[HoffmanMark]

Absolutely. I will pull my course work out tonight and give you the information to use as you see fit. For now, check out a few videos of mine. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbKuf_XNgbYNYzq7Kiz9xskF8gbTqNiaD

Great thanks!

 

[Ben S]

There are a lot of great hikes and sights to see in the Jemez: Gilman Tunnels, Jemez Historic site, Soda Dam, Battleship Rock, Valles Caldera, Bandelier. Las Conchas Day Use Site is a nice pit stop for a meal, and there are even some Hot Springs that you can hike to if you want to get wet. However, most of those mentioned are off the Jemez scenic byway. The Jemez can get busy during holiday weekends, but there are a lot of dispersed campsites. I have used the forest roads in the area and all have been easy to navigate.

 

[Tommys]

Great thanks!

Getting back to you...i just pulled up some paper work from our trip. Some areas are near or under the current fire problem in NM. It might change you plans, especially with routes. If it was me, i would check out the current fire reports and stay close to openings and closures. After a major fire some of those roads are gated shut. I would hate for you to map something out with a onslaught of detours.
For now, Google Map these road numbers. It is an easy way to see the terrain.
Fenton SP to Cuba using NM-126
Cuba Towards Antonito, CO using 112
Great Sand Dunes to Gardner at CO-150
Check out El Vado Dam Zapata Falls
550 to Garnder is good too

 

[HoffmanMark]

Getting back to you...i just pulled up some paper work from our trip. Some areas are near or under the current fire problem in NM. It might change you plans, especially with routes. If it was me, i would check out the current fire reports and stay close to openings and closures. After a major fire some of those roads are gated shut. I would hate for you to map something out with a onslaught of detours.
For now, Google Map these road numbers. It is an easy way to see the terrain.
Fenton SP to Cuba using NM-126
Cuba Towards Antonito, CO using 112
Great Sand Dunes to Gardner at CO-150
Check out El Vado Dam Zapata Falls
550 to Garnder is good too

Thank you for the info!

 

[Tommys]

You are welcome. Take a look at Gilman Tunnels, as mentioned above. That is a cool trail and sight. Send pics!

 

[empty80]

As of last weekend NM-126 was open. That said, all the scenic view and camping areas along the route was either taped off or in the process of being taped off. Santa Fe National Forest has been closed until further notice due to acute drought conditions.

 

[FireMedicPQ1]

I have to share one of my favorite Jemez stories. I agree that this area is amazing with lots to discover. I was on a weekend fishing/camping/overland outing with some friends. We stopped in an area that is a favorite hang out for black bears. While scouting the area my trail-dog Banjo decided that she needed to mark "rolling in a pile of bear poop" off her bucket list (this was her shaming photo). Needless to say, we had to use our precious drinking water to rinse her off before she got back in the truck (there wasn't a stream close by). Too bad that we've had such a bad rain/snow season that much of the forest is closed. Hopefully we will have a good monsoon season. See y'all on the trails.

 

[Tommys]

As of last weekend NM-126 was open. That said, all the scenic view and camping areas along the route was either taped off or in the process of being taped off. Santa Fe National Forest has been closed until further notice due to acute drought conditions.

Good info, thanks!

 

[Dave Decker]

As of last weekend NM-126 was open. That said, all the scenic view and camping areas along the route was either taped off or in the process of being taped off. Santa Fe National Forest has been closed until further notice due to acute drought conditions.

Yep, that's a fact. I tried going up there yesterday and everything was closed off. A friend of mine was in the area on Sunday and was chased out by the sheriff. Once it opens back up however, it's a great area to check out. In the meantime, you can head out to the Mt. Taylor district, they don't close until June 22nd.