Mountain Bike

92.3 miles

Distance

7,799 ft

Climb

-10,844 ft

Descent

2 miles

High Point

From the mountainous heights of Cumbres Pass to the high-desert canyons near Ghost Ranch, this mostly-singletrack through-ride takes in some of Northern New Mexico's finest scenery enjoyed along some of the state's most sublime riding.

Developed camping accessible by car can be found every 20-25 miles making this a prime candidate for a 4-day shuttle-assisted slack-pack. Or saddle up and tackle it all in one grueling test of stamina.

Detailed Description

Carson Continental Divide Epic is a 92 mile popular intermediate route located near Tres Piedras New Mexico. This hike primary route can be used both directions and has a hard overall physical rating. This route includes 8 trails. This route climbs 7,799 ft with a max elevation of 11,027 ft then descends -10,844 ft.

Route Supporters

Taos Mountain Bike Association
Maintainer

Local Trail Association

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Trails in Route

	CDT (NM-Sec 31)				5 miles
	CDT (NM-Sec)				4,849 ft
	CDT (NM-Sec 31)				10 miles
	CDT (NM-Sec)				18 miles
	Hopewell Camp Connector				1,486 ft
	CDT (Hopewell Lake - Vallecito Mtn Ranch)				6 miles
	CDT (NM Sec 29)				19 miles
	CDT - Martinez Canyon				15 miles

Details

Riding area

Tres Piedras
Primary Activity

Hike
Other Activities
- Mountain Bike
- Horse
- Trail Running
Difficulty rating

Blue
Route Type

Shuttled
Bikepacking

Yes
Bike type

XC, Gravel
Direction

Both Directions
Physical rating

Hard

More Stats for Carson Continental Divide Epic mountain bike route

Avg time

28 hr 20 min
Altitude change

-3,047 ft
Altitude min

6,916 ft
Altitude start

9,969 ft
Altitude end

6,923 ft
Grade

-0.6%
Grade max

-54.9%
Grade min

60.4%
Distance climb

36 miles
Distance down

50 miles
Distance flat

5 miles

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Trail Conditions

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Unknown
Snow Groomed
Snow Packed
Snow Covered
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Freeze/thaw Cycle
Icy
Prevalent Mud
Wet
Variable
Ideal
Dry
Very Dry

Trail Flow (Ridden Direction)

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Trail Popularity ?

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ATV/ORV/OHV Filter

ATV - 50 inches
OHV, SxS - 60 inches
Jeep - 72 inches

Max Vehicle Width

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Ridelog Year

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x Activity Recordings

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mountain biking recent
mountain biking (>6 month)
hiking (1 year)
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Winter Trails

Warning A routing network for winter maps does not exist. Selecting trails using the winter trails layer has been disabled.

x Missing Trails

trail	date	description
CDT (NM-Sec 31)	Jul 7, 2024 @ 7:45pm Jul 7, 2024	Riding good overall right now. Some muddy sections for about a 1.5 mile stretch along the first main descent and most of the climb following the first stream crossing. Fallen trees are not much of an issue at this time, just two spots where they are blocking the trail.
CDT (Hopewell Lake - Vallecito Mtn Ranch)	Sep 5, 2023 @ 8:21am Sep 5, 2023	Trail is open and riding great.
Hopewell Camp Connector	Jul 30, 2023 @ 7:34am Jul 30, 2023	Great Conditions.
CDT (NM-Sec 31)	Aug 6, 2020 @ 3:01pm Aug 6, 2020	Clear except for a group of downed trees just north of Lagunitas Campground (where the trail comes out on an exposed dirt slope).
CDT (NM-Sec)	Aug 6, 2020 @ 2:58pm Aug 6, 2020	No downed trees. However, trail (better described as an old road bed) is overgrown in some sections and holding water from the monsoons.