more stats
1.9 miles
Distance
681 ft
Climb
-9 ft
Descent
00:25:45
Avg time
673 ft
Altitude change
7,754 ft
Altitude min
8,428 ft
Altitude max
7,755 ft
Altitude start
8,428 ft
Altitude end
6.8%
Grade
-16.3%
Grade max
40.9%
Grade min
2 miles
Distance climb
489 ft
Distance down
784 ft
Distance flat
00:25:45
Avg time

Nail Trail Details

  • Activities
    • Mountain Bike
    • Hike
    • Trail Running
  • Riding Area
    Los Alamos
    , New Mexico
  • Difficulty Rating
    Black Diamond Rate
  • Voted Difficulty
    Double Black Diamond (1 vote)
  • Local Popularity
    80 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • 45 in Trail Running
    • 5 in Hiking
  • Global Ranking
    #101714 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • #151641 in Trail Running
    • #326012 in Hiking
  • State Ranking
    #865 in Mountain Biking · New Mexico [+]
    • #1,192 in Trail Running
    • #2,491 in Hiking
  • Trail Type
    Singletrack
  • Bike Type
    AM, XC
  • Climb Difficulty
    Double Black Diamond
  • Physical Rating
    Hard
  • Dogs Allowed
    Yes

Nail Trail climbs from the bottom of Pajarito://www.trailforks.com/trails/pajarito-canyon/]Pajarito Canyon[/L]/Dungeon climbing parking area onto a finger mesa, then connects to upper Pajarito://www.trailforks.com/trails/pajarito-canyon/]Pajarito Canyon[/L] or Camp May trails.

The first 1/4 mile of the trail is rocky and technical and cleaning it going uphill is an accomplishment. After this, it's non-technical doubletrack for an additional mile before veering left (continuing right on the doubletrack allows access to Camp May trails) on mellow singletrack for an additional 3/4 of a mile.

If you're looking for a continuous black diamond trail, this is NOT it. The majority of the trail is doubletrack or easy singletrack with only a short section of black diamond rock crawling.

Combined with Gabriella, 2mile mesa, and Camp May this makes an excellent and challenging loop from town in either direction - most riders prefer to climb Nail Trail (mostly doubletrack) and descend Camp May (100% singletrack).

Tags

Trail Supporters

Local Trail Association

Traditionally Indigenous Territory

Recent Activity on Trail

Past Week
  • 0 rides
  •  
6 Months
  • 6 rides
  • 11 miles avg distance
All
  • 25 rides
  • Last: Oct 22, 2026
c1c2c3c4
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
update trails status or condition

Nail Trail Trail Reports

statusdatedescription
Apr 24, 2025 @ 8:27pm
Apr 24, 2025
 Good to go as of 4/24/25
Sep 9, 2024 @ 10:57am
Sep 9, 2024
 Recent storm wrecked the lower portion of the trail even more, it's almost unrideable before the rock section now.
May 12, 2020 @ 5:45pm
May 12, 2020
May 26, 2019 @ 3:18pm
May 26, 2019
 Not “closed,” but trees down after the connector..... mostly cleared before that from the trail run
May 26, 2019 @ 3:17pm
May 26, 2019
 Not “closed,” but trees down all over after the connector....
more »
Status:
on Apr 24, 2025
Dry
Avg: 3.36 (2 votes)
Your vote: 0

view (218)
close
      Directions to nail-trail trailhead (35.867830, -106.352880)
      View on Discover Map

      Photos

      1 more »
      report
      mtb
      92 |
      May 26, 2019 @ 3:17pm
      May 26, 2019

      Videos

      1 more »
      WTF NICO
      mtb
      0:13 | 547 | Oct 28, 2015 , Los Alamos
      1.5 ★★★★★
      2 Ratings
      5 ★
      4 ★
      3 ★
      2 ★ 50%
      1 ★ 50%

      5 Reviews & Comments

      mainflyer
      Concur with others - this is not a double black unless perhaps, you are climbing it. It was somewhat fun descending at speed but not as technical as the rating would suggest. The Camp May Road trail makes for a more dynamic singletrack descent.
      mosemancr
      Whoever marked this as double black diamond is retarded. This is not technical, maybe barely a blue. It’s 99 percent double track/fire road!
      lyophilization
      I was pretty disappointed when riding this trail.
      There are really technical rocky sections, but the majority of the trail is either mellow single track, or old fire road. I guess my expectations were not aligned with reality...

      I can't imagine riding up this...props to those that do.

      We hope you've been enjoying Trailforks!

      Create a FREE account to view all trail reviews and much more.

      Create a Free Account

      Nearby Trails

      Los Alamos

      • By nealpedersonTF Pro LATR & contributors
      • #18645 - 2,355 views

      Frequently Asked Questions

      ▼ Where is Nail Trail located?
      Nail Trail is located in Los Alamos, New Mexico, United States. It is part of the Los Alamos trail network. The trailhead is located at coordinates 35.86783, -106.35288.
      ▼ How hard is Nail Trail?
      Nail Trail is rated as Black Diamond difficulty. The physical rating is Hard. The average grade is 6.8%. The climb difficulty is rated Double Black Diamond.
      ▼ What is the elevation gain for Nail Trail?
      Nail Trail has 681 ft of elevation gain. The trail has 9 ft of elevation descent. The elevation ranges from 7,754 ft to 8,428 ft.
      ▼ How long is Nail Trail?
      Nail Trail is 1.9 miles long. The trail type is singletrack.
      ▼ Are dogs allowed on Nail Trail?
      Yes, dogs are allowed on Nail Trail. Please keep dogs on a leash where required and clean up after them.
      ▼ How do I access Nail Trail? Where is the closest parking trailhead?
      The closest parking and trailhead locations to Nail Trail are: View all parking locations in the area.
      ▼ How long does it take to ride Nail Trail?
      Based on recorded activities, it takes an average of 26 minutes to ride Nail Trail. The trail is 1.9 miles long. Actual times will vary based on fitness level, conditions, and pace. View recent activity logs for more details.
      ▼ How busy is Nail Trail?
      Nail Trail is a very popular trail. There have been 222 recorded activities on this trail. The trail has received 218 check-ins. View recent activity on this trail.

      Hit the Trail

      Open in App

      Get this trail on your phone instantly.
      open trail in app

      Download Trail

      Save to wishlist, Garmin & download.
      save the trail

      Find Related Routes

      Find routes and users activities that include this trail.
      find routes for this trail

      You must enter a description before submitting.