The Great Divide Route is 6 days, 5 nights camping. Lava flows, Indian pueblos and American pioneer history. Unridden and unlimited explorations including El Malpais, New Mexico's Sawtooth Mountains, and the Coonridge Goat Dairy deep in the wilds of New Mexico. Up to 25 miles per day, on rugged roads. Itis not a very technical ride, off road skills are easy to learn on the ranch roads and double tracks that we start on. The last challenging riding is to the Davenport Lookout, our most technical day, and it's a good chance to try new skills. Our guides are expert instructors and most fit riders leave as solid intermediate Mtn.bikers.
We can provide nice Pro-Flex suspension bikes for $100 with this package. Most folks do prefer to rent one of our fleet rather than do the airport run around. All trips have 2 guides to do the camp, driving and guiding. So somewhere between 4 and 8 total people is our average group.
We like small groups where we are able share our local knowledge about New Mexico history and culture, something only a local company can do.
Your Itinerary
Day 1:
After an orientation breakfast in Albuquerque we'll drive west for an hour passing through Indian reservations on our way. As we enter the El Malpais National Monument, lava flows appear fresh and wrinkled . Some of these eruptions happened as recently as 1000 years ago. Here we will take in the amazing views from Sandstone Bluffs Overlook and then start our ride past dramatic formations as we follow the Divide. Our first nights camp will be at the edge of this great lava flow. After dinner enjoy some challenging explorations of the lava flow on foot. Mileage this day from 10 to 20
miles mostly pavement. Vehicle support is available on this ride.
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Day 2:
An early start this morning will take us out of the Nat'l Monument and into the remote backcountry. We'll follow a rugged dirt road as we explore American Pioneer History and the Ancestral Lands of the Acoma Indians. This area is rich in both Native and Homestead sites dating from the 1100's through the turn of this century. We'll visit ancient ruins and learn about the Natives that once lived here. After lunch we continue biking along the Divide and pitch camp in a pine/juniper forest. Elevation 7000 ft. Mileage this day is up to 25 miles on rugged dirt ranch roads. Vehicle support is available on this ride.
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Day 3:
Today we cut across the Divide into it's interior as we head out for a full days' adventure to the Coonridge Goat Dairy. This remote location sits atop the Divide at 8000 ft. and the people that live and work here are always happy to meet our group and show us around their self-sufficient 'Homestead'. After a tasty lunch and some gourmet goat cheese, we'll take in a view of tommorrows ride and then ride back to our camp. There is no vehicle support on this ride, mileage up to 28
miles on very rough roads and double track.
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Day 4:
The Sawtooth Mountains is our destination today and we'll cross a few large ranches as we bike into the Cibola National Forest. These roads will be smoother and fast, winding across mesas and sinks as we approach the spectacular Sawtooths. Views of the Divide and fun riding, camp tonight will be a welcome sight after our longest day.
Mileage up to 32 miles on smooth dirt roads. Vehicle support is available on this ride.
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Day 5:
A leisurely start this morning will give us time to stretch out and psyche up for our climb to Davenport Lookout perched atop the Sawtooth Mts. elevation 9354. This fire lookout gives us a chance to see the Divide extending south into the Apache and Gila Nat'l Forests. Lunch with a view and then downhill into the next canyon. Here we can see the Enchanted Tower, a world class rock climbing area. It boasts the only 5.14 climb in the state. This volcanic tower looks like a
mushroom and climbers seem to defy gravity. You can test your skills bouldering or just relax. Mileage about 15 miles on steep forest roads with advanced options for the tireless. Limited vehicle support on this ride.
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Day 6:
After breakfast we'll break camp, load up the bikes and drive out across the Plains of St. Augustine where the worlds largest radio telescope listens to outer space. The Very Large Array (VLA) was recently made famous in the movie 'Contact'. We can explore the visitors center and learn about these giant dishes and why this is such an important place for radio astronomy. After dining in Soccoro, we'll drive north following the Rio Grande back to Albuquerque for departing flights or to your hotel.
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Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Price does not include bike rentals, full suspension K2 bikes are available for $100 with this tour.
Also see tour packages in:
USA
New Mexico
Outdoor: Land Rambler
Bicycle Touring
Desert Expeditions
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