The best cycling routes around Santa Fe

Santa Fe offers a wide selection of touring cycling routes, with over 18 routes documented on komoot. These routes cater to various skill levels, including easy, moderate, and difficult options.

Touring cycling in Santa Fe features diverse terrain, ranging from high desert vistas with sandstone cliffs and arroyos to piñon, juniper, and ponderosa pine forests. You'll also encounter mountain foothills, particularly in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, and scenic views of the Rio Grande Valley.

Santa Fe boasts over 325 days of sunshine annually, making it suitable for cycling through much of the year. Spring and fall generally offer the most pleasant temperatures for touring, avoiding the hottest summer days and potential winter snow at higher elevations. The semi-arid climate ensures many clear days.

Yes, Santa Fe has several options for beginner touring cyclists. The region offers 4 easy routes, perfect for those new to touring or looking for a relaxed ride. The Santa Fe Rail Trail is a popular choice, offering 15 miles of paved and dirt roads with minimal elevation changes. The La Tierra Trails also provide over 25 miles of trails with minimal elevation, suitable for a leisurely pace.

Absolutely. For experienced touring cyclists seeking a challenge, Santa Fe provides 4 difficult routes. The Shore of the Cubillas Reservoir – Cortijo Lapuente Ruins loop from El Jau is a notable difficult route, covering 37.6 miles with significant elevation gain. Areas like Pacheco Canyon and Arroyo Hondo also offer more demanding rides.

Yes, many touring cycling routes in Santa Fe are designed as loops, allowing you to start and end at the same point. Examples include the popular El Temple Loop from Santa Fe, a 23.5-mile route, and the Santa Fe – Great agricultural landscape loop from Santa Fe, which is 20.4 miles long.

Santa Fe's touring cycling routes often pass by or near various natural and historical landmarks. You might encounter natural features like the La Malahá Badlands or the Santa Fe Hot Springs. In the city, routes can lead you past historical sites like Plaza Nueva, Granada, or offer views from points like San Nicolás Viewpoint.

For families, the Santa Fe Rail Trail is an excellent choice, offering a relatively flat and accessible path. The La Tierra Trails also provide a network of easy trails with minimal elevation, suitable for riders of all ages. These trails allow families to enjoy the scenic high desert landscape together.

Santa Fe offers breathtaking scenic highlights. The Santa Fe National Forest Scenic Byway provides stunning views of the Rio Grande Valley and the distant Jemez Mountains as you climb through diverse forests. The Santa Fe – Puerta de Granada loop from Santa Fe also offers picturesque landscapes, traversing varied terrain with significant elevation changes.

The touring cycling routes around Santa Fe are highly rated by the komoot community, with an average score of 5.0 stars from over 4 reviews. Cyclists often praise the diverse landscapes, from high desert to mountain foothills, and the variety of routes available for different skill levels. The clear weather and stunning views are frequently highlighted as major draws.

Many routes in Santa Fe offer views of the majestic Sangre de Cristo Mountains, as the city is nestled in their foothills. Routes that climb into the Santa Fe National Forest, such as those leading towards Ski Santa Fe, provide particularly dramatic vistas of these mountains and the surrounding forested areas.

The elevation gain on touring cycling routes in Santa Fe varies significantly depending on the route's difficulty and length. For example, a moderate route like the Bike loop from Santa Fe, which is 12.1 miles long, has an elevation gain of approximately 284 meters. More challenging routes can feature much greater ascents, with some difficult routes exceeding 790 meters of elevation gain.