Sugarite Canyon Tour

Dogs Leashed

E-Bikes Unknown

Features Views

Scarcely-used singletrack in Sugarite Canyon State Park with a nice mix of easy riding, punchy climbs, and a smattering of chunk, plus nice views and unique geological features.

$5/day parking pass for New Mexico state parks.

Park at the visitor's center ($5/day) and jump on the Lake Alice Trail heading north. You'll follow the creek and climb up some gulleys, crossing a couple bridges and joining the Lake to Lake Trail before reaching the parking lot at Lake Moloya. From here, you can do either loop (Wapiti Trail or Ponderosa Ridge Trail/Opportunity Trail).

Wapiti offers a grassy, steep climb and a ripping descent, straight up and back down, with a nice view of the lake below. Opportunity is my recommended climb on the western loop, with some steep, punchy sections and a few rock gardens. You'll pedal through scrub oak forest around the mesa before an extended descent back down to the lake.

From Lake Moloya, you can take the road up over the border to Lake Dorothea Wildlife Area and descend all the way down San Francisco Pass Trail if you wish.

Once back at the lake lot, it's pretty much all downhill on the Lake to Lake Trail back to your car.

Mining ruins scattered throughout the area. Multiple camping areas in the park.