Historic Trails in the Nambé Badlands
A network of trails (22 miles total distance) has been used by hikers, equestrians, and mountain bikers in the Nambe Badlands for over 30 years. Many of these trail users have acted as stewards fostering a leave-no-trace presence.
Map 1 below shows all the trails that existed as of 2011 in the Nambé Badlands.
Barrancas del Norte Trail
Arroyo Seco Out-and-Back (aka “Borduin Trail”)
Access Trail from Arroyo Seco
Mountain Lion Arroyo Trail
Mountain Lion Arroyo Connector Trail
Al Arroyo Grande Trail
West Loop Trail
East Loop Trail
East Loop Shortcut Trail.
West Ridge Trail
Cholla Gauntlet Trail
Donner Party Trail
Eastward Upward Trail
Cerro Piñon Sucker Trail (dead-end)
Upper East Arroyo Seco Trail
Map 1. Hiking, biking, and equestrian trails in the Nambé Badlands area as of 2011 are shown here in green. Until recently, the blue trails were used as hiking and horseback riding trails and not mountain biking. Click on a trail number to see more details.
Green trails shown on Map 1 are trails used by hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians.
Blue trails are trails that were mainly used by hikers, with occasional equestrians. In the past couple of years (e.g., 2019-present), mountain biking has increased on these blue hiking trails.
Official BLM website for Nambé Badlands
This screenshot was taken October 31, 2021, from the BLM Taos Field Office’s website showing their “inventory” of one trail in the Nambé Badlands: “The Nambe Badlands Trail consists of two loops that cover about 5 miles of rolling terrain with several steep pitches. There are also excellent views of colorful eroded badlands.” The two loops likely refer to the long-term existing loops, The East Loop and the West Loop trails.
