The Best Trailheads
and Parking
Back to Trails home page
Cloudcroft Trails
Alamo Peak - Good trailhead for expert
motorcycle riders
Lots of people park here. The narrow pavement could be conducive to a head-on collision. If you have a street-legal bike, this may be the best place to park.
From Cloudcroft, take Hwy 130 south 1.8 miles. Go right on 6563, the Sunspot Highway, drive 6.2 miles and turn right on FR 64D, a single-lane paved road. There are several parking areas along this 1.7 mile road. Keep in mind T109, Switchback, will be closed in 2009.
Atkinson Canyon - Another great trailhead for
motorcycle riders.
Beautiful spot for large or small groups. Provides immediate access to the top of T110 and T111 and is located midway along T105, allowing
better motorcycle riders to make loop rides in either direction. This area also
provides access to some Forest Roads, which would be good for beginners or
four-wheelers.
From Cloudcroft, take Hwy 130 south 1.8 miles. Go right on 6563, the Sunspot Highway, drive 8 miles to milepost 8. Go 0.6 mile further and turn right on FR 640, the Atkinson Canyon Rd. Drive 0.8 mile to the head of the canyon. After crossing the cattleguard, large and small parking areas are available within the next 1/8 mile or so.
Forest Road 64 - Great parking area for motorcycle riders
This is also a very popular area for hunters, so parking may be limited, especially for more than two vehicles.
Many loop rides are possible from this area.
From Cloudcroft, take Hwy 130 south 1.8 miles. Go right on 6563, the Sunspot Highway, drive 13.1 miles, turn left and cross a cattle guard on Forest Road (FR) 64, a good
graveled road. There are only a few places to park close to the Sunspot Highway, but anywhere close to this area is
good for motorcycle riders who want to ride the most trails possible in one day.
Benson Ridge - Best area for ATVs, novice riders and children
Several parking spots for large or small groups. Provides access to 5005, 5006, 5007, and 251, allowing riders to make loop rides in several directions.
From Cloudcroft, take Hwy 130 south 1.8 miles. Go right on 6563, the Sunspot Highway, drive 6 miles to milepost 6. After another 0.2 mile, turn left on Forest Road (FR) 223, the Benson Ridge Road. Follow the road 3.3 miles to where it crosses a cattleguard and comes to a T. This is the intersection with FR 5007. Trails 5006 and 5007 can be accessed to the right and 5005 and 251 (old T9236B) can be accessed to the left.
Queen & Sitting Bull Falls
Klondike Gap - An intersection
There is no really good parking spot in this area. I'm suggesting this intersection as a point of reference more than anything. If you are able to transport your scooters over rough roads, there is a wonderful parking area about a half mile down 307. I am not sure, however, exactly where the private property ends in this area. My son and I have parked on the west side of 540 about a half mile before the Klondike Gap intersection. This puts us fairly close to good riding, without banging over rough roads in our tow vehicle. It does require riding a half-mile or so over a
well-traveled gravel road. This can be no fun when meeting traffic.
From Queen, take Hwy 137 west to FR 540. Turn left and follow the best-maintained gravel road to Klondike Gap.