The Best Mountain Bike Park In The Southwest
In the beautiful southern Rockies in northern New Mexico, Angel Fire Bike Park, the largest bike park in the Rocky Mountains, offers over 60+ miles of bike trails for your spring and summer enjoyment. Named consecutively as the best bike park in the southwest, you’ll be met with groomed trails, jumps, drops, and other versatile freeride and technical features.
Take the chairlift to the top of the summit at 10,677 feet. Prepare for a high adrenaline windswept adventure down the mountain with views of the gorgeous Moreno Valley. Are you or someone in your group new to mountain biking? The park features a three-hour Ready To Ride program to teach you the skills you need to know when biking downhill.
Angel Fire Mountain Bike Park Trails Are Truly Dialed In
Deserving its reputation, Angel Fire Bike Park continues to grow and be known worldwide as having optimal bike terrain. First opened in the summer of 1995, it has since hosted several Pro GRT events and downhill and enduro races. It even was the site of the 2005 Mountain Biking World Cup.
The golden aspens, junipers and rock formations make Angel Fire an ideal place for a mountain biking enthusiast to vacation. In a town with a laid-back vibe, average daily temperatures of 77 degrees and plenty of wildlife to see on your exploration, you’ll feel the raw power of the mountain as you zip down vertices ranging from 2,000 to 8,000 feet.
Technical Trails For Every Skill Level
From beginner and easy trails like the Easy Street and Chipmunk trails to challenging vertical rides on the Upper Boogie and Graveyard trails, there’s enough to gratify every skill level. Discover locally made wooden bridges, berms, and other natural features like rocks and logs as you make your way down organically constructed trails.
Beginner To Intermediate Favorites
Most beginning mountain bikers at Angel Fire begin on the green trails with few if any berms and a gradual descent. The Easy Street trail is highly recommended. It offers 7 miles of smooth terrain, a few banked turns and small rollers to get you started.
For an intermediate introduction to the drop, try Lemonade. Lemonade is a trail where you can pick up speed and access an intro jump line with big berms and tabletops. In fact, there’s a small jump as soon as you leave the chairlift, fun twists and turns with some easier declines in which you can catch your breath.
Next up is the Duchess. Another green trail, the Duchess offers a comfortable 1,358 ft of beginner riding with some small drops. It’s a single-track trail through a scenic line of pine and aspen trees.
Advanced Technical Trails At Angel Fire Bike Park
The Angel’s Drop Trail starts at the top of the summit and descends 8,000 feet. Here you will find an enduro-style trail filled with various jumps, berms, and smaller drops along the way.
If you are looking for a rough and bumpy technical trail the Upper Boogie is right for you. Considered one of the most challenging trails at the bike park, the Upper Boogie trail will have you riding down a steep, extremely rocky and root-filled decline.
Ideal Freeride Terrain In The Rockies
Access over a dozen freeride trails where you can jump and freestyle your way down the Sangre Cristo Mountains on various natural and manmade structures.
Since freeride trails already require intermediate to advanced skills, the most popular blue trails are for intermediates who can navigate jumps, rougher terrain and vertical descent.
Trails To Introduce You To Freeride Mountain Biking
The Diesel and Jazz Hands trails are highly recommended. They are both laid-back descents filled with a few bermed turns, table tops, short jumps and a few drops as you make your way down the mountain.
By many accounts, Boulder Dash may be the favorite trail of bikers at both intermediate and advanced levels. One of the longest descents in the park, at 1.6 miles, the Boulder Dash trail will have you jumping and twisting on scenic mountain trails from the top to the base of the summit.
Freeride Trails For Experts
Not rated the hardest of all freeride trails, but one of the favorites is Chutes & Ladders. It involves large features like wooden ramps, wall rides, bridges, drops, skinnies, and additional man-made features.
Let’s not forget the fast decline of Davinci’s Code. Be ready to use your brakes as you will encounter a drop-in, several steep pitches, wooden ramps and tight hairpin turns.
Safety At Angel Fire Bike Park:
- Helmets are required
- Bike rentals & rental of protective gear is available
- Bike patrol is always on-site during operational hours
- Call (575) 377-4383 in case of emergency
Additional Information & Tips:
- Park is open from May through October (May 19 – October 29, 2023), dates vary every year.
- Lift will be spinning every weekend (Fri-Sun) from May 19 – May 29, 7 days a week from May 30 – Sept 4, then every weekend (Fri-Sun) to finish out the season from Sept 8- Oct 29.
- Check the chairlift and trail statuses here, before you go.
- Tickets can be purchased here.
- There is a bike shop and rentals available onsite. See more information and pricing here.
The best thing about Angel Fire Park Park is that it’s a playground for all. With many trails that cater to all skill levels, you’ll enjoy fun in the mountains whether it’s your first time on a mountain bike or you’ve been biking for years. Plan your visit today!