Santa Fe Rail Trail to Lamy (Out-N-Back) Gravel

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Santa Fe, NM, US

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Route Overview

We Ride 4

Nonprofit addressing child obesity and healthy lifestyles by getting more kids riding bikes

34 mi.

1,484 ft.

This route is an excellent showcase of Santa Fe's Railyard Arts District, then takes you out of town to experience the amazing desert landscape with a feeling of being remote while riding on smooth gravel. Once you get on the Rail Trail, all of this route is completely off-road.

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Route Details

If you're in downtown Santa Fe start this route from the El Dorado Hotel. There's a public parking garage across the street. Grab a drink at the hotel bar after the ride while they store your bike in a secure storage room.

This is the perfect route if you are looking for smooth gravel paths, rolling terrain and great views of the surrounding mountains. It's a leisurely out and back route that works its way out of town using the Santa Fe Rail Trail. The trail begins at the historic Santa Fe Depot, in the Railyard arts district, and ends at U.S. Route 285, near Lamy, New Mexico and the Lamy station. The Santa Fe Rail trail is 15 miles long, is asphalted for the first 3.5 miles, and improved natural surface for 11.5 miles. The last few miles after you cross Rabbit Rd is unimproved single track all the way to Hwy 285.

To @poi[start](108017878) your ride on the rail trail, you will be making a left off of Montezuma Ave. Unfortunately, there is no break in the curb here so you have to "bunny hop" it to get onto the start of the trail.

Once you're on the trail you will immediately pass the  @poi[Old Santa Fe Train Depot](112438866) which was built in 1909. Full renovation was completed in September 2023.

For the next 1/2 mile you will be rolling through the @poi[Old Santa Fe Railyard Arts District](108018681). Take your time rolling through this area as you will see a lot of unique art in the area including some on the external @photo[walls of the buildings](15037983).

At a little over a mile from the start you will cross over St Frances Dr and start working your way out of the downtown area. At approximately 5.5 miles you will cross Rabbit Rd and enter the @poi[Rabbit Rd Rail Trail Parking Lot](112438973). Continue South through the parking lot to enter the gravel section of the trail. The remainder of the route from here all the way down to mile 15.3 @poi[Spur Ranch Rd](112439020) is smooth gravel. From this point to the end in @photo[Lamy](15037987) you will encounter single track with some moderately rough sections. At approximately mile 17, you will reach the @poi[Intersection with HWY 285](112439179). This is your turn around point.

If you are inclined you can take a detour into the town of Lamy before heading back to Santa Fe. This town was built around the original Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway which was chartered in 1859. The railway was originally planned to go directly into Santa Fe and continue to various other points to the West. However, as the tracks progressed west into New Mexico, the civil engineers in charge realized that the hills surrounding Santa Fe made this impractical. Hence, they built the railway line though Lamy, instead. Later on, a spur line was built from Lamy to Santa Fe, bringing the railroad to Santa Fe at last in 1909.

Follow the same route back into downtown Santa Fe to return to the start.

Santa Fe Rail Trail to Lamy (Out-N-Back) Gravel

Route Overview

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