Fat Tire Society, Forest Service working in tandem on new Arroyo Hondo Trails

Sep. 19—Carl Gable has used the Arroyo Hondo area as an outlet for exploration for the past two decades.

While mountain biking on a network of legacy logging roads or hiking off trail with friends, Gable has gotten well acquainted with the secluded region of ponderosa forest east of Atalaya Mountain and west of Apache Canyon that contains gulleys that hold colorful wildflowers and ridges that offer clear views of the surrounding mountains.

Gable and other longtime Santa Fe Fat Tire Society members saw the potential in the landscape for a new trail network during their repeated trips to the forest north of Cañada de los Alamos. Through close collaboration with

Santa Fe National Forest, they're now making their vision a reality.

More than 1,200 volunteer hours have gone into creating 3.9 miles of trails since the Pecos/Las Vegas Ranger District gave approval to begin work on the Arroyo Hondo Trails Project in August of last year. The completed trails are open for public use while work continues on other sections. About 9 miles of trails are expected to be complete by the end of spring.

Through a multiphase, multiyear plan of building new single-track trails and incorporating legacy two-track roads, the system could eventually grow to more than 25 miles.

Hiking Friday along trails he helped to plan and build, Gable noted the silence of the forest and the absence of anyone around. He hopes the new trail network brings out more bikers and hikers to this previously seldom-used public land, even if it means he'll see more people in a place that could sometimes feel like his own private playground.

"I'm not in the, 'Keep it to myself; don't tell anyone,' category," said Gable, a recently retired geophysicist at Los Alamos National Laboratory. "To me, it's a positive opportunity to open it up to more people."

The Fat Tire Society has been building multiuse trails at places including Galisteo Basin Preserve and La Tierra Trails since the nonprofit was formed in 2010. Though it has worked with Santa Fe National Forest on maintaining existing trails, such as the popular Winsor Trail, this is the first time the group has been approved to build new trails in a forest that has seen little expansion to its trail inventory in recent decades.

While most trails will be multiuse, bi-direction trails, the Arroyo Hondo project will also include Santa Fe National Forest's first mountain bike-specific, unidirectional trails.

There are plans for a half-mile downhill trail to be machine built (by a mini-excavator) next month on the east side of Arroyo Hondo. An additional 1 1/2 -mile downhill section will be built on the west side.

Henry Lanman III, son of founding Fat Tire Society member Henry Lanman Jr., and Tina Lanman, will be building the mountain bike-specific downhill trails with Teddy Jaramillo. The two friends and avid mountain bikers make up Rocket Ramps, a company that builds bike trails and manufactures ramps.

After completing work on a project at Glorieta Camps, the duo will begin on the half-mile section of swoopy downhill at Arroyo Hondo in October. The trail is expected to be fully completed by spring.

"We're going to build a single-track trail that is speed controlled," Lanman said. "It's going to be fast, and it's going to be flowy. It's going to be minimal impact, and it's going to be really fun."

It took a lot of work to get to this point — much of it paperwork.

Tim Fowler is an original member of the Fat Tire Society and on the club's board. Fowler said he, Gable and fellow member Nigel Otto each put hundreds of hours into exploration and trail planning. Then it took nearly two years of meetings and exchanging emails and documents with Santa Fe National Forest staff to develop a project plan that would be compliant with the National Environmental Policy Act and other forest regulations.

The Fat Tire Society also put up thousands of dollars in group fees and donations toward archaeological surveys to make sure the trails wouldn't disturb culturally significant sites.

Fowler, a 51-year-old web developer and certified trail crew leader, said all the volunteer hours he logged during the development process feel worth it when he sees the new trails go in.

"Frankly, the paperwork and dealing with all of that is the necessity," he said. "Actually getting out there with folks and putting tools in dirt is the fun part. Then, when you get to ride it after all is said and done, that's icing on the cake."

Access to the trails could be a hurdle for some interested users.

The trailhead area for the system is north of Cañada de los Alamos at the end of Forest Road 79. After driving a dirt road about a quarter-mile past the forest boundary, the road becomes extremely rough and rocky in sections of the last 2 1/2 miles to the trailhead. A high-clearance vehicle like a pickup or Jeep is required and lower-profile vehicles shouldn't attempt the rough drive.

Users not wanting to test the road can park at the point about a quarter-mile past the forest boundary and hike or bike up the remaining stretch.

Gable said high costs make improving the road unlikely anytime soon and so the Fat Tire Society has proposed incorporating a trail running from the lower parking area to the trailhead for Phase Two of the project. This would allow users without heavy-duty vehicles to have a better alternative to hiking or biking up the rough stretch of road.

Archaeological surveys for Phase Two of the project, which will mostly bring in existing legacy roads and trails into the system and make them more sustainable against erosion, will begin in winter or early spring.

While the Fat Tire Society was working with the Forest Service on its trail plan, Santa Fe National Forest was revising its Forest Management Plan that hadn't been updated since 1987. The Fat Tire Society was involved in the public input process, advocating for continued access to trails mountain bikers currently have while also encouraging more trail development.

The new Forest Plan was released at the end of July, and Fat Tire Society members and Santa Fe National Forest employees say it allows for more collaboration with other agencies and organizations than the 35-year-old plan.

"The nature of our work and how we do work has changed significantly and the new plan definitely reflects that in terms of placing high importance on our doing business in a partnership fashion much more as a matter of routine than ever before," said Bjorn Fredrickson, Public Services Staff Officer with Santa Fe National Forest.

Fredrickson credited the Fat Tire Society for being able to rally volunteers to complete the amount of work that's been done to this point. He said the Forest Service will partner with the group to seek grant opportunities and other Forest Service funding to bring more resources to the table.

The Fat Tire Society applied for a $93,000 grant with Outdoor Recreation Division of the New Mexico Economic Development Department for the project and hopes to know the outcome soon.

Funding can be used for things like archaeological surveys, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars, or to bring in workers from other organizations for trail work. Members of the New Mexico Youth Conservation Corps assisted in trail building last week.

Volunteers are also welcome to contact the Fat Tire Society to join in on the project. Gable said he will be leading a group of 20 Santa Fe Preparatory School students to help build trail Tuesday.

To have a major role in laying the groundwork for the Arroyo Hondo Trails Project, then to see so many people come together to bring it to life has been a thrill for Fowler and the other Fat Tire Society members.

"It's hard to describe how gratifying it really is," Fowler said. "Getting out there and actually riding it and seeing other people's reactions when they ride it is great."

Learn more

Volunteer: To find out about how to join the Santa Fe Fat Tire Society or volunteer with the group at Arroyo Hondo, visit santafefattiresociety.org.

Getting there: Arroyo Hondo Trails can be accessed from Forest Road 79 north of Cañada de los Alamos. After about a quarter-mile past the forest boundary, the road becomes very rough and requires a high-clearance vehicle for the last 2.5 miles. Those without a high-clearance vehicle can park before the section and hike or bike up the road.

Trail maps: See the maps of the trails in the area at trailforks.com/region/arroyo-hondo-headwaters.