The Taos South Loop is located in Northern New Mexico. Starting in Rancho de Taos, this route skirts along the edge of Taos before heading into the valley of the Rio Fernando de Taos. The road follows this valley, winding and climbing to eventually cross the top at Palo Flechado Pass. The descent down from the pass is a bit steeper and more curvy and eventually emerges onto the valley floor before turning South and heading into Angel Fire.
From Angel Fire, the road leads South through the low valleys and canyons. This part of the route is filled with gentle curves and a gently rolling landscape. In Mora, the route turns to the Northeast and begins to climb the hills again. There is an optional side trip to Chacon in this section for those riders who want to explore this valley as well.
The climb up out of the valley is made up of gentle curves with a few sweeping switchbacks. The road zig zags along between the hilltops and eventually descends down the other side for a short time before climbing up another hillside to the Apache Canyon Viewpoint. From there the road continues to descend before emerging onto the desert floor and a short ride back to the starting point in Rancho de Taos.
Motorcycle Rides, New Mexico, Eagle Nest, Guadalupita, Chacon, Mora, Angel Fire
Location: Northern New Mexico
Approximate Mileage: 120 miles
Estimated Riding Time: 3.5 Hours
Surface: Paved
Attractions:
Taos Visitor Center, Linda Rauch Gallery, Elliot Barker Trail, Angel Fire Visitor Center, Mount Verde Lake, Coyote Creek State Park, Sipapau Ski Resort, Vadito Scenic Viewpoint, Apache Canyon Viewpoint, Pot Creek Culture Site
Taos South Loop
If you are riding with a group, we ask that every person using our route for navigation purchase their own copy.
In order to encourage this, we are happy to offer a discount for group purchases. Please contact us after purchasing 1 item at full price, and we will set up a coupon code that will give everyone in your group 50% off of the same item.
Our digital routes are designed to operate in most GPS devices. In addition to GPSs, our routes should work with several smartphone apps. They will NOT work on Google Maps or Apple Maps.
If you plan on using a smartphone app, we recommend the REVER app. REVER will work with both Android and iOS and in addition to navigation it has many other great features.
For best results in REVER, download the route to your computer first, then import into your smartphone. Turn by turn may not work, so we recommend that you utilize the "Follow the Line" option.
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