Spring ADV Ride: Riley (Santa Rita)

Important: Please read the entire description.

Riders will meet at the Pilot Travel Center at 9220 Broadway Blvd SE, Albuquerque, NM 87105 on Saturday, April 18. Meet up will be at 8:00 AM with a pre-ride briefing at 8:15 AM, and a solid KSU at 8:30 AM.

From the Pilot Travel Center, we will take I-25 down to Belin and stop at the Love's Travel Stop for a quick break and fill up our tanks. It is very important that you fill-up here since this will be the last gas stop for at least three hours.

After the break, we will jump back on I-25 and exit the freeway at the Bernardo exit (Highway 60). Instead of taking Highway 60 towards Mountainair, we will take Old Highway 60 to Riley CR 12 (Camino Sierra Ladrones) with a quick photo op stop at the other Rio Puerco Bridge.

After the bridge, the off-pavement adventure begins. We will ride the 30 miles to the ghost town of Riley where we will stop for photos and a quick history lesson. There is a pavilion near the church where we can get some shade if needed. This part of the trip will take at least one hour: there are wash boards, sand traps, and sometimes ruts.

After Riley, we will cross the Rio Salado (this is a shallow water crossing); after the river crossing, we will ride to Magdalena via Riley Road (Forest Road 354). Even though this road is a little better than CR 12, it still has its challenges (sand traps, etc.).

We will fill up in Magdalena and grab lunch at the Tumbleweeds Diner.

After Lunch, we will take Highway 169 through Alamo and continue north to Sparrow Hawk Road. Please note that the last 11 miles of the road is unpaved with several sand traps.
From Sparrow Hawk Road, we will jump on Highway 6 right south of I-40, then take I-40 East back to Albuquerque.

Very Important Information Below!

Bring plenty of water and snacks: outside of Belin and Magdalena, there is nowhere to get supplies. The time between Belin and Magdelina will be approximately three (3) hours.

There will be no cellular coverage during most of the ride.

Even though these are mostly roads used by four wheelers, there will be some difficult sections, and it will be dusty, so please be prepared.

I have ridden this route with a KTM 1290, an Africa Twin 1000, and a KTM 390 ADV, so it’s very doable if the conditions are right. I did drop the larger bikes a few times.

Lastly, this ride could be cancelled or changed depending on conditions: after a heavy rain the difficulty becomes extreme.

If it is cancelled or changed, a back-up ride will be posted: probably to the Cabazon Peak area.