Our latest craze is bicycles. In the last three years we have purchased five bikes while learning about the industry in it's current iteration. Since we are interested in bikes so much I tend to lean towards that type of activity in most outdoor venues. We try to plan vacations around places that are friendly to bikes and try to ride 15-20 miles every week.
In planning our 2009 Chicago to Big Sur loop, I am always looking for bike friendly trails and rides. Not that we are going to ride cross country all the way from Illinois to California and back on bicycles; I don't have that much time available to me; yet. But, the type of trails that a bike makes sense on is when there is something to see at the end of the trail that would normally take all day to get to on foot.
La Ventana Arch, photo from mdpub.com
Only 36 miles long is the La Ventana Rock Arch Bike Ride near Gallup NM. I'm not sure why several guide directories list Gallup as the nearest town. It might have to do with the nearest, largest town; I'm not sure because there are a dozen or more closer towns than Gallup, many with motels and services.
The arch is in a cliff wall that is part of the El Malpais National Monument; a series of cliff walls that stretch out for a couple of miles; most attached in a continuous display of weather carved sandstone.
Whether you're driving east or west bound on I-40 in New Mexico, get off at exit 89 near Grants, and head south down Highway 117 for about ten miles or so. You'll see signs. You'll be in El Malpais National Monument at this point and there are some other things to see while there like some really large volcano craters and cones. You'll need to cross over to Highway 53 to see those and the best way to do that is just go back to I-40 and head north a couple of exits where 53 and 40 intersect, then head south on 53. It will take you back down into the National Monument again. You'll see signs for the various natural attractions of old volcanoes.
Bandera Volcano, photo from GoodEarthGraphics.com
There are numerous trails that traverse near the cones and craters and one of the craters, Bandera Crater is a relatively easy hike into because the cone is open on the south west side. Leave your bike on the rack for this hike and make sure you're wearing your sturdy boots and are carrying some water. It's hard to get lost on hikes like this because your point of reference is never out of site. The crater shell is well over 500 feet high and is over 1,000 feet across.
Editor
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Activity Type: Road Biking
Nearby City: Gallup
Length: 36 total miles
Trail Type: Out-and-Back
Skill Level: Physical: Long or steep ride
Duration: 2-3 hours
Trailhead Elev: 6400 feet
Top Elev: 6800 feet
Local Maps: La Ventana Rock Arch Bike Ride Topo Map Grants SE, Los Pilares, USGS
Guide Book: The Gallup Guide: Outdoor Routes in Red Rock Country Guide Book
Trails.com, GoodEarthGraphics.com
Stu Marks
Editor-in-Chief, Adventure-Space.com
Travel Editor, Adventure-Zone
Field Producer - Team Two