Chile Challenge Lite (1 Viewer)

[Stepmurr]

I will not be able to go to the Chile Challenge this year so I decided to re-run some of the old Chile Challenge trails in the Robledo mountains.

I last ran these trails in 2009 just before the creation of the Trackways National Monument Prehistoric Trackways National Monument | Bureau of Land Management

The Las Cruces Four Wheel Drive Club used a lot of trails in the Robledos for their annual Chile Challenge. The BLM told them they could not hold the event within the boundaries of the new monument so they moved the event north to around Caballo Lake.

The Las Cruces Four Wheel Drive Club has done a great job working with the BLM to keep most of the original trails open for casual driving and has marked most of the intersections with trail numbers and ratings. They have a very good set of maps on their website:

Welcome to Las Cruces Four Wheel Drive Club

lascrucesfourwheeldriveclub.com

Fraggle Rock along I-10

Driving around the WWII era bombing bullseye near the Las Cruces Airport

Box Canyon Dam - start of the first day's trail

Box Canyon trail

I cut this turn too much and got hung up on this rock

 

[Stepmurr]

Mo Pics

Bad driving skills . . .

old watering site

Perfect weather

Quite a drop

 

[Stepmurr]

Mo pics

These ledges don't look as bad in the pictures . . .

Sawtooth mountains in the distance

Short rainstorm in the afternoon

 

[Stepmurr]

Saturday Morning

The maps show the Box Canyon trail connects to the main Trackways trails so I thought I should head that way Saturday morning.

Las Cruces airport

Interesting mud erosions

These ledges don't look as bad in the pictures . . .

 

[Stepmurr]

Mo Pics

Very definition of high tailin it

Ok, so this ledge does look as bad in the picture . . .

The bypass was pretty hairy as well. Jeep guy told me the buggies go up the wall but even some of them have to use the winch.

 

[Stepmurr]

Mo pics

End of the line for me. With a spotter and a recovery crew I would try it, but not solo.

Every sign in New Mexico is a target I guess

I tried several different roads that showed as connecting to the other side of the above rock ledge, but each one was either private farm land or had a locked gate. This one was especially discouraging as there is clearly a "TRAIL" marker on the other side.

I finally gave up and headed for the main Trackways entrance.

 

[Stepmurr]

Mo pics

Trail markers provided by the Las Cruces Four Wheel Drive Club (Yeah Club!)

I set out on this one.

This is a "10" for extreme buggy only trail. Something for everyone.

Robledo Loop Trail (4)

Camped for the night in the shade of this hill as there aren't any decent sized trees in the Robledo Mountains.

 

[jstncse]

Great report.
We try to run the buggy trails down there between Christmas and New Years each year. Last year it snowed on us for two days.

 

[Stepmurr]

L

Great report.
We try to run the buggy trails down there between Christmas and New Years each year. Last year it snowed on us for two days.

Long time no see!

Are you going to Caballo for this year’s Chile Challenge?

The Robledo trails seem much more difficult than ten years ago.

These trails would be easier in my FJ40, but the Tacoma is doing ok (so far).

 

[jstncse]

I’m looking forward to it. Going down Monday and coming home Sunday

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

Looks like great trails with cool pics.
So your report is on 2 trails?

Box Canyon
Starting at the airport

Robledo Loop Trail
Starting at Trackways entrance

 

[Stepmurr]

Looks like great trails with cool pics.
So your report is on 2 trails?

Box Canyon
Starting at the airport

Robledo Loop Trail
Starting at Trackways entrance

Yup - only had time for these two.

 

[Stepmurr]

Sunday was hike day

The Ridgeline trail takes you up to the main trackways discovery site where one crazy guy packed out over 2500 slabs of tracks on his back. The sign didn't say exactly how far it was.

Watch out fer snakies

Is this a footprint?

The trail up

 

[Stepmurr]

Mo pics

Last of three hills to climb

After all the "up", now you have to go down to the arroyo bottom

Is this a track?

 

[Stepmurr]

Mo pics

Sign at the discovery site

Is this a track?

Now to climb back up to the top

View of the pecan farms along the Rio Grande

Robledo Loop is the trail to the left - Presidential Staircase is to the right

 

[Stepmurr]

Mo Pics

Two ATVs going up the Presidential Staircase - wonder what the cross at the top is for . . .

Nearly four mile hike

Drank two liters out of the three liter water bag.

Headed back to Arizona Sunday afternoon.

Trip results

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

Yup - only had time for these two.

Any chance of going back anytime soon?

 

[Saddletramp]

Very cool Steve, the pictures and area could make for a fun run.

 

[Stepmurr]

Any chance of going back anytime soon?

Always a chance, I guess

 

[splitshot]

Re; Footprint and tracks, there is a place down the San Pedro River road that has dinosaur tracks, quite possible.

We need a paleontologist in the club.

I have either a large piece of magnetite or a meteorite that I found on Willow Springs ranch, one of these years I need to haul it down to the gem and mineral show and find a space junk guru....