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Rarely Visited Wilderness Just a Drive Away Down 31-Mile Road
(Map courtesy of National Forest Service) ACTIVITIES: singletrack and doubletrack mountain biking, horseback riding, hiking and camping GETTING THERE: From Highway 84/285 on the north side of Española, turn west onto Santa Clara Peak Road, where the State Police and motor-vehicle offices are located. Follow that road (commonly known as 31-Mile Road but called Forest Road 144 on maps) until it turns to gravel, and note your mileage. • Polvadera Peak Trail: After 27 miles, you should see a road split off to the north. You can drive on that road for roughly a mile, up to a fence. You’re on trail 108, though there are no signs marking it. Past the fence you can bicycle or hike up to a large meadow with a view of Polvadera Peak; the trail splits at a T-junction. Take a left, and head west into an unspoiled area that is closed to all motorized traffic. After another five miles, the trail will split again — follow it north for a long loop, or west and then south to reconnect with Forest Roads 27 and 144. • Cañoncito Trail: If you continue west along Forest Road 144 past trail 108, another road will split off to the north at 30 miles: Forest Road 27. High-clearance vehicles can take this road north, past a particularly rough patch and up through Cañoncito Seco. Watch for the old skid trails and logging roads branching to the east — any of these could make for a great out-and-back ride.
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