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Raton - Angel Fire / Colfax County
Explore the gravel roads in northeast New Mexico.
Welcome to Colfax County, New Mexico
Welcome to Gravel Adventure Field Guide!
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Introduction
Northeast New Mexico holds some of the most unspoiled gravel-bike terrain in the country. A low population density and wide-open spaces make Colfax County a dreamscape for cyclists. Raton Pass has long enticed human travelers to explore the area’s rolling prairies, rimrock mesas, and alpine meadows where the Raton-Clayton Volcanic Field has shaped the terrain
No matter which direction you travel in here, adventure awaits. Expansive ranchland is situated amongst volcanic landmarks, all framed by the dramatic Sangre de Cristo Mountains at the southern tip of the Rockies. The roads and trails of Colfax County remind gravel cyclists that there are still wild places in the West left to ride.
Colfax County is embarking on socioeconomic change centered on outdoor recreation. Raton is emerging as a bi-state park gateway, and the future Ports-to-Plains Corridor (Interstate-27) opens more of Colfax County up to adventurous travelers to experience off-road riding around the region, including in Angel Fire.
Welcome
The communities of Colfax County, including the City of Raton and Village of Angel Fire, are thrilled to introduce off-road adventure cyclists to Northeast New Mexico’s sublime gravel riding. The routes in this edition of the Gravel Adventure Field Guide embrace ruggedly diverse terrain, exposing cyclists to the “little bit of everything” the county has to offer.
Now is the time to experience the drop-bar-friendly landscape of Colfax County. Just one ride—taking in the Old West vibe, low-traffic roads, wide-open vistas, and friendly rural communities—and you’ll want to come back to explore more of Northeast New Mexico. The region truly is an unforgettable destination for adventure cyclists.
The marked diversity of Colfax County’s terrain will inspire adventure cyclists to explore, learn, and embrace the range of adventure-riding options available in Northeast New Mexico. Gravel enthusiasts will be captivated by the same Colfax County scenery and landscape that have attracted Native American tribes, Spanish explorers, and the pioneers traveling west.
Road Origins
For hundreds of years, Northeast New Mexico has maintained a frontier feel. This region was originally the home of Native Americans including the Jicarilla Apache, Comanche, Ute, and Kiowa, and provided them with the natural resources necessary for survival. The tribes were either semi-nomadic or nomadic, and blazed the area’s first trails with their hunting and gathering activities.
The Jicarilla Apache were experts at hunting buffalo, and developed oral traditions that encompassed the natural landmarks in Colfax County—they revered the area as the “heart of the world,” its rivers and mountains celebrated as places for spiritual communication with the Creator.
Colfax County was once part of Comancheria, which some scholars suggest functioned as an empire in the southern Great Plains and that included parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, and West Texas. Palo Duro Canyon outside Amarillo was the seat of power. The Comanche were renowned horsemen, and expanded their trail networks while engaging in trade with other tribes and the Spanish. The Cimarron River marked the western end of Comancheria.
By the late 1600s, Northeast New Mexico had become a frontier marked by conflict, a result of Spain’s broader exploration and colonization of the Southwest. Beginning in the eighteenth century, Spanish authorities established trade routes and military outposts to confront the Comanche. This included Raton Pass, a key travel route within the area of Southern Colorado and Northeast New Mexico the Spanish labeled el cuartelejo: “the far quarter,” a reference to the region’s remote, volatile, often-contested, and peripheral location within New Mexico, itself a distant northern frontier of the Spanish empire.
Hindering early road development here was the fact that sparse Spanish settlement brought limited law enforcement and infrastructure investment. Unlike other Spanish colonial claims, Northeast New Mexico lacked the significant mineral wealth that would let it expand into a greater trade network. Instead, the region’s economy was pastoral, focused on grazing livestock; in 1821, however, it did become a stage stop on the Santa Fe Trail over Raton Pass as the trade corridor emerged.
The Santa Fe Trail connected Independence, Missouri, and Santa Fe, New Mexico, to form an early commercial highway. This led to a population increase as more people traveled the overland route. Once the United States annexed the Southwest and established the Territory of New Mexico, the railroad and coal-mining industries took hold. These economic interests sparked rural road development as ranching, mining, and tourism expanded throughout Colfax County into the twentieth century.
Scan & Ride Interactive GPS Maps
ridewithgps.com/app
Start navigating and recording your ride on the Ride with GPS app with just a single tap, or get spoken turn-by-turn directions for your routes using the signature voice navigation feature. No data? No problem! You can download routes to navigate while offline and record rides without a data connection. The GPX file is also available for your cycling computer/head-unit.
On the following gravel route pages, scan the QR code with your smart phone to land on our digital route page, making it easy, safe, and fun for cyclists to go on great rides.
We encourage people to get outside, reconnect with nature, and embark on two-wheeled adventures. The Ride with GPS mission is to build a global community of riders who create and share routes, discover new adventures, and go on better rides, more often.
How Endurance, Commerce, and Tenacity Laid the Foundations o
Raton
Raton, Spanish for “mouse,” was founded in 1880. Raton thrived before the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway arrived in 1879, because it marks the crossroads between the Great Plains and Rio Grande Valley. It became the center of railroad, mining, and ranching activity in Northeast New Mexico.
Coal mining started in the 1890s, attracting a workforce of Europeans and Hispanics. The railroad and cattle industries created a demand for the building of homes, hotels, theaters, and schools—many now considered historic. By 1950, coal production declined significantly, with the last mine closing in 2003.
Outdoor recreation and tourism enhance Raton’s rural quality of life. The developing Plains to Trails transportation corridor furthers the city’s traveler-thoroughfare status, and with two state parks along the border of Colorado (Fishers Peak) and New Mexico (Sugarite Canyon), the community is poised for growth.
Angel Fire
Ute legend describes the Moreno Valley as the “fire of the gods,” due to sunlight glowing off Agua Fria Peak. Franciscan friars labeled it “the place of the fire of angels.” By 1845, the area was coined “Angel Fire” by the frontiersman Kit Carson.
The Moreno Valley was mostly unpopulated until gold was discovered in 1867. This quickly attracted 7,000 prospectors and led to the founding of Elizabethtown. (This mining camp—today a ghost town—figured prominently in the Colfax County War.)
The area emerged as a tourism and recreation destination when the owners of CS Ranch built the Eagle Nest Dam in 1918 and the area became popular as a fishing spot.
Angel Fire saw a new future when George and Roy Lebus purchased the Monte Verde Ranch (9,000 acres) and Cieneguilla Ranch (14,000 acres), envisioning a year-round resort. Today it is a popular destination for winter sports, golf, and mountain biking.
Cimarron
After inheriting the Maxwell Land Grant, Lucien Maxwell built ranching operations here. Chartered in 1859, the village sits along the Cimarron River, where Maxwell built the Aztec Mill in 1864.
By 1870, gold was discovered west at Baldy Mountain. Maxwell leased land and sold supplies to arriving miners. Cimarron briefly served as the county seat, attracting settlers, traders, and laborers. Shortly thereafter, Maxwell sold his land grant to a group of investors, which led to the Colfax County War (1873–1888), a range-war conflict between settlers and the new landowners.
Cimarron earned a lawless reputation. Gunslingers, outlaws, and mercenaries roamed the village. In 1871, the Santa Fe newspaper proclaimed, “Cimarron is in the hands of a Mob,” though the town later became a stage stop on the Santa Fe Trail.
Springer
Springer served as the county seat of Colfax County between 1881 and 1897. It was part of the Cimarron Cutoff segment of the Santa Fe Trail, and was established by the Maxwell Land Grant Company in anticipation of the railroad’s arrival.
Melvin Whitson Mills was commissioned to sell, locate, and survey the site, and later deeded the town. It was named Springer after a pair of brothers: Charles, a local rancher; and Frank, a lawyer and official with the Maxwell Land Grant Company.
Frank Springer’s influence in Colfax County was significant. As president of the Maxwell Land Grant Company, he promoted the development of mining, logging, ranching, and irrigation in the region. He was also the lawyer who won a Supreme Court victory that established title to the 1.7-million-acre Maxwell Land Grant.
Maxwell
The Village of Maxell is named after Lucien Maxwell. It was a railroad and agricultural community on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway line. Alfalfa, grain, and livestock cultivation remain the main ranching activities here.
The Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge is two miles outside town. It was created in 1965 to be a feeding and resting area for migratory birds along the Central Flyway, a north-south bird-migration route that connects the breeding grounds of Canada with wintering ones in the United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America.
Today, Maxwell is a top New Mexico bird-watching hotspot, with 290 species of birds visiting, including bald and golden eagles, falcons, hawks, sandhill cranes, ducks, white pelicans, and burrowing owls and great horned owls.
The Great Wide Open
An Expansive Backcountry Gravel-Adventure Experience
Colfax County is best defined by its wild, wide-ranging terrain and low population density—Northeast New Mexico truly is a place to get away from it all.
With a population of 12,255 people, and a land area of 3,771 square miles, Colfax County has only 3.3 residents per square mile. A legacy of large land grants means most private holdings represent vast acreage.
Two significant parcels—Philmont Scout Ranch and Vermejo Park Ranch—help preserve and protect Colfax County’s natural and cultural resources, serving as partners in the conservation of its water, wildlife, working lands, and scenic open spaces.
Philmont Scout Ranch is owned and operated by Scouting America as a high adventure base, with 35 staffed camps and 55 trail camps, and since 1939 has hosted a million-plus Scouts. Its mission is to foster conscientious attention on low-impact camping techniques and rigorous wildlife and forestry conservation. Programming includes backpacking, horseback riding, burro packing, off-road cycling, rock climbing, sport shooting, gold panning, chuckwagon dinners, and interpretive history.
Vermejo Park Ranch was purchased by the media mogul Ted Turner in 1996 with the goal of conserving overgrazed and mined land for American bison. Other species found at Vermejo include elk, black bears, and mountain lions. Collaborating with Philmont Scout Ranch, Vermejo is actively restoring Ponil and Bonito creeks to support habitat for the Rio Grande cutthroat trout. Vermejo Park Ranch also serves as a luxury guest ranch, with a variety of outdoor experiences.
Geology of Colfax County
A Landscape of Extinct Volcanoes, Sedimentary Basins, and Uplifted Mountain Ranges
Not only has Colfax County’s landscape been a crossroads of human activity; it’s also been one of impressive geological processes. The terrain has been shaped by millions of years of volcanic, sedimentary, and tectonic activity. Ancient seas, volcanic eruptions, and mountain-range uplift have all left a visual mark here.
Approximately 40 to 70 million years ago, the Sangre de Cristo Mountains appeared during the Laramide Orogeny. They are composed of precambrian metamorphic rock such as gneiss and schist; they are also some of the oldest rocks in the country, dating back a billion years.
Colfax County features the Raton-Clayton Volcanic Field, the result of three phases of volcanic activity: The Raton Phase, 3.6 to 9.1 million years ago, produced the olivine basalt that sits atop many of the area’s mesas. Meanwhile, the Clayton Phase occurred 2.0 to 3.6 million years ago and began at the eastern end of the field. Much of it flowed directly on top of the Raton Phase, with some erosion. Finally, the Capulin Phase occurred less than 2 million years ago. Evidence points to all of the field’s eruptions coming from the same magma chamber. Capulin, an extinct cinder-cone volcano, is the most prominent feature within the Raton-Clayton Volcanic Field.
El Raton Media Works
Combining Historic Preservation, Cutting-Edge Technology, and Community Impact
There’s a unique economic-development project taking shape at the historic Kearny School building in Raton. Here, the nonprofit El Raton Media Works is spearheading an effort to fuse the benefits of historic preservation, economic revitalization, and educational innovation by bringing together high-tech media capabilities and workforce development.
Originally constructed as a Public Works Administration–related New Deal project in 1936, this 25,000-square-foot art deco building is being renovated to house the Kearny Film Studio and Educational Center. The space is being re-purposed into a state-of-the-art film and media training center, with the cutting-edge XR Studio. It will transform the oldest school in Raton into a modern facility that serves as a hub for technology, media production, workforce development, and community engagement.
The center will house classrooms for production, post-production, wardrobe, hair & makeup, prop-making, and other film-industry training. Focal to the project is the XR Studio, which includes a 30’ wide x 14’ high LED screen and 3,200-square-foot soundstage. This extended-reality technology is used in the movie and gaming industries to create virtual-reality settings and scenes. Using motion-capture technology, the imagery on the LED wall in this “volumetric” stage adjusts in relation to how the actors move, to simulate real life.
El Raton Media Works is forging a path for Colfax County to join the growing, and influential, state film industry. The New Film Office estimates that between 2020and 2024, the state generated $4.95 billion in economic output from the film and television industries, with $39 million spent in rural communities. The Kearny Film/Media Educational Center and XR Studio have the potential to enhance economic prosperity in Northeast New Mexico.