About trails in McKinley County, New Mexico

McKinley County has 63 named trails on the map, covering 135 miles in total, an average of 2.1 miles per trail. That is the 17th largest mapped trail network among 26 counties in New Mexico. 54 of them are tagged for hiking and 25 for mountain biking.

The longest single trail is Forest Service Road 239A, at 11.1 miles. 6 trails run 5 miles or longer. Mapped points of interest in the county include 11 trailheads, 17 campsites, 1 waterfall, and 1 boat launch. The nearest towns to these trails are McGaffey, Gallup, and San Mateo.

What the trails in McKinley County are like

By length, 24 are under a mile, 33 run 1 to 5 miles, and 6 are 5 miles or longer. 4 are loops, ending where they start; the longest is Large loop of the High Desert Trail System, at 5.4 miles.

Of the 31 with a difficulty rating, 15 easy and 16 moderate. Of the 63 with measured elevation, Milk Ranch climbs the most, about 1,107 ft, and 2 gain 1,000 ft or more.

Explore by activity

135Total miles

17Campsites

1Boat launches

1Waterfalls

11Trailheads

Forest Service Road 239AHikeMTB11.1 mi Forest Service Road 239HikeMTB7.1 mi Sawmill ExtensionHike6.9 mi Milk RanchHike5.6 mi Lost Lake LoopHike5.5 mi Large loop of the High Desert Trail SystemHikeMTB5.4 mi Laguna Bonita RoadHikeMTB4.7 mi SawmillHikeMTB4.1 mi Tampico Springs TrailHike3.7 mi Northeastern portion of High Desert Trail SystemHikeMTB3.6 mi County Line Trail - BIA 1001HikeMTB3.6 mi Purple HazeHike3.6 mi Middle loop of High Desert Trail SystemHikeMTB3.4 mi Quaking AspenHike3.4 mi PlushHikeMTB3.2 mi Y2KHike3.1 mi Crown Point RoadHike2.8 mi QuasimodoHike2.8 mi Mike's RippinHike2.7 mi Stuck TruckHike2.6 mi Western loop of High Desert Trail SystemHikeMTB2.5 mi Plush ShortcutHike2.5 mi BermaHike2.5 mi Strawberry CanyonHikeMTB2.2 mi Smoking Handlebar (H-bar trail)Hike2.1 mi Eastern loop of High Desert Trail SystemHikeMTB2.0 mi Turkey NestHike1.9 mi TorreonHikeMTB1.9 mi Pyramid Rock TrailHike1.7 mi Parron TrailHike1.7 mi Forest Service 51 RoadHikeMTB1.6 mi Indian Service Rd.- BIA 1002MTB1.6 mi Lower PlushHikeMTB1.5 mi North Hogback TrailHike1.4 mi Indian Service Rd. - BIA 1003MTB1.3 mi Cleopatra Needle TrailHike1.1 mi Yahtahey Loop1.1 mi Pyramid / Church Rock ConnectorHike1.1 mi Quasimodo AltHike1.1 mi Springstead Loop1.0 mi Water Tank TrailHike0.9 mi Indian Service Rd. - BIA1002MTB0.8 mi Church Rock LoopHike0.8 mi Trail 02425HikeMTB0.8 mi Forest Service 239K1 RoadHikeMTB0.7 mi Stanley PolichHike0.7 mi Oakling Pond Loop0.6 mi Church Rock StemHike0.6 mi Hillside TrailHike0.6 mi Mentmore entrance to High Desert Trail SystemHikeMTB0.6 mi Old China Springs Loop0.6 mi Forest Service 239 RoadHikeMTB0.5 mi Wagon Trail Road0.5 mi Sawmill ShortcutHikeMTB0.5 mi Hogback TrailHike0.4 mi Forest Service Road 239JHikeMTB0.4 mi Continental Divide TrailHikeMTB0.3 mi Rainbow Trail0.3 mi Berma TrailHike0.3 mi Mike's ShortcutHike0.3 mi Broken NoseHike0.2 mi Lost Lake SpurHike0.1 mi Venus Needle TrailHike0.1 mi

Trails by town in McKinley County

More New Mexico counties

544 trails · 1,757 mi

Santa Fe County

410 trails · 845 mi

Colfax County

322 trails · 1,077 mi

← All of New Mexico

Trail geometry from OpenStreetMap contributors, licensed ODbL. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Compiled and published by Trailmonger · trail data last rebuilt September 24, 2026.