About hiking in McKinley County

McKinley County, New Mexico has 54 named trails tagged for hiking, covering 127 miles, an average of 2.4 miles each. The longest is Forest Service Road 239A, at 11.1 miles. 6 run 5 miles or longer.

What the hiking trails in McKinley County are like

By length, 18 are under a mile, 30 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 22 with a difficulty rating, 8 easy and 14 moderate. Of the 53 with measured elevation, Sawmill Extension climbs the most, about 1,373 ft, and 2 gain 1,000 ft or more.

All 54 hiking trails, longest first

Forest Service Road 239AHikeMTB11.1 mi Forest Service Road 239HikeMTB7.1 mi Sawmill ExtensionHike6.9 mi Milk RanchHike5.6 mi Lost Lake LoopHike5.6 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 SystemHikeMTB3.7 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)Hike2.2 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 Lower PlushHikeMTB1.5 mi North Hogback TrailHike1.4 mi Cleopatra Needle TrailHike1.1 mi Pyramid / Church Rock ConnectorHike1.1 mi Quasimodo AltHike1.1 mi Water Tank TrailHike0.9 mi Church Rock LoopHike0.8 mi Trail 02425HikeMTB0.7 mi Forest Service 239K1 RoadHikeMTB0.7 mi Stanley PolichHike0.7 mi Church Rock StemHike0.6 mi Hillside TrailHike0.6 mi Mentmore entrance to High Desert Trail SystemHikeMTB0.6 mi Forest Service 239 RoadHikeMTB0.5 mi Sawmill ShortcutHikeMTB0.5 mi Hogback TrailHike0.4 mi Forest Service Road 239JHikeMTB0.4 mi Continental Divide TrailHikeMTB0.3 mi Berma TrailHike0.3 mi Mike's ShortcutHike0.3 mi Broken NoseHike0.2 mi Lost Lake SpurHike0.2 mi Venus Needle TrailHike0.1 mi

← All McKinley County trails

Trail geometry from OpenStreetMap contributors, licensed ODbL. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Compiled and published by Trailmonger · trail data last rebuilt October 4, 2026.