Silver City NM Rides

[wantahertzdonut]

I had the pleasure of spending two weeks in Silver City, NM hiking and riding.  The riding, while in an out-of-the-way place, was incredible. 

 

This area would be a premier destination on a dual-sport as there are countless unpaved roads into the backcountry.  I stuck to the paved roads, but made notes of others that go up into the hills that are unpaved.

 

My favorite route is NM Rt. 15 which goes north out of town to the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument.  The road is 44 miles in length one way, climbing into the Gila National Forest and traverses valleys, ridges, and up and down hillsides.  The posted speed limit is 35 and due to many blind corners, is about all the faster you'll want to go.  Estimated travel time to the monument is about 2 hours without stops.  The road features switchbacks and countless twisty sections, enough to require full attention for the duration of the ride.  I rode the entire length 2-up, so I wasn't going all out by any measure, but my tires sure got a workout.  There are a few straight sections where you can take a breather, as well as pull-offs at higher elevations that make for great photo ops.  Reaching the Cliff Dwellings Monument is worth the ride, as there are hikes through the dwellings themselvs as well as into the wilderness.  There are two primitive campgrounds available so you can make this into more than just a motorcycle ride if you're so equipped.

 

The road surface is smooth enough to be confident, but it's a little like chip seal so I can't say I would recommend pushing your limits on this road.  We were here in mid May and there were only a couple turns with small amounts of gravel.  The area receives very little rainfall so debris across the road is minimal.  Traffic was extremely light as I only counted 20 cars both directions.  Still, I never tried crossing the centerlines.  Absolutely zero police presence too, which was nice.  I'll get to that further down.

 

 

 

 

 

The second ride we did was along NM 152 over Emory Pass.  This is another winding mountan road ascending to over 8800' before dropping back down.  The road runs from I-25 and travels west to its intersection with US-180 just east of Silver City. 

 

This road has a fair amount of traffic immediately out of town largely due to the copper mine near Hanover.  There is a pull-out for viewing the mining operation as well as signs detailing the history of the mine and mining history in the area.  Traffic gets lighter from here eastward.

 

As the road climbs into and through several canyons, you'll pass into a dense pine forest where there are multible campgrounds which are great places to stop for lunch.  The higher the road, the sharper the turns, before turning into a series of switchbacks as you approach the summit.  A small road takes you to the summit overlook, yeielding an incredible view of the Rio Grande valley to the east.  It was a little couldy for us but the view was still incredible.

 

Due to time constraints, I had to turn back, but am told by other riders the east side of the road is equally fun.  There are multiple warning signs to ward off large vehicles and for the most part they're obeyed.  I passed no large trucks, and only a couple (small) campers.  Nothing more than a utility trailer behind anything, so very little issues with vehicles coming over the centerlines.  Pavement was in great shape, all asphalt, and no gravel except where vehicles entered the road from a gravel road.  None of these were in corners.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our final ride up US-180 north was more of a scenic highway cruise, with speed limits of 55.  We rode to the town of Reserve, which is an epicenter for conspiricy theorists (the town's official website has a page on "Chem Trails") among other things.  We just made it a turnaround point as well as a lunch stop.  The ride up 180 isn't very curvy with some exceptions, and takes you along the front edge of the Mogollon Range, making for an incrdible non-stop great view.  Our lunch in Reserve was free of any tampering, and I enjoyed some great carne asada for cheap.  There is one gas station here which does accept credit cards so we filled back up for the 100 mile journey back to Silver City, again enjoying the views.  A word of caution, this part of the state can be extremely windy, and we were battered by a westerly crosswind for most of the ride home.  My neck was a little sore after all that. 

 

 

AZ191 can be tied into a loop up US-180 which results in a lengthy all day ride of around 300 miles.  I didn't have time to try this but will next time I'm in town.

 

This area could be an epicenter for motorcyclists looking for a different place to go, that is out of the ordinary, and fun to visit.  The biggest drawbacks are the local police, who will pull over for 1mph over the limit (a friend has a ticket on her fridge to prove it), in addition to them being militant about enforcing DUI laws.  The Silver City PD along with the NM State Troopers stationed there have no problem entrapping people and checking them for any signs of drinking, so it's best to save the drinks for day's end.  Silver City rolls up the sidewalks and closes for the day around 7 with the exception of The Little Toad Brewery, which stays open till around 10. 

Edited June 11, 2014 by wantahertzdonut

[wantahertzdonut]

I happened to return to Silver City this past weekend and took a few pics of the good parts of Rt. 15 while driving.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Again, no traffic, no cops, great views. 

[Calinazaret]

Nice!