Arroyo de los Pinos Loop

The Arroyo de Los Pinos Loop is a quick, scenic departure off of the Quebradas Backcountry Byway that will take you within 100 yards or so of the Ojo de Amado Spring, and it provides access to numerous offroading possibilities in the area with varying degrees of difficulty. Driving from the Quebradas road to the arroyo floor (approximately 300 feet below) provides opportunities to take in beautiful panoramic vistas of the region and surrounding mountain ranges. The Quebradas road crosses several arroyos which drain into the Rio Grande and erosion here has created breathtaking and scenic geological settings such as those in the Arroyo de Los Pinos. As one traverses the trail down into the arroyo, the color of the rock and earth are impossible to miss. The red color of these rocks results from the presence of small amounts of iron in the form of hematite, the same mineral that gives the planet Mars its red hue. Moving through the arroyo, bands of red and yellow sandstone, red and purple shale, and white to gray limestone are all exposed. Arroyo de Los Pinos Loop is one of many trails along the Quebradas Backcountry Byway, which divides the 6,000-acre Gordy’s Hill Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Area from west to east and provides excellent opportunities for offroad driving, offering challenges for all experience levels and your offroad vehicle’s capabilities.