Upper Arroyo de Los Pinos

One of several major arroyos in the Quebradas area, Arroyo de Los Pinos runs alongside the first six miles of the west end of the Quebradas Backcountry Byway near Socorro, NM. There are many trails along the Byway, which divides the 6,000-acre Gordy’s Hill Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Area from west to east, providing offroad driving challenges for all experience levels and offroad vehicle capabilities. Upper Arroyo de Los Pinos is most notable for its increased technical difficulty in driving as compared to some of the other trails in the area. Moving through the arroyo is nonetheless scenic, as bands of red and yellow sandstone, red and purple shale, and white to gray limestone are all exposed in fascinating geological features. The Quebradas are located between two major protected wildlife areas, the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge to the north and Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge to the south.