MILK RANCH & MCGAFFEY TRAILS

2021

Located approximately 7 miles southwest of Fort Wingate, NM The Milk Ranch-McGaffey Trail system consists of 186 miles of non-motorized trails, 28 miles of connector trails and six trailheads managed for pack and saddle, mountain biking and hiking.

Outlined in the Zuni Mountain Trail Project and Conservation Master Plan, long-term goals for the Zuni Mountains Trail System are to develop a sustainable trail network that will earn recognition by the International Mountain Biking Association as a regional Ride Center, providing the opportunity for trails to become gateways to recreation. Community stakeholders envision the Zuni Mountains as the backbone for regional and local community development, and that this trail system will grow to be known as the leading world class trail network in the southwest.

Partnering with Mckinley County in 2021, Singletrack Trails was contracted to close and rehabilitate 9 miles of unsustainable user-created trail, update and repair 2.6 miles of user-created trail and construct 8 miles of brand new trail. User-created trails were typically located in the right place, however most were in need of re-routes, grade reversals, and drainage structures to become sustainable trails. Newly constructed trails on this project were typically built near the trails being decommissioned, with the new routes being designed to take environmental and archeological concerns into account before construction.