Bikepack the Monumental Loop in New Mexico

Trip

Bikepack - Bikepack the Monumental Loop in New Mexico

The Monumental Loop is a scenic figure 8 route in the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks (OM-DP) National Monument in New Mexico. Ride your bike for seven days (plus a shake-down ride, one rest day and travel days) through six mountain ranges, volcanic craters, slot canyons, lava flows and numerous archeological and historical sites. The OM-DP National Monument is spread into 4 units with Las Cruces, New Mexico at the center. Participants must be Mountaineers members holding a basic bikepacking course badge. For this trip, a hard-tail front-suspension mountain bike with aggressive tread tubeless tires wider than 2.5 inches are required. Alternative/equivalent set ups would need to be discussed with the leader prior to submitting the application. Intermediate-level mountain bike skills are also required. No e-bikes are allowed on this trip. NOTE: The member fee shown is for the 50% deposit only; the full trip price is $620. See the Trip Price section below for more details. Down payment is 300 (~half of the cost)

  • Thu, Mar 20, 2025 — Sun, Mar 30, 2025
  • Global Adventures Committee
  • Global Adventures, Bikepacking
  • Adults
  • Bikepacking Gravel III, Bikepacking MTB II
  • Challenging
  • Mileage: 217.0 mi
  • Elevation Gain: 6,900 ft

Itinerary Highlights:

The trip will have a primary leader, Emma Agosta and a co-leader, Brian Starlin. Both are very experienced bikepacking leaders.

We will start of the route directly from the town of Las Cruces which will be the beginning and end of each loop. We also plan to spend two nights and a full day in town in between the two loops to rest/re-supply and do laundry. Las Cruces in a lovely small size city in New Mexico with a bike shop, lodging and restaurants and cultural attractions. The historic town of Mesilla with its thick-walled adobe buildings, art galleries, restaurants, museums and gift shops are only a few miles bike ride from the KOA campground where we will stay for two nights mid-trip.

During our trip, we will ride through four distinct sections of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument that surrounds Las Cruces through majestic desert mountains, the Organ Mountains, Robledo Mountains, Sierra de las Uvas, Potrillo Mountains and Doña Ana Mountains and through landscapes rich in geological and ecological resources as well as archaeological and historical sites.

We will ride and camp under the stars in stunning desert locations among exotic desert vegetation and landforms.

On some of our riding days we will pass by some small towns which will provide us the opportunity to resupply with food and water and sample New Mexican cuisine on small establishments along the route.

Trip itinerary:

Day 0: Travel Day. Participants arrive to Las Cruces, New Mexico. Participants should plan to arrive at the hotel by evening, but no formal meeting is required on day 0. Stay at the hotel in Las Cruces. Cost included.

Day 1: Orientation/packing day and shake-down ride. Participants reassemble bikes. They can do this by themselves (if able to do it independently) or pre-arrange the service with Las Cruces Outdoor Adventures bike shop (if they choose this option participants should pre-arrange this service by themselves). Packing gear on bikes. Mandatory short shake-down ride to test bike and gear set-up.  Evening group meeting and dinner (not included). Stay at hotel (included).

Day 2-4: North Loop (Green Chile loop)

Day 2 Ride to Coyote Canyon  wild camp. Multiple re-supply and water options at mile 27 (Fort Selden). Fill-up with water.  Wild camping at mile 38 Coyote Camp; 38 miles; ~1500 feet gain.

Day 3 Ride from Coyote Canyon to Upper Las Uvas campsite. Lunch stop in Hatch and re-supply.  Fill up on water. Leaders will pre-cache water nearby camp.  45 miles and 2800 feet gain.

Day 4 Upper Las Uvas campsite to Las Cruces KOA campground. No re-supply options. Stay at KOA cabin at KOA Las Cruces 35 miles; ~600 feet of gain.

Day 5: Rest day in Las Cruces. Stay at Las Cruces KOA. Laundry day. Optional walk/ride to visit cultural sites. Dinner in town (not included) or participants can opt to cook their own backpacking meal.

Day 6-9: Departure for South Loop (Red Chile Loop)

Day 6 Ride from Las Cruces KOA to Playa con Dios wild camp. Fill up with water before leaving town. Day includes riding 15 miles of the beautiful Sierra Vista trail (singletrack). Camp at Playa con Dios Wild camp. 32 miles;~ 1200 feet of gain.

Day 7 Ride from Playa con Dios wild camp to Kilbourne Hole wild camp. Re-supply and fill up with water in Vinton (mile 167). Kilbourne Hole Wild camp. 42 mi; ~500 feet of gain.

Day 8 Ride from Kilbourne Hole camp to Lava Camp. No re-supplies. Water pre-cached at camp by leaders. Stay at Lava Camp wild camp. 25 mi; ~300 feet of gain.

Day 9 Ride from Lava Camp to Las Cruces. Stay in hotel (included).  Final Dinner together in town (not included). 32 miles; ~200 feet gain.

Day 10: Travel Day. Pack bikes, shuttle to El Paso airport and fly home or drive home. Participants should book flights home in the afternoon to have time to disassemble and pack bikes and get a shuttle to the airport in time for their flight.

The route is extensively documented with text and images in Bikepacking.com and Bikepacking Roots. You can watch Ryan Van Duzer’s video of the route and Katrina Hase’s YouTube video of her bikepacking trip on the Monumental Loop with her son.

NOTE: As with any extended travel mountain weather and changeable trail conditions, our itinerary can change without notice and sections may be modified or dropped.  The priority will always be the safety for all participants. 

Time of year: We will ride this loop in the second half of March when temperatures are generally pleasant and nighttime freezing is rare. See weather (below) for typical temperature ranges in the time of our trip.

Weather: Weather is generally mild, dry and cool in March.  The average temperature in Las Cruces in March ranges from a high of 72°F (22°C) to a low of 41°F (5°C). At the highest elevation of the route it is still possible for temperatures at night to drop below freezing.  March has the lowest average precipitation average of the year with 0.22 inches/month.  Day and overnight gear should be adequate to keep you comfortable in these conditions. Winds in the springtime can sometimes reach 40mph+, picking up most notably in the afternoons. We will try to start riding early in the day and minimize afternoon riding if high winds are predicted during our trip.

Lodging: Participants will spend 3 nights in hotels in rooms with double occupancy (day 0-1 and day 9) and 2 nights in 4-person cabins at KOA Las Cruces Journey (days 4-5). The cost of hotel and cabin stays is included in the trip.  Participants will camp at dispersed camping sites in the desert on days 2-3 and 6-8. Please see itinerary for details of camping locations.

Participants are expected to provide and carry their own overnight camping gear (tent/shelter, sleeping pad and sleeping bag) including clothing appropriate for riding in the forecasted weather conditions, stove, gas, backpacking meals and ability to carry ~5-6 liters of water on the bike. A detailed gear list will be provided for registered participants.

Food: While bikepacking, participants will be eating re-hydrated backpacking meals and are responsible for bringing their own meals and snacks for at least the three days of the North Loop. Additional/alternative food re-supply options exist on the route almost every day and also there will be time on the rest day to purchase additional backpacking food for the South Loop. Participants will be having 5 dinners in town (in Las Cruces). We will choose where to eat in town as a group although participants are free to opt out if they prefer and have dinners on their own.

Please note that natural water sources are not available on the route.  We will rely mostly on refilling water in towns and/or buy water at convenience/groceries stores which are relatively well-spaced along the route. Most days we will need to carry a relatively large amount of water (~5-6 liters- more if you require more drinking water) since all camps will be dry camps. The leaders will pre-cache water for two days when we have limited options to get water. There are also many regularly spaced Cattle tanks from which water can be collected and filtered in case of a real emergency.

Leaders’ experience:

Primary leader: Emma Agosta emagosta@gmail.com.   Emma is a bikepacking leader and the founder of the Seattle Bikepacking Committee and served as its chair for 2 years. She currently serves as the leadership chair and events and communication coordinator. Emma has over a decade of cycling experience on road, mountain bike and gravel routes as well as many long-distance bikepacking trips.   She has led 25+ official Mountaineers bikepacking trips including two 4-day trips on Vancouver Island, B.C and in Northern Oregon. She has also organized and participated in multiple long-distance private bikepacking trips including several sections of the Cross-Washington mountain bike route, a 12-day traverse from Victoria, B.C. to Pemberton, B.C. and a 9-day self-supported traverse of Iceland, the Iceland Divide route. Emma is also an active leader in other activities in the Mountaineers including climbing, scrambling, cross-country skiing, hiking and backpacking. Finally, Emma is a geology professor at a local community college with a passion for exploring the geological origin of Earth’s landscapes and sharing it with fellow travelers.

Co-leader: Brian Starlin brian.starlin@comcast.net.   Brian is a bikepacking leader and long-term member of The Mountaineers. He serves as a lead for the bikepacking course, volunteers on the committee, and has many years of cycling experience on road, mountain bike and gravel.   In the last few years, Brian has led or co-led several trips per year, including multi-day trips of 4 to 9 days duration.  His wildest trip was a 9-day self-supported traverse through the highlands of Iceland, north to south. Brian is also an active leader with the Mountaineers climbing program and previously served as Chair of the Navigation Committee. He is recently retired and loves exploring with fellow Mountaineers. 

 Participant requirements:   Trip participants must be Mountaineers members and holders of the Basic Bikepacking Course badge.  A high-level of cycling-specific fitness and intermediate-level mountain biking skills are also required. Given the terrain encountered on this route a hardtail mountain bike with front suspensions and aggressive tread tubeless tires (at least 2.5 wide) are required. No e-bikes are allowed on this trip. If you are uncertain about whether your skills or your bike are a good match for this trip, please discuss it with the primary leader before submitting the application. Please refer to Gravel III and MTB II difficulties in Mountaineers Bikepacking Classification System. for more details about rider’s fitness and technical experience requirements. All prospective participants will be required to fill in an application form and to meet with the leader in Zoom or by phone to discuss their cycling fitness, technical experience and equipment requirements before receiving permission to register. Leader will also lead one or more pre-trip “shake-down” rides with the group to improve the leader’s understanding of participant readiness for the trip, and to help to build group cohesion prior to the trip. 

Participants in Global Adventure Trips are also required to have Medical insurance, Emergency Evacuation and Emergency Medical Insurance.

Global Adventure Trips COVID Policy - Info for Participants:

You are responsible for keeping yourself free of respiratory viruses by following the procedures described below, for the benefit of yourself and all others on this trip.    If you don’t comply with the behaviors described below, it will impact your ability to join future Global Adventures.

  • You are required to be fully vaccinated for COVID, flu and RSV, including current boosters, prior to the trip departure. (Medical exemptions may be possible with letter from your doctor.)
  • During your trip to the starting place (in airport & on planes and other transit) you are strongly encouraged to wear a mask, practice good hygiene (hand washing, etc.) Please bring a minimum of 2 COVID tests and a supply of masks with you on the trip.  If you have symptoms of the cold or flu, or have a fever, you must inform the trip leader and test for COVID.
  •  If you test positive for COVID, you will need to work with your trip leader to arrange quarantine accommodations and move there. (You will be responsible for using the trip leader’s list of quarantine options to make your own alternate bookings and arranging transport to get there.)
  • Once your symptoms have been improving for a full 24 hours and, if you had a fever, once it has been gone for 24 hours (w/o use of fever-reducing symptoms), you are free to find a way to catch up the group and rejoin them, if you wear a mask except when eating.
  • For the next 5 days you will need to wear a mask. If you have symptoms but test negative for COVID, you need to practice excellent hygiene, avoid close contact with others, and wear a mask when in closed spaces with others until your symptoms subside significantly.

These requirements are based on the latest CDC recommendations.

Trip Price Detail:    $620. Member fee ($300) is a down payment for ~50% of cost due at the time of registration.  Final payment of the remaining balance is due on January 15, 2025.  Included:    3 nights of lodging and 3 breakfasts at a three-star hotel in Las Cruces (double occupancy) and two nights stay in a rustic 4-person cabin at a KOA campground.  Not included:   Transportation to Las Cruces (airfare to and from El Paso airport+ bike luggage fee + RT shuttle from El Paso to Las Cruces= estimated cost $500-700);  Medical and emergency evacuation insurance (estimated at $60-100); All other meals in town and while bikepacking (estimated cost $250-350)

Registration instructions:   An application form and leader approval are required before registering. Please submit the application form at the button below as soon as possible. The leader will review applications and contact you to arrange a Zoom or phone interview for further questions before giving approval to register. It may take up to two weeks to evaluate the applications. Leaders will select applicants based on the best fit with the participant requirements- approval is NOT based on the order in which people applied.

If you are selected for the trip, the leader will send you approval to register via email. After the leader’s approval, register and pay the 50% deposit ($300) to hold your space on the roster. Registration will close on January 1, 2025, or whenever the roster fills. A place on the roster can only be held with payment of the deposit. The balance of the trip payment is due by January 15, 2025.

APPLICATION

TRIP AGREEMENT

RELEASE

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION(to be completed in the month before the trip departs)

Cancellation Policy: If you cancel from the trip 16 days or more before the start of the trip, you will get a full refund minus the $100 Mountaineers administration fee. If you cancel with less than 16 days’ notice, in addition to the $100 Mountaineers admin fee, a $40 fee (for non-refundable portion of reservations) will be deducted from your refund.   If you cancel with less than 3 days’ notice, you will receive no refund. NOTE: the cancellation fees above may be waived (other than the $100 admin fee) if a qualified applicant can be found to take your place on the trip.

Participants are expected to arrive in Las Cruces, New Mexico on March 20, 2025 (day 0). Participants should plan to arrive at the hotel by evening, but no formal meeting is required on that day.

Getting There:  Participants are responsible for arranging and paying for their own transportation and bike transportation to Las Cruces, New Mexico. Frequent non-stop service between Seattle and El Paso International Airport is available (non-stop flights available for ~$500). Commercial shuttles and airport bus connections also exist.  Helpful travel information will be provided to registered participants in planning emails.

Route/Place

Bikepack the Monumental Loop in New Mexico


Roster
Required Equipment

Required Equipment

A front-suspension hard-tail mountain bike with aggressive tread tubeless tires wider than 2.5 inches (or equivalent if approved by leader in advance) and a bikepacking kit suitable for multi-day bikepacking is required for this trip. The kit includes bikepacking bags capable of safely carrying overnight gear for 4 days and up to 6 liters of water per day. No e-bikes are allowed on this trip. After payment of your deposit, the leader will send participants a series of emails with information about how to prepare for a successful adventure including a cycling fitness plan, all recommended gear, day-by-day GPS tracks of the route, maps and other references.

Trip Reports