Muddy Coyote Trail
Today, we ventured out to the Coyote Trail in the Cibola National Forest. It’s a fairly easy trail located just south of the Village of Tijeras. I first took Iris on this trail when she still had temp tags. I have also used it to test modifications and teach my wife a bit more about off-roading. The trail wraps around the east side of Cedro Peak and rejoins the forest service road just below the ranger tower. Access to the tower is restricted but there are plenty of places to catch a view of the surrounding mountains. There are also many spots along the trail for primitive campers. Starting on the north end we left the highway to air down. From the pull off, we headed up the wash-boarded forest road to the trail head. The climb up the gate keeper was dry and easy. The first portion of the trail is easy going with just a few rocky bumps. The snow had already melted off more than expected. It’s hard for snow to hang around in the heat of March. We quickly found a few puddles and the first set of deep ruts. Some of these take quite a bit of time to fully dry.
As we made our way along, the requests of stopping to eat started from the back seat. We pulled off on the north side at a small campsite. There we pulled out the chairs, table, and camp stove. Using the trusty cast iron skillet, we slapped together a few grilled cheese sandwiches. Sweet peppers and chips made simple sides while we gazed at the backside of the Sandia Mountains. Lastly, a sweet homemade chocolate chip cookie wrapped up our lunch.
Getting back on the trail, we soon found more deep ruts filled with water and more mud than we had anticipated. I dropped the 4Runner into four low and locked up the rear dif, expecting to find a slippery fight. Fortunately we glided through the puddle, but got jostled over the crossed up ruts beyond. Turning the next corner revealed thicker mud that resulted in some counter steer driving as the rear tires got sucked down into the ruts. As we continued, we found dry ground just before entering the first rocky section.
I opted to take a sharp right at the first split and prepared for a climb carefully placing my drivers tire to keep us on top of the boulders. Soon we reached the second rock section where I opted for what I find as the more difficult side. Heading left, we found ourselves climbing a familiar rock ledge. In dry conditions this is a fun obstacle, and in the wet, it can have experienced drivers reaching for a winch controller. Our initial climb up went very smoothly. However, after reviewing the camera footage, I wanted to make an adjustment to the framing. On the second take, I was on the throttle a little heavy and ended up dislodging a rock on the driver’s side. This pushed the rear end towards the passenger side, and as the tires spun we continued to slide. I let up unsure if the rear was far enough forward not to catch the dif housing on the ledge. With a little assurance, I eased it forward, clearing the obstacle. On a prior outing I found myself in the wet sliding to the driver’s side and having a close encounter with a juniper tree.
Leaving the rocks behind we turned west along the saddle with a clear view of the ranger tower standing at the peak. One fast stop at the peak to stretch, and it was back in to wrap up the final stretch back to the forest road. The last section has some of the deepest ruts that require even a high clearance vehicle to skirt the sides. At the forest road, you can continue south through more camping areas and wind around back to the pavement. It was getting late for our passengers, so we headed down to the parking area and aired up. I thoroughly enjoy getting out to the Coyote Trail at any time of year. If you are in the area, I recommend taking the time to explore.
View the adventure here.
