Waldo Canyon

A Favorite Weekend Journey

Experienced drivers northbound on Interstate 25 begin the steep climb of LaBajada Hill knowing that their journey from Albuquerque to Santa Fe is nearly done. At the top of LaBajada, just before the the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and Santa Fe come into view, there is something of a mystery.

Many a curious driver used to openly wonder when they saw the old sign for exit 267 — Waldo. The question, “What’s Waldo?” doesn’t linger as much anymore since the sign’s been changed to read Waldo Canyon Road. At least now we know it’s a road, but what kind of road, and to where?

Waldo Canyon Road does not appear to go anywhere except into the horizon. The section of asphalt visible from the Interstate runs straight and flat across the eastern part of LaBajada Plateau, and vanishes. The really curious driver can, of course, look at just about any map and see where Waldo Canyon Road goes, but what no map can show is what a fun ride it is on a dual-sport motorbike.

The road is not for cars, especially in wet weather. The asphalt runs out after only a couple of miles and turns into a semi-maintained dirt track that is anything but flat and straight. The road is part washboard, part gravel, with plenty of sandy bottoms, deep ruts, and treacherous potholes. The road has enough up-and-down and round-and-round to keep every rider laser focused. Big bore dual-sport bikes with street-knobby tires can keep up a moderate pace, but the 250cc class dirt bikes with long-reach shocks and full knob rubber can really scream into the corners and raise the dust. Either way, the road is a fun, short ride perfect for a sunny Sunday when all you want is a couple of hours in the saddle and a dusty bike in your driveway at day’s end.

And the road does go somewhere. Waldo Canyon Road is an interesting shortcut to both the village of Cerrillos and the more famous artists’ community of Madrid. Both places are great motorbike destinations because of their respective histories as mining towns and their quaint old west semi-ghost-town vibe. Madrid is the larger of the two, with many more shops and a popular restaurant that almost always has a parking lot full of Harleys.

For a bit more adventure, there’s another shortcut across more dirt to the tiny village of Galisteo. From Cerrillos you take State Road 14, known locally as North 14, to Camino Los Abuelos. The road is well maintained, but has enough whooptie-whoops and soft sand to be well worth it. At Galisteo the road intersects with SR 41 and easy routes back to both Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

New Mexico is dotted with an almost unlimited number of really fun, little dirt roads that go largely unnoticed by the Interstate crowd, and also actually go somewhere cool. Santa Fe in particular is a city that has easy access to rides that hit the trifecta — fun, scenery, and truly unique destinations — all in an hour’s ride. So, here’s to Sundays, mysterious freeway exits, and motorbikes that do both street and dirt. And, more importantly, here’s to springtime, may it begin soon.