La Paliza Grande - A 300-mile Bikepacking Route for Northern New Mexico

The February Mountaineers meeting will feature a talk by Dylan Boyle entitled “La Paliza Grande - A 300-mile Bikepacking Route for Northern New Mexico”, on Tuesday evening, February 23.

Dylan Boyle, a bikepacker and resident of Los Alamos, NM, set out in the fall of 2020 to establish a new and adventurous cycling route for northern New Mexico. Bikepacking shares several aspects with backpacking in that it involves carrying similar multi-day self-supporting equipment such as a tent, sleeping bag, and food/water supply in the backcountry. Bikepacking routes typically traverse dirt roads and jeep tracks through Bureau of Public Lands (BLM) and National Forest (NF) lands. Northern New Mexico currently hosts a number of documented routes, notably the Great Divide Mountain Biking Route (also known as the Tour Divide when raced annually), the Chama Charmer, the Valles Caldera Supervolcano Explorer, and the Caja del Rio overnighter. In the making of La Paliza Grande (“the big beating”), the goal was to create a new and unique bikepacking route for Northern New Mexico that would extend bikepacking further into the remote corners and lesser known portions of the state’s vast and rugged public lands. 

Dylan has previously completed several long distance bikepacking routes, including the Oregon Outback, the Great Divide Mountain Biking Route, the Baja Divide, and multiple local trips throughout the Santa Fe National Forest. This presentation will go over the research involved in planning this new route, how camping equipment can be packed on a mountain bike, and a ton of pictures of beautiful Northern New Mexico in peak fall colors!

Mountaineers’ meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday of every month. When held in person, they take place in the planetarium of the Pajarito Environmental Education Center (PEEC), 2600 Canyon Rd, Los Alamos, NM 87544. Recent meetings have been held electronically starting at 7:00 PM. Registration details for this event can be found at https://peecnature.org/events/details/?id=36628.

Watch the video here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gw_oNUedAE