Fall Color Bike Ride to the Gilman Tunnels - Sunday Oct. 30, 2016

  This trip is a bicycle ride on paved roads from Jemez Springs to the Gilman Tunnels and back. The trip is in conjunction with the Pajarito Environmental Education Center (PEEC), and is free for Los Alamos Mountaineers Members and PEEC Members, but PEEC charges a small fee for non members. 

  The Gilman tunnels are located in the most scenic section of the Guadalupe River Box. These tunnels were originally blasted out of the rock in the 1920's for a logging railroad. The rock is a Precambrian crystalline matrix that is pinkish in color making it a popular area for technical climbing. 

  The plan is to meet on Sunday morning at 8:30 AM at the Los Alamos Nature Center to facilitate car pooling. We will then drive to Jemez Springs and rendezvous at 9:30 AM at the parking area along State Road 4 in front of the Jemez Springs Plaza (on the NW side of the highway just before Mooney Blvd. and the Los Ojos Restaurant.) From there we will bike south along State Road 4 to the Highway 485 junction. We will then bike north on 485 (becoming Highway 376) to the tunnels. After admiring the view we will return by the same route. The cottonwoods along the route should be near the peak of their fall colors, making it a most beautiful ride. The total distance is ~29 miles with ~700 feet of elevation gain on way out and ~600 feet on the way back. For those that would prefer a shorter ride, they can meet us at ~10:00 AM at the State Road 4 - Highway 485 junction.  We should be back in Jemez Springs by about 12:30 PM where those who would like can have lunch at a local restaurant.

  The trip is limited to 20 people and those under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.