Backcountry Desert Running In New Mexico: Canyon Blanco

Every winter we try and head down to New Mexico to climb and do some trail running. Although the snow is still falling and the telemark skiing is just getting good, there always is a little urge come February to get a little sun, spend some time running empty trails and backcountry roads, and take a rest from winter.
After a great day of bouldering on the Las Vegas limestone, we were psyched to check out a couple new areas that are similar to Joe's Canyon in Utah. We drove out and found them, but at the same time discovered that the entire field of boulders resides on private land. Still sore from the steep bouldering session the day before, we decided to take a rest and try and find some boulders that were not on private land. No luck, as all of the forest service roads were a no go - with all of the moisture and recent snow, the New Mexican desert dirt had become a nasty, red mud. Even in 4-wheel in the truck, it was sketchy going; especially where we were.
After another day of drying, and a little further south, we went out for an amazing backcountry trail run. We have had good luck running the backcountry roads and secret trails of New Mexico over the years, and have covered pretty much everything from the Colorado border south - especially coming down through the San Luis Valley and Taos/Santa Fe. This time, we went out into the Galisteo Basin - a high-desert area of fragile land and water resources celebrated for its scenic, cultural, and wildlife values.
Canyon Blanco is a large open canyon that runs through the Galisteo Basin, and is a perfect place to get in some miles on empty dirt roads surrounded by scenic beauty. We covered around 18/19 miles on this run, as we didn't want to stop (see photos).
To get here: head south on 285 from Santa Fe. Drive for about 45 minutes to Road 24C. Take this for about 4 miles until it takes a hard right and crosses a cattle guard. Here there is a small sign indicating that you are now on Road B31A. Park here. The run follows Road B31A as it heads east, with views of the southern Sangre de Cristo mountains to the north. Winding through the desert scrub and brush, the road begins to gently drop into Canyon Blanco. From here, just remember that you have to run back what you run out, and the distances will fool, so be prepared. You can cover up to 30+ miles roundtrip for a serious training run, or you can bang out a faster 15-20 miler like we did. Either way, you'll likely see hawks, coyotes, a plethora of other wildlife, and if you run it in the spring, hundreds and hundreds of Sandhill Cranes flying overhead. Turns out Canyon Blanco is directly in their flight path from the Bosque del Apache NWR to their summering grounds in the north.
After the run, drive the quick 14 miles to Clines Corners and grab lunch in the original Route 66 diner. They have killer Hatch green chili!!!!

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