I’m not blowing smoke here folks, I’m talking about rolling up, and taking your hits on the Tres Hermanas Challenge (THC). A fifty-nine mile ACA accredited alternate bikepacking route to start or finish the GDMBR.

(editors note: The GDMBR is a 3300 mile bikepaking trail from Columbus to Banff, Canada, or vice verse. Local weekend riders can loop back via Hachita to Columbus riding Hwy 9.) 

It’s a long story how I ended up living directly on the Southern Terminus of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route and the Continental Divide Trail, but the fact is, they practically start or finish right out my driveway at the Hole in the Wall Getaway – My Bed & Breakfast Hole-Tel in Columbus, New Mexico.

Little did I realize until about 2 months ago that an alternate route added to the GDMBR would ACTUALLY start or finish at my driveway.

Yep, and after taking a side-by-side over the entire route I dubbed it the Tres Hermanas Challenge (the three sisters in Spanish).

And I’m not underselling it. It will be a challenge for the most experienced trail rider.

Fifty-nine miles long, reaching altitudes in the 5000ft range, and navigating through arroyo sands, over loose gravel, and large rocks on the mountains face.

Then riding through the mine fields at the base of the westside. Gold Mine fields that is. Looking like pock marks on the Sister’s faces, lies the old remains of prospectors claims, stakes, mine shafts, and markers. Some mining and some hunting for Pancho Villas rumored cache of gold.

If you’re southbound on the GDMBR you’ll be looking for the BLM gate on your left side that sits about 5 miles north of Hachita, NM (ALWAYS close the gates you open).

Once through, your Tres Hermanas Challenge begins with 30 plus miles across the back country and ranch lands offering scenic views by the minute as you ride through the meadows and prairies, up and down the rolling hills, and making your way ever closer to seeing the Tres Hermanas for the first time.

Watch our take off below.

 

The trail is mostly carved out by ranchers, Border Patrol, and hunters. You stand a good chance of  seeing cattle roaming the prairies for food and water or standing their ground like this guy here.

You might even see a herd of Pronghorn like the one we rustled up and watched them practically take flight seeing only their round white markings on the hind ends. You can see them in this video screenshot.

Unprepared with a GPS route map, we had a lot of difficulty staying on course due to hard to find cell phone coverage. Fortunately, out of the five phones we had between us, one of them would connect enough for us to always get back on course. Since then I discovered Ride with GPS and it works great out there as a recent new trip we took scouting another trail proved.

Click here to purchase the NM GPS
guided route map from Ride w/GPS

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App

 

The four of us on the expedition are all longtime locals to the area (one of us is the Mayor of Columbus), and all four of us kept noting how beautiful the scenery was along the rolling hills, vistas and majestic mesa’s on the THC trail as we traversed closer and closer to the base of the Tres Hermanas.

No doubt we owed much of the beauty to our timing as it’s now early April and we’re coming out of a very wet winter which has all the flora green and healthy and set up for a splendorous Spring bloom. Makes the THC a tempting place to start your quest on the GDMBR in May. Winter behind and summer ahead, May is the perfect time to squirt out of New Mexico, and out of the desert.

Thus far the track has been well defined, easy to see, and mostly hard packed. You’ll definitely need to have that GPS guidance to keep the guess work out of which way to go when approaching the many forks in the road.

We’re now approaching the base of the Three Sister’s via a several mile stint on the paved Tres Hermanas Road where we pick up the trail again and head up from the valley floor. Below you can watch a good sampling of the terrain we encountered near the base. If you want to see the mid-way and near the top samples visit my website Tres Hermanas Challenge section here. 

The conditions of the trail degenerate the higher we get. Rocks (that are really small boulders) fill the tracks making it only possible to drive over in the side by side, barely, as you’ll see in the other videos. No way for a bicycle to be ridden on much of the trail the nearer one gets to the apex. The apex being the highest spot you’ll achieve through the pass between the two southern most Sister’s. You never approach the summits.

Once we crested, the descent through the pass almost immediately became a very ridable two track road again and was fairly easy going all the way down to the valley below where Columbus is nestled, and much to my surprise, it came out a half a block from my driveway at the Hole in the Wall Getaway. You should visit there now to see all the discounted services and specials I always extend to my GDMBR guests. Yes I shuttle too!

In closing, I think it’s safe to say the experience proved passage is doable, but extremely difficult traveling eastbound. It would be my preference to start in Columbus and take the THC westbound as the trek up is a piece of cake comparably to the eastbound trip we took. There will be a lot of “off your bike hiking” through all the rock filled sections. And I’m thinking hiking downhill with your trail bike in tow will be a hellava lot easier than uphill. Either way, I’ll be waiting for you at the Hole in the Wall. RIDE ON FRIENDS! -BigAddison

Special mention to Mayor Skinner of the Village of Columbus for providing the expertise of Pedro (and his side-by-side), and Cesar in navigating the THC route. Amazing job!