After cresting the ridge, a bit more pedaling and climbing will bring you to the top of Bull-of-the-Woods Mountain, offering expansive 360-degree views of the tallest mountain peaks in the State of New Mexico.

This loop on Northside is by no means a world-class singletrack ride. There's way too much dirt road and doubletrack, both on the way up and the way down. But when this ride finally gets to the good bits, they're really good! Sinuous loamy singletrack snakes beneath dark, dense pine trees, climbing, meandering, and then dropping precipitously down the mountain. Some sections of grassy little-ridden singletrack traverse high alpine meadows, providing jaw-dropping views of the mountains all around! And at the right time of year, all of these alpine meadows will be filled to bursting with wildflowers.

No, this ride isn't easy. Yes, the navigation is downright confusing. Sure, losing thousands of feet of elevation on dirt roads feels like a waste of effort.

But I'll be damned if the views off the top and the short ribbons of loam don't make it all worth it!