While a few of the official routes are marked, others are relatively unmarked or difficult to navigate. The loop mapped here is one of the most oft-ridden routes through the area, but you'll likely still need to reference FATMAP quite frequently if you aren't riding with a local. Be sure to download this area for offline navigation, in case you lose cell service way out in the desert.

Otherwise, if you're not quite sure where you are, simply pedal around the rippled slickrock slabs and explore the area! Do your best to stay on the rock and off the soft soil, and enjoy the free-for-all nature of pedaling around in the middle of the desert.

While it may be difficult to follow an intended route, you'll never be too lost at Red Mesa. "It's easy to get kind of lost but impossible to get completely lost as you can always see White Mesa to the south, and your car is between you and White Mesa," writes Fisch.

Sources: MountainBikeNM.com Singletracks.com