Trans-America Trail (TAT) through NM and CO

[Ferg]

A 4Runner friend and I ('21 JTR) just completed the NM and CO portions of the TAT. It was a blast. From start to finish -- my home in NETX and back -- was a total of 2,800 miles. I pulled my '22 TAXA WoolyBear Overland on the trip and it performed like a champ. I must say that Engineer Pass and Cinnamon Pass were my two favorite parts. The Alpine Loop as a whole is fun, but those two were my favorites.
Just a couple of things:

1. if you do the trip, be prepared for lots and lots and lots of rock-strewn roads in Co.
2. The biting flies in national forests are more like murder-hornet flies.
3. If you see a gas station, stop and fill up. I took two, 5-gallon Jerry Cans with me and ended up having to use one of them because I thought I would find a gas station ... but I was wrong.
4. None of the trails/roads are technically challenging, but they're fun -- especially the shelf roads.

Here are just a couple of pics from the trip. I hope you enjoy.

BTW, the ferocious attack dog is Benji.

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[CJ5w4wdSmokyOnMyTail]

Ran that route as part of my TAT trip last year. Truly incredible! First entering NM from OK is especially beautiful. Love the TAT! Glad you and Benji had a great time.

 

[Ferg]

Ran that route as part of my TAT trip last year. Truly incredible! First entering NM from OK is especially beautiful. Love the TAT! Glad you and Benji had a great time.

I absolutely loved the drive up as you move from NM into CO. That windy, narrow shelf road is a blast.

 

[ng1111]

Great photos and thanks for the inspiration going to have to put it on my list now.

 

[jeepers29]

A 4Runner friend and I ('21 JTR) just completed the NM and CO portions of the TAT. It was a blast. From start to finish -- my home in NETX and back -- was a total of 2,800 miles. I pulled my '22 TAXA WoolyBear Overland on the trip and it performed like a champ. I must say that Engineer Pass and Cinnamon Pass were my two favorite parts. The Alpine Loop as a whole is fun, but those two were my favorites.
Just a couple of things:

1. if you do the trip, be prepared for lots and lots and lots of rock-strewn roads in Co.
2. The biting flies in national forests are more like murder-hornet flies.
3. If you see a gas station, stop and fill up. I took two, 5-gallon Jerry Cans with me and ended up having to use one of them because I thought I would find a gas station ... but I was wrong.
4. None of the trails/roads are technically challenging, but they're fun -- especially the shelf roads.

Here are just a couple of pics from the trip. I hope you enjoy.

BTW, the ferocious attack dog is Benji.

Did you use official TAT maps?

 

[Ferg]

Yes!

 

[jeepers29]

Yes!

Yes!

Some buddies and myself are looking for a fall trip and this sounds good. Can you tell me how long this trip took you and if you just drove like crazy or was it a casual paced trip?

 

[Trekkor2020]

A 4Runner friend and I ('21 JTR) just completed the NM and CO portions of the TAT. It was a blast. From start to finish -- my home in NETX and back -- was a total of 2,800 miles. I pulled my '22 TAXA WoolyBear Overland on the trip and it performed like a champ. I must say that Engineer Pass and Cinnamon Pass were my two favorite parts. The Alpine Loop as a whole is fun, but those two were my favorites.
Just a couple of things:

1. if you do the trip, be prepared for lots and lots and lots of rock-strewn roads in Co.
2. The biting flies in national forests are more like murder-hornet flies.
3. If you see a gas station, stop and fill up. I took two, 5-gallon Jerry Cans with me and ended up having to use one of them because I thought I would find a gas station ... but I was wrong.
4. None of the trails/roads are technically challenging, but they're fun -- especially the shelf roads.

Here are just a couple of pics from the trip. I hope you enjoy.

BTW, the ferocious attack dog is Benji.

That sounds like a great adventure. Glad you made it thru safely.

 

[Medical_Bartender]

Nicely done! I can't wait to tackle the TAT one day when time allows.

 

[ruthere]

Yo bro,

That's awesome that you and your 4Runner buddy just crushed the NM and CO portions of the TAT. Sounds like you had a blast! 2,800 miles is no joke, but I bet it was worth it.

I'm stoked to hear that you pulled your '22 TAXA WoolyBear Overland on the trip and it performed like a champ. I've been eyeing those trailers for a while, so that's good to know.

Engineer Pass and Cinnamon Pass are both legit trails, so I'm not surprised that you liked them. The Alpine Loop is a great way to experience those two passes, and I'm sure you had some epic views.

Thanks for the tips about the rock-strewn roads and the murder-hornet flies. I'll definitely be prepared for those when I do the TAT. And good call on the gas stations. I'll definitely be filling up whenever I see one.

I'm glad you had fun on the trip, and I'm looking forward to seeing the pics.

P.S. Benji looks like a ferocious attack dog, but I bet he's a total sweetheart.

A 4Runner friend and I ('21 JTR) just completed the NM and CO portions of the TAT. It was a blast. From start to finish -- my home in NETX and back -- was a total of 2,800 miles. I pulled my '22 TAXA WoolyBear Overland on the trip and it performed like a champ. I must say that Engineer Pass and Cinnamon Pass were my two favorite parts. The Alpine Loop as a whole is fun, but those two were my favorites.
Just a couple of things:

1. if you do the trip, be prepared for lots and lots and lots of rock-strewn roads in Co.
2. The biting flies in national forests are more like murder-hornet flies.
3. If you see a gas station, stop and fill up. I took two, 5-gallon Jerry Cans with me and ended up having to use one of them because I thought I would find a gas station ... but I was wrong.
4. None of the trails/roads are technically challenging, but they're fun -- especially the shelf roads.

Here are just a couple of pics from the trip. I hope you enjoy.

BTW, the ferocious attack dog is Benji.

 

[Ferg]

Some buddies and myself are looking for a fall trip and this sounds good. Can you tell me how long this trip took you and if you just drove like crazy or was it a casual paced trip?

We didn't have any "intense" driving days -- they were all pretty casual. You will be tired, though, because of the need to concentrate.

 

[txGlad]

Looks like a fantastic trip. Love that area. Did you take your trailer over each of these passes?

 

[Ferg]

Looks like a fantastic trip. Love that area. Did you take your trailer over each of these passes?

I didn't take it over Engineer or Cinnamon simply because I didn't want to get into a situation where it would make it difficult for someone to get around me going the other way. I had planned to go up Ophir Pass, too, but it said that trailers were not supposed to go up there -- and we had already cleared camp that day. The next time I go, I'll leave the trailer at camp and go over it.

My TAXA had zero problems on any of the stuff we went over. The thing is a beast.

 

[jeepers29]

I didn't take it over Engineer or Cinnamon simply because I didn't want to get into a situation where it would make it difficult for someone to get around me going the other way. I had planned to go up Ophir Pass, too, but it said that trailers were not supposed to go up there -- and we had already cleared camp that day. The next time I go, I'll leave the trailer at camp and go over it.

My TAXA had zero problems on any of the stuff we went over. The thing is a beast.

I plan on taking my m416 with us. I have done most of the NMBDR with it and had 0 issues.

 

[Timoleon]

Nicely done! I can't wait to tackle the TAT one day when time allows.

Don't wait for that allowance from time. Do it as soon as possible.

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