Long before Coronado and the creation of America, local natives would use a string of pathways to travel from southern to northern New Mexico. Crossing into Rio Arriba or the High River, meant finding a way up the imposing rocky cliffs of the La Bajada Hill. This steep and winding trail was later part of Rte 66 from 1926 - 1932, and featured 28 degree slopes with 23 hairpin turns. (Early model cars would drive up backwards in order to keep the fuel pump engaged. )
In the 93 years since the route from Domingo to Santa Fe was rerouted, La Bajada Hill has severely degraded and eroded so that the road is extremely difficult to traverse, even on a small dirt bike. Rusty barbed wire and old car parts are visible in some sections while massive rocks and boulders hide any semblance of a roadway.
The La Bajada Challenge is a FREE event hosted by Breaking Away Adventures and Sponsored by Parnall Law, Bobby J’s Santa Fe, and Hike the Good Hike.
The rules are simple; ride your Dirt or Adventure Motorcycle down and back up the hill faster than anyone else. These will be individual timed trials on 3 classes of bikes with point deductions for dabbing, stops, and crashes.
Long before Coronado and the creation of America, local natives would use a string of pathways to travel from southern to northern New Mexico. Crossing into Rio Arriba or the High River, meant finding a way up the imposing rocky cliffs of the La Bajada Hill. This steep and winding trail was later part of Rte 66 from 1926 - 1932, and featured 28 degree slopes with 23 hairpin turns. (Early model cars would drive up backwards in order to keep the fuel pump engaged. )
In the 93 years since the route from Domingo to Santa Fe was rerouted, La Bajada Hill has severely degraded and eroded so that the road is extremely difficult to traverse, even on a small dirt bike. Rusty barbed wire and old car parts are visible in some sections while massive rocks and boulders hide any semblance of a roadway.
The La Bajada Challenge is a FREE event hosted by Breaking Away Adventures and Sponsored by Parnall Law, Bobby J’s Santa Fe, and Hike the Good Hike.
The rules are simple; ride your Dirt or Adventure Motorcycle down and back up the hill faster than anyone else. These will be individual timed trials on 3 classes of bikes with point deductions for dabbing, stops, and crashes.
