Cycling Dale Ball and Dorothy Stewart

The new maps on Dale Ball South!

Out in the foothills on Saturday, saw that the Forest Service had signed a few of the intersections near Atalaya with these cool new maps. Signs and maps! Progress has truly arrived in Santa Fe. No, but I'd love to see several more of these on the trails. I tend to know where I'm going but I don't get the feeling that a lot of other people do.

As a bonus, this map was posted not just at the first trail junction - where TR 170 splits off to Atalaya - but at the next two junctions as well. A sincere hi-five to whomever headed this project. One small omission is notable however; the map details Talaya Hill Open Space but Talaya Hill itself isn't marked. I mean, we've got Castle Rock in there but not Talaya? Maybe Talaya is a brooding and mysterious type of character. Castle Rock must be the extrovert.

Talaya Hill Open Space minus Talaya Hill
(click through for better detail)

On a side note, it's worth a mention that Forest TR 170 is the easier, less steep approach to both Dorothy Stewart and Atalaya. If you want to get your bike up onto Dorothy Stewart (or lower Atalaya) without the extended sections of hike-a-bike, this is your route. Still a technical ride but much more reasonable than the climb from Talaya Hill or the direct route from the Camino Cruz Blanca T/H.

The GPS map doesn't clearly show the air you can soar through off some of the rollers down on lower Dorothy Stewart. Nor does it show the collisions with off-trail trees on upper Dorothy Stewart. More of the former less of the latter for a pleasant ride.

Dale Ball South and morning sun

Some old dude rockin' his new wind vest (toasty warm)

Nearby Trails:
 - Atalaya Mountain Trail
 - Sun Mountain Trail
 - East Hills Arroyo - St John's College



View Dorothy Stewart Ridgeline Trail - Santa Fe, NM in a larger map
 - TR 170 in yellow
 - Dorothy Stewart Loop in blue
 - Talaya Hill (top-left flag), 7,439ft