The desert is the best place to be in the fall, and a bike is the best way to explore the desert. I traveled to Las Cruces, New Mexico, way down in the Chihuahuan Desert, to ride the northern half of the Monumental Loop. Developed by Matt Mason on Bikepacking.com, this mostly off-pavement route provides a sampling of the vast Organ Mountains - Desert Peaks National Monument that surrounds the city of Las Cruces.
I found the route to be a challenging and fun mix of gravel, dirt, sand, rocks, and single-track, as it alternated between pleasant countryside orchards and the relatively untouched desert landscape within the Monument. Each trip into the Monument was unique, offering sweeping views, sizable hills, and ever-present cacti.
It was a treat to return to this landscape I was so amazed by when hiking the CDT last year, and definitely scratched my annual biking itch just in time before the ski season starts up.
bikepacking.com/routes/monume...