One hundred and fifty miles from the nearest major city (Albuquerque), this up-and-coming bike park is geographically isolated and, thus, amazingly light on crowds. Nestled above Taos at 8,400 feet, it also serves up cool temps and pristine mountain vistas. While Angel Fire has an eye on increasing its number of beginner trails, it remains a mountain-bike destination for the expert riders who come for the boulder-strewn steeps, tightly treed singletrack, lava fields, and nerve-jangling jumps.

New, however, for the beginner this year is an easy trail that runs from the top of the resort's Chile chairlift to the base area. Another switchback-laced singletrack run has also been opened for intermediate riders.

Hardcore downhillers will revel in the aggressive, new trail called Pepper Spray. Base-area facilities also received a marked facelift this season, with bike service and rentals now provided by an outpost of Moab's famed Chile Pepper bike shop.
www.angelfireresort.com