Santa Fe Regional Trail

The prettiest part is on the Air Force Academy. There isn't a lot of horse water on it, but it is a great place to condition your horse. It's relatively flat and the gravel surface is good. You will meet a lot of bicycles, runners, and walkers, especially on weekends. The one minus about this trail is that in many places it is very close to the railroad tracks. If your horse gets upset by a train, I suggest you dismount and wait it out. Another tricky spot is at North Gate where the trail is on an overpass over the road. Again, if you are nervous, or your horse is, about this, you could get off and lead over this area.

As I mentioned earlier, you can go as far north as Palmer Lake. The distance is about 14 miles. This is an up and back trail rather than a loop, so you may want to leave a trailer at one end and start from the other end to ride here. You can park a trailer at Ice Lake, North Gate, and at Baptist Road. Ice Lake and Baptist Road have rest rooms.