Coyote Canyon, Tularosa, NM (pic heavy)

CaptainMorgan_SOS

Need Bigger Tires
Location
Alamogordo, NM
So I just took on this trail yesterday. I went out with some heavy hitting 4 Runners who were sure to show me I need to do a lot more work in order to keep up with them ;)

The trails are right off Coyote Canyon Rd just outside Tularosa NM. The area is pretty dry with a ton of rocks, ledges and some pretty tight squeezes. For those of you with some wide tires and spacers, prepare to get some wheel rash. The area is littered with mesquite trees in some of the tighter spots and you are sure to get some good pinstriping. There are some awesome articulation areas, ledges, and just good trails all around. There are some really challenging areas as well, but for those like me who don't have 38"+ tires, they have bypasses for those little areas. Throughout the trip we went through some creek beds, canyons and rocky hill/mountain sides. As I found out, SLIDERS ARE A MUST for this place. Having a good approach angle IS A MUST in this area because of the ledges. I have some on order as we speak as I got a little dinged up on this trip, but nothing serious thanks to these guys being excellent spotters and trying there best to ensure I didn't sustain any serious damage. All I got was one ding and some light scratches, but no biggie. They went out of there way to ensure I had a good time and pushed my rig to its limit. I made it through everything but some huge ledges and an area called The Articulator (pics of that below). In those areas, I took the bypasses, but that doesn't mean I didn't get some good articulation myself. Once you get through the whole area you can either go back the same way, or if it is late in the day like it was for us, you can blast your way down a very nice and scenic dirt road back to the highway.

Sorry for the long read, but those of you in the area who are looking for a good, fun and often challenging area for an Xterra, you should definitely make the trip down here and check it out! It is a completely different animal for me considering I just moved from right on the coast in Virginia to out here, but I absolutely love it! Pics below, enjoy!



This is right after we got off the road and into the creak beds. My X looks like a baby compared to these guys.

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One of the first ledges we came upon; these guys made them look easy.

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His front drive shaft came apart right here from unloading the front, after we got him backed down, we were up and ready to go again in less than 10 minutes. These guys were sure to take the most difficult routes the entire way ;)

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This is the other rig who came out. Pretty beastly.

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CaptainMorgan_SOS

Need Bigger Tires
Location
Alamogordo, NM
And here was where it got hairy for me. This is where I got my slight ding to my rocker. No big deal, but that is why I have sliders on order. I made it through here without being winched the entire trip. These guys were great spotters. He had me sit here and pose with this cactus thing in my face because it was coming in through my driver's side window, but it made for some good pics.

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Oh! and I picked up my RLC bumper on the way to NM! I'll have this on, hopefully, within the next week or so. This will help with the sliding, bumping and grinding I hope. My wife was obviously excited about it too.

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Again, sorry for the long post but I hope you enjoyed it! Hit me up if you ever find your way down here and want to give this area a go.
 

CaptainMorgan_SOS

Need Bigger Tires
Location
Alamogordo, NM
It was a lot of fun! These guys had some awesome rigs that took on the really hard obstacles like they were nothing. They did everything they could to help me get over some really gnarly obstacles that I would have never thought I could make it through.

I need to find out what I need to do to get my rig more prepared for this stuff. I have the bumper already and sliders were just ordered last night. One of the guys said he fabs stuff up and is interested in taking on building some skids and he will be welding up the sliders for me when they come in. I should have the lift done this spring and I am on the hunt for a front locker. I am also looking into building my steering up, but I can't spend a lot, so I am looking for the most economical way to do so. If anyone has any info that could help me out, I am all ears!

Eventually I want to build up a rear bumper, but that will be for another time.
 
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NMTerras

Suspension Lift
Location
New Mexico
Figured. People just don't up and move to Tularosa from Virginia...

There's a few of us up here in Albuquerque - we'll have to come check that area out one of these days
 
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