A bikepacking event born out of a handful of local mountain bikers wanting to show off their backyard is celebrating a decade on the trail this year. The Dangerbird will return to southern New Mexico for its 10th annual event, sending self-supported riders across roughly 250 miles of Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument terrain from November 5 through November 8.
What began as an informal community ride organized by local mountain bikers has evolved into an annual tradition that now attracts participants from across New Mexico, throughout the United States and overseas, officials said, according to KTSM 9 News. The event began as a grassroots gathering of local cyclists who wanted to encourage more people to experience the national monument, and it has grown steadily over the past decade into a fixture that draws riders from far beyond the Mesilla Valley.
The ride is free to enter, and organizers describe it as the annual kickoff ride for the Monumental Loop, the roughly 250-mile route that links all four sections of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument. Dangerbird itself is designed for experienced riders capable of navigating remote desert terrain, requiring self-supported, multi-day participation through country with limited cell service and changing weather conditions.
A Route Born From Federal Land Protection
The Monumental Loop traces its origins to 2015, when Las Cruces cyclist Matt Mason and local advocates carved out the figure-eight route to connect the monument's four distinct geographic units, according to BIKEPACKING.com. President Barack Obama had designated the roughly 496,330-acre monument on May 21, 2014, and the loop was conceived, per the site's reporting, as a way to familiarize the community with the newly protected land. Friends of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks has described the Monumental Loop as a love letter to the national monument and the community effort that helped secure its federal designation.
The full loop is split into two sections centered around Mesilla. The northern Green Chile Loop cuts through the rugged Doña Ana and Robledo mountains toward Hatch, while the southern Red Chile Loop heads toward the Kilbourne Hole volcanic crater, per the Las Cruces Bulletin. In March 2021, route stewards introduced smoother, small-town-friendly reroutes under the banner Monumental Loop 2.0, while preserving the original, more technical track specifically as the Dangerbird option for riders seeking the tougher terrain.
Room for Beginners, Too
Not every rider on hand is chasing a multi-day desert crossing. Alongside the main self-supported endurance ride, the event features the Safetybird, an introductory overnight trip covering approximately 25 miles that gives novice riders a manageable taste of desert bikepacking, the Bulletin's coverage notes. Formal registration for the group departs caps at 150 participants, who complete the unsupported course over an average of four to six days, according to the Gravel Adventure Field Guide.
A Growing Economic Footprint
The event's rise has tracked a broader surge in visitation to the monument itself. Public visitation more than tripled over a decade, climbing from 183,900 visitors in 2012, before federal designation, to 612,781 in 2022, according to Friends of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks. That traffic carries real financial weight for Las Cruces: out-of-town visitors to the monument generated $35 million in direct economic impact and supported 305 local jobs in 2022, per data cited by Visit Las Cruces.
Statewide, outdoor recreation generated $3.6 billion for New Mexico's economy and supported 31,454 jobs in 2024, accounting for 2.5% of total state GDP, according to figures from the New Mexico Economic Development Department. The scale of that industry has drawn attention in Santa Fe as well. New Mexico State Representative Angelica Rubio previously introduced a House memorial urging state lawmakers to officially recognize the Monumental Loop trail network and bikepacking's economic contributions, as reported by Outside Magazine.
For riders gearing up for November, the Dangerbird remains what it has always been at its core: a chance to test skill and endurance against a landscape that local mountain bikers and recreation advocates built the Monumental Loop to showcase in the first place. Organizers frame it as an opportunity to experience a premier Southwest bikepacking route, one that continues to draw new visitors into the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument's diverse terrain and natural beauty a decade after it began as a handful of friends riding together.
