San Mateo
San Mateo Trail is a 6.7 miles trail in Cibola National Forest, New Mexico. The Forest Service rates it trail class 2, moderately developed. It is open to hiking and horse and pack stock. It enters Apache Kid Wilderness.
Trail conditions, closures and hazards are not tracked here. The Cibola National Forest official page carries current alerts and closure orders.
Map
One end Other endLine simplified to about 100 metres. Basemap from the USGS National Map.
| One end | 33.5951, -107.4981 · Directions ↗ |
| Other end | 33.6508, -107.4256 · Directions ↗ |
The ends are the two ends of the longest connected chain of segments. The record does not say which is the usual start.
The trail
| Length | 6.7 miles |
| Trail class | 2, moderately developed |
| Type | land trail |
| Surface | native material |
| Typical grade | 12-20 percent |
| Typical tread width | 18-24 inches |
| Motor vehicles | Closed to all motorized use year-round |
| Accessibility | Not evaluated |
| Trail numbers | 45 |
| Forest | Cibola National Forest (unit 0303) |
| States | New Mexico |
| Detail published | management level, with uses |
Values are the set across all segments. Class 1 is minimally developed and class 5 is fully developed. Grade and width are the forest's typical values, not measured extremes.
Allowed uses
| Hiking | Allowed year-round |
| Horse and pack stock | Allowed year-round |
A use is listed when the Forest Service records it as managed, accepted or discouraged on any segment. Discouraged still means legal. Uses marked restricted are left out. Where the forest publishes a Motor Vehicle Use Map, that map governs motorized use.
Wilderness
- Apache Kid Wilderness WildernessFS · about 76% of the line is insideWilderness Connect ↗
Inside a designated wilderness, bicycles and motor vehicles are prohibited by law regardless of the trail record, and permits or group limits may apply.
Trailheads
The Forest Service recreation layer records no trailhead within a third of a mile of this trail's line. Many trails start from a road pullout or another trail with no trailhead record. The forest's recreation pages list the trailheads it does publish.
Distance is from the point to the nearest part of the trail line. Season text is what the forest wrote and is often a season name rather than a date. The recreation page link goes to the Forest Service site, which may redirect to the forest's recreation index.
Camping nearby
Campsite Atlas cards carry site counts and booking links from Recreation.gov. Forest Service cards come from the recreation layer and link the agency page.
Reference
Questions people ask
How long is the San Mateo Trail?
6.7 miles, the sum of the 1 segment the Forest Service records under this name in Cibola National Forest.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
What is allowed on the San Mateo Trail?
hiking and horse and pack stock. The trail is closed to motor vehicles year-round.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Where does the San Mateo Trail start?
The line begins at 33.5951, -107.4981 and ends at 33.6508, -107.4256. No Forest Service trailhead is recorded within a third of a mile of it. The record does not say which end is the usual start.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Is the San Mateo Trail in a wilderness area?
Yes. It enters Apache Kid Wilderness. Wilderness rules ban bicycles and motor vehicles and often limit group size.
Source: Apache Kid Wilderness Wilderness
Where can I camp near the San Mateo Trail?
Springtime Campground (4.6 mi) is within five miles of the trail.
How developed is the San Mateo Trail?
Trail class 2, which the Forest Service describes as moderately developed. Class 1 is a minimal, unimproved route and class 5 is fully developed, often paved.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
How steep and how wide is the San Mateo Trail?
The typical grade is 12-20 percent. The typical tread is 18-24 inches wide.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Who manages the San Mateo Trail?
Cibola National Forest, Forest Service unit 0303. The trail is in New Mexico.
Source
This page is built from 1 segment named SAN MATEO in the Forest Service TrailNFS_Publish layer, administrative unit 0303. Wilderness overlap is tested against the National Wilderness Preservation System layer from Wilderness Connect. Trailheads and Forest Service campgrounds come from the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer. Data refreshed September 17, 2026. The methodology page explains how segments become trails.