Approaches

From South West. In order to get more elevation gain than the short circle suggested in MTB guidebooks, it is possible to start further downvalley. The west end of Rio Costilla Park is a suitable place to start. This way the ride includes the scenic narrows of Rio Costilla Canyon on a dirt road. 4 1/2 miles past Comanche Point (where a sign advertises the turnoff to upper Costilla road), a double track closed to motorized vehicles leads to the old ruins of the Clayton cowcamp. From there a track to the right of Vidal Creek leads to the top of the pass. The top is forested and any number of tracks arrive there from at least 4 directions, two of which are blocked by locked gates. 

From North West. The approach is described in a downward direction. My guess is that any two attempts to get back to the Clayton cowcamp are going to be somewhat different.  That's how many confusing options there are. After exploring three out  of the 5 routes, and repeatedly being forced to choose between completely overgrown forest roads or barely discernible single tracks (3rd picture), my own route managed to rejoin the south west approach a short distance above the Clayton cowcamp. The most interesting approach may well be the one on the other side of the gate. More about that below.

Tours

Dayrides. A ride starting at the west end of Rio Costilla Park, leading to the pass by way of the Clayton cowcamp, returning via a circle that joined the approach still on the pass side of the cowcamp, measured 42 miles with 2750 feet of climbing in 5.3 hours, using a Cateye 100AT cycle computer.

History

But there is really a lot more to Costilla Pass than this little loop would lead one to suspect. New Mexico is a land of mystery. Mysteries are vague and Costilla Pass shares in that vagueness. Marshall Spraque in his book "the Great Gates" lists two Costilla passes, two crossings that are close enough to one another that they serve as yet another example of the confusing nature of the the latin map making tradition. One pass leads from the town of Costilla up Costilla Creek over a ridge to one of three passes all named San Francisco. This particular San Francisco Pass ends up in Stonewall, Colorado to the north. The second Costilla Pass fits this one more closely. It leads from Comanche Point to Red River Pass. In order to get to Red River Pass, Costilla Pass has to cross south, presumably continuing across the gate described in the south west approach and down the other side. Historically the pass is perpendicular to what is shown on today's maps. It served as entry route into Valle Vidal, instead of staying in the valley.

In 1818 Spanish paranoia about French and American presence on the same continent lead to a frontier survey of routes and passes of the spanish frontier of New Galicia. The report handed to governor Malagres covered the main routes of the time:  Sangre de Cristo Pass (Colorado's North La Veta Pass ), Glorietta Pass and Raton Pass. The report classified Medano Pass and Mosca Pass as being very bad. In comparison it called Costilla Pass an "unhandy footpath"

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