Posted in March 2019. One of our early hikes, checking out trails out of Tijeras, on the south end of the Sandia Mountains. Our first try at Hawk Watch. 

The Hike

The turnoff is about 3 miles up the Three Gun Springs trail.  We missed the trail after shortly after the turn, mistakenly chose to head up the arroyo.  From there wandered some until concluding we needed to head southeast and uphill to get on Hawk Watch.  Once back on the trail, it was uphill from there. The views across Tijeras Canyon are truly great.  And along the way we passed some very interesting rock outcroppings

Statistics

Total Distance:  3.99 miles
Elevation: start  6,313 ft, maximum  7,621 ft,  minimum  6,313 ft
Gross gain:  1,308 ft.  Aggregate ascending  1,517 ft, descending  1,524 ft
Maximum slope: 44% ascending, 42% descending, 12.8% average
Duration: 2:53

I urge you to explore our hiking tracks with Google Earth. With the virtual 3-dimensional presentation, achieved by panning and tilting the view, you can get a much better idea of the hikes and terrain than you can get from the 2-dimensional screenshot above. For assistance: Using Google Earth Track Files.

References

USDA Forest Service: Hawk Watch Trail 215
Hawk Watch International: Sandia Mountains, NM HawkWatch
ASCHG: Hawk Watch Hike
New Mexico Meanders: 2017-02-25 South Sandia Peak Loop Hike
AllTrails: Hawkwatch Trail
SummitPost: Hawk Watch Trail

George's Photos: Click on a Photo for Gallery Show.