Feb 2018: This is another ‘looking back’ entry in our Hiking Journal.
The Hike
Piño Hike.James.2015-10-12
Statistics
Total Distance: 6.51 miles Elevation: start 6,423 ft, maximum 8,084 ft, minimum 6,423 ft Gross gain: 1,662 ft. Aggregate ascending 1,972 ft, descending 1,981 ft Maximum slope: 39% ascending, 37% descending, 10% average Duration: 3:18
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.
A hike made long ago, before I started the Hiking BLOG.
Statistics
Total Distance: 3.54 miles Elevation: start 6,450 ft, maximum 6,687 ft, minimum 6,378 ft Gross gain: 319 ft. Aggregate ascending 594 ft, descending 578 ft Maximum slope: 24% ascending, 25% descending, 6% average Duration: 1:31
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.
Snows from recent storms across northern New Mexico steered us away from the Jemez Mountains, so looking for a new trail nearby, we opted for the Juan Tabo Canyon trail. This is a well-used trail; we met a half dozen hikers, many with dogs, on the first fifth of a mile, but not many hikers after that.
The Hike
Juan Tabo Canyon North Hike.Jay.2017-04-30
As we embarked on the hike, the temperature was in the 40s and there was lots of snow on the ground and and on the plants (cholla, prickly pear, juniper, oak, all kinds of plants), deposited there by a storm the day before. Snow covered a large part of the mountain, with lots of white on the rocks and trees, and on the Crest one could see rime ice coating trees and the radio towers. And the clouds whirling around the northern end of the Sandias were amazing.
The first part of the trail is wide and well worn; we could walk abreast over a sand/dirt surface. A bit over a half mile into the hike, we turned to the right on a ‘good looking trail’; checking the GPS .4 miles later I realized that we had turned onto a spur that was taking us away from our intended track. So we backtracked and proceeded ahead into the bottom of Juan Tabo Canyon. Hiking was easy, a gradual slope uphill following the GPS track from ASCHG; easy sandy surface, few trees, and the temperature had warmed to make the hiking quite pleasant.
Jay here: Just when you think there are no hikes left that we have not done in the Sandias, you discover one that you missed. The hike starts off easy in the canyon bottom but if you follow the canyon up as we did, you will need to tackle many rockfalls to reach higher elevations. The swirling clouds on a freshly snow covered mountain put on a great show for us all morning. The latter stage of the hike had a lot more bushwhacking than would be my preference but it’s all part of the challenge of making your way back to the trailhead without settling for returning the way you came.
Statistics
Total Distance: 4.97 miles Elevation: start 6,712 ft, maximum 7,187 ft, minimum 6,522 ft Gross gain: 664 ft. Aggregate ascending 1,417 ft, descending 1;,419 ft Maximum slope: 51% ascending, 44% descending, 8% average Duration: 3:54
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.
This was a great hike, one we’ve wanted to do for a while. It is one of 3 trails, spurs off of Piedra Lisa.
The Drive In
We approached it from the south on the Piedra Lisa trail, then turned east (right) up the Fletcher canyon.
The Hike
Piedra Lisa South-Fletcher Hike.Jay.2015-11-01
‘Tis a narrow canyon; we did not encounter any rockfalls that we had to climb over. We went as far as we could, until under the face of a large rock outcropping (about .6 mile), the canyon became too narrow for us to pass. Others might go further, but that was enough for us. None the less, this trail takes us into the heart of the canyons on the west side of the Sandia Mountains.
Statistics
Total Distance: 3.59 miles Elevation: start 6,929 ft, maximum 8,017 ft, minimum 6.929 ft Gross gain: 1,088 ft. Aggregate ascending 1,241 ft, descending 1,241 ft Maximum slope: 53% ascending, 40% descending, 13% average Duration: 3:20
If you haven’t explored these hiking tracks with Google Earth, I urge you to try it. 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 screenshot above. For some ideas, check out Using Google Earth Track Files.
Eye of the Sandias is a trail very close to Albuquerque, with the trailhead at the eastern end of Copper Road. ‘Tis an area of numerous trails, well used by neighbors and visitors to this part of Albuquerque’s Open Space. Many of the trails are in this area are quite easy, with solid sand/gravel surface, none to some elevation gain, and only a few steep sections. The Eye of the Sandia trail is not marked on the Open Space maps, but makes a great extension of those trails. And .. the namesake for the trial is an “eye” painted on a rock at the top of the trail. The views of the city are awesome (although it is close to I-40 so one can hear the noise of the highway).
The Hike
Eye of the Sandias Hike.Marlin.2015-12-10
Statistics
Total Distance: 3.11 miles Elevation: start 5,935 ft, maximum 6,883 ft, minimum 5,935 ft Gross gain: 948 ft. Aggregate ascending 1,093 ft, descending 1,105 ft Maximum slope: 42% ascending, 42% descending, 13% average Duration:
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.
Total Distance: 2.06 miles Elevation: start 5,926 ft, maximum 6,202 ft, minimum 5,926 ft Gross gain: 76 ft. Aggregate ascending 439 ft, descending: 440 ft Maximum slope: 30% ascending, 37% descending, 7% average Duration: 0:47
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.
An afternoon hike, just to get outdoors. ‘Tis wonderful to have such scenic surroundings with easy trails at the very outskirts of the city.
The Hike
Copper Trailhead.Pat.2016-04-02
Statistics
Total Distance: 2.09 miles Elevation: start 5,924 ft, maximum 6,219 ft, minimum 5,924 ft Gross gain: 295 ft. Aggregate ascending 517 ft, descending: 533 ft Maximum slope: 29% ascending, 43% descending, 8% average Duration: 0:59
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.
An early hike Pat & I made in Albuquerque’s Elena Gallegos Open Space. One of more than a dozen Open Space lands, Elena Gallegos has numerous hiking and biking trails within it’s boundaries, and trailheads for trails into the Sandia Mountain Wilderness.
The Hike
Pino Hike.Pat.2012-08-12
Pino is a truly great trail, amazing to be so close to the city. The initial quarter of a mile, within Elena Gallegos, is on well-traveled, two-abreast, sand covered surface; tho’ it is uphill (2% grade), it is flat and an easy walk and not forested. Leaving Elena Gallegos and entering the Wilderness, the trail continues to be well traveled tho’ it gradually becomes one-abreast and with some rocky stretches, enters the juniper and pinon forest setting, and continues uphill (thus the 1,241 ft elevation gain over the 2.5 mile hike to our turn-around).
Statistics
Total Distance: 5.27 miles Elevation: 6,460 start, 7,701 maximum, 6,460 minimum Gross gain: 1,241 ft. Aggregate ascending 1,543 ft, descending: 1,581 ft Maximum slope: 36% ascending, 42% descending, 11% average Duration: 3:53
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.
I’ve been quite surprised and enjoyed tremendously the amazing variety of flowers throughout the mountains, whether the Sandias, Manzanos, or Jemez. I recently discovered my fascination began on our early hikes (I’m writing this in 2017), with this collection of photos of flowers we came across during this hike in 2012.
Embarked today to find the Waterfall Trail, a spur off of Piedra Lisa. I tried it once before with Marlin, but our track up a ridge on the south side of Waterfall Canyon was very steep – we ultimately gave up our search for the ‘falls’.
The Hike
Piedra Lisa-Waterfall Hike.Jay.2016-09-04
Today, using counsel from another hiker (name not remembered), we stayed in the canyon itself, and found our way to a 20′ tall rock wall, with a small stream of water coursing down it’s face. After looking up both sides of the rock wall, and finding a possible route to get above the falls, we look forward to returning, to see how much further up Waterfall Canyon we can go.
Jay here: It was an odd hike for us. Firstly, it was much shorter than usual. Secondly, it was not the hike we planned. We were supposed to take 10k to Land’s End Mine but when we pulled up in front of the Placitas Cafe we found it closed for Labor Day weekend. That put the kibosh on going up the dirt road portion of highway 165. Instead, we repaired to Cafe Diaz to find an alternate hike. Consulting our trusty Sandia Mountain Guide, we came up with the Waterfall Trail which is directly adjacent to Fletcher and Movie trails, both of which we’ve done before. It was none too strenuous although the return there and a climb over the rockfall itself could be a different story.
Statistics
Total Distance: 2.2 miles Elevation: 6,951 start, 7,290 maximum, 6,951 minimum Gross gain: 339 ft. Aggregate ascending 728 ft, descending: 728 ft Maximum slope: 43% ascending, 48% descending, 10% average Duration: 2:46
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.
For another activity during Thomas visit, we took an early morning ride on the Sandia Peak Tram and hiked from the upper terminal of the Tram to the Visitor’s Center, located at the top of the Sandia Crest Highway.
Sandia Peak Tram up to Sandia Crest, and hike on the North Crest Trail.
The Hike
The hike itself, from the Top of the Tram to the Summit House (top of the Sandia Crest Road) and back to the Tram.
Much like the Survey Trail, this section of the North Crest Trail passes through forested territory, mostly fir with some aspen, ponderosa pine, and other plants. So near the crest itself, there are more rocks than trails lower on the east slope of the Sandias. There are a few overlooks, open areas on the -brink- of the cliff on the upper edge of the mountain.
Statistics
Total Distance: 3.29 miles Elevation: 10,285 start, 10,656 maximum, 10,270 minimum Gross gain: 371. Aggregate ascending 791 ft, descending 799 ft Maximum slope: 48% ascending, 38% descending, 8.2% average Duration: 2:21
If you haven’t explored these hiking tracks with Google Earth, I urge you to try it. 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 screenshot above. For some ideas, check out Using Google Earth Track Files.
