How to keep in condition, or build up more, for future hiking? Go on a challenging trail, and the Eye of the Sandias is one of those trails.
The Drive In
Their are two trailheads one can use to get most directly to the trail. One is at the east end of Copper Ave NE (and there is a placemark for it on GoogleEarth). This trailhead is quite popular because it provides ready access to many of the hiking/biking trails at the southern end of Albuquerque’s Open Spaces in the western foothills of the Sandia Mountains.
To get most directly to a trailhead, I opted to use the one at the northern end of Camino De La Sierra NE. To get there, go to the eastern end of Copper Ave, turn right onto Parkside Dr NE. Parkside T’s into Camino Del La Sierra. Park in the vicinity, then head to the end of the Camino for the trailhead.
The Hike
Eye Of The Sandia Trail Hike.Solo.2021-12-03
Notes about the Google Earth screenshot: the graph at the bottom shows elevation of the track (pink area) and speed (the blue line).
I hiked Eye of the Sandias twice before (some years ago), so I new it would be a good workout today; just what I wanted. And I wasn’t disappointed. The trail is well used, so easy to follow. But, there are other trails that intersect this one, some with signs. If you simply take the uphill option, you will likely stay on Eye of the Sandias (or … bring your favorite GPS app with the GPS track you can download below, and record your own hike).
Not far from the trailhead, the slope increases from 11% to better than 25%. And except for a few breaks, it is that steep all the way to the Eye, in some places even greater. This day, weather was cool (around 60) with no wind, great for a hike with the exertion required for Eye of the Sandias.
Statistics
Total Distance: 3.34 miles
Elevation: start 5,964 ft, maximum 7,234 ft, minimum 5,962 ft
Gross gain: 1,272 ft. Aggregate ascending 1,422 ft, descending 1,424 ft
Maximum slope: 35% ascending, 33% descending, 15% average
Duration: 2:26
| GPS Track Files for Download | |
41 Downloads |
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48 Downloads |
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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.
Related Posts
Eye of the Sandias, 02/21/2016
Eye of the Sandias, 12/10/2015
References and Resources
Check the Related Posts for online references.