Seeking cooler territory without driving too far today, we headed for the East side of the Sandias and a shaded trail we’ve hiked back in 2014 and 2015 – Tree Springs – extended this time to visit the Fossil Garden (from ASCHG’s hike). After breakfast at the Placitas Cafe, we drove up NM 165 (Las Huertas Canyon) to NM 536 (Crest Highway), then left, -downhill- to the parking area for the Tree Springs Trail (#147). [Note: NM 165 in las Huertas Canyon is a -very rough- road. It is not a road to travel on in a ‘city car’. Without a high-clearance vehicle, one risks snagging a rock with some important part under the car. And it is so rough that vehicles not designed for such rough roads are likely to suffer damage or some form of ‘hurt’. So be advised!]
The Hike
Tree Spring-Fossil Garden Hike.Jay.2018-06-2018
(Ignore the snow on the GoogleEarth image. It was a warm summer day, in the 80s on the mountain.)
The trailhead is easy to find – it has it’s own parking area off of NM 536 (crowded on this Sunday morning). The trail presents a steady climb from the trailhead to the Sandia Crest Trail and a bit further to the edge of the top of the Sandia Mountains. It is shaded most all the way leaving few opportunities for horizon views; the surface is at times quite rocky, demanding concentration on the trail (easier since the absence of views avoids such distractions). Immediately after passing through a gate into the Wilderness Area, which is just beyond the intersection with the 10k Trail, the Crest Trail crosses Tree Springs – there are no signs for guidance.
We chose to continue up to the crest for the view across Albuquerque and the Rio Grande valley. Satisfying our appetite for the view, we descended and turned south onto the Crest Trail, continuing the 1 mile to the Fossil Garden. After getting adjusted to what these fossils look like, we found many different and interesting specimens (examples in the photos below). After our mid-hike break, we headed down to lower elevation (and warmer air).
Jay here: This hike brought back the memory of the last time we hiked this trail. That would be the time I forgot to put on my hiking boots so I had to make the hike wearing slip-on shoes (it takes almost 40 minutes to get up or down the dirt road portion of NM 165, so we were not going back for my boots). The almost continuous shade makes this an ideal summer hike…assuming you have the appropriate footwear.
I’m taking a photo of Jay, while he’s taking a selfie.
Statistics
Total Distance: 6.59 miles
Elevation: start 8,467 ft, maximum 9,499 ft, minimum 8,467 ft
Gross gain: 1,032 ft. Aggregate ascending 1,787 ft, descending 1,775 ft
Maximum slope: 25% ascending, 24% descending, 9% average
Duration: 4:31
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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.
References
ASCHG: Tree Spring Trail to Fossil Garden Hike
AllTrails: Tree Spring Trail
SummitPost: Tree Springs Trail
