The trail goes up and down through small gullies, and passes a small exposed strip mine to the north. The exposed earth below the top soil is red along here, and very striking. The route also passes through low scrub brush and cactus, about the only vegetation in the area.
After about a mile, I reached a fork in the trail (wp STR246). There was a line of small rocks piled on the trail diverting me to the north. The blocked, southern choice is marked as Trail 246 on the Forest Service map. I continued on the main Strip Mine Trail which was the left (north) fork. It continued for less than a quarter mile. I reached another trailhead sign and a dirt road, which is the end of the hike in this direction (wp STREND). I then retraced my steps, walking the five minutes back to junction with Trail 246 (wp STR246).
I took the south fork to begin hiking Trail 246. This direction took me a little higher in elevation, and I began to get into a little greenery. The trail went back and forth through a fence marking the wilderness boundary a few times along the way. This trail is a little steeper, and began to feel a little hot, winded, and out of shape.
I followed the trail up toward a small peak (marked as 7,011 feet elevation on the map). The trail started wrapping around to the right (west) of the peak. Then the trail seemed to peter-out all of a sudden. The last time that had I hiked this trail, I found a route to the top of a peak. I decided not to try to bushwhack my way to the top, and headed back home.
My first hike of the year tired me out, on a trail that is relatively easy. Looks like a lot of work in front of me to get into some semblance of shape.
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| STR246 | N 35° 17.725' | W 106° 27.418' | Strip Mine Trail- Trail 246 junction |
| STREND | N 35° 17.866' | W 106° 27.386' | Strip Mine Trail east end |
| STRTH | N 35° 18.018' | W 106° 28.837' | Strip Mine (west) trailhead |
From the parking area, it was about a half mile walk up a sandy area to reach the entry to the National Forest (wp TGSWP1). There was a large Forest Service sign there with a map of all the trail systems in the mountains. About three-quarters of a mile past the sign, just before the first set of switchbacks at the north end of the canyon, there was a turn-off to Three Gun Spring (wp TGSWP2). I wanted to explore this area, but decided to wait until I was coming back down.
The switchbacks going up the south-facing wall of the canyon were a good workout. The steep, rocky terrain was exposed to the sun, with no shade to speak of. This portion seemed especially steep the last third of a mile, or so. I just assumed that was because I am not in very good shape yet. However, when I walked back down this portion of the trail, I realized that it actually was very steep (no matter what kind of condition you are in). I saw on the map that there was a 1,800 foot elevation gain in the two mile hike from the parking area.
I had lunch at the top of the canyon, at the intersection of Three Gun Spring Trail with Embudo Trail, marked by a sign post (wp EMBTGS). Embudo Trail comes up the canyon west of this point. I plan to take a big loop hike involving Embudo Trail and the continuation of Three Gun Spring Trail a little later in the year. Thus, I'll be back to this spot again in a few weeks.
Three Gun Spring Trail continues to the north around the next canyon and terminates at Oso Pass. However, today I turned around and started down from here.
At the base of the switchbacks (wp TGSWP2), I took the turn-off to the Spring and walked back into the canyon along the stream. The shade and cooler temperatures were welcome at this point. After about a third of a mile, I reached a tall pile of rocks, and it didn't look like the trail went any further. I backtracked to the main trail, and on to the car from there. (Although it's always a treat to find a running stream in the Sandia Mountains, this trip back into the canyon can easily be passed-up if you are feeling tired from the trip to the top.)
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| EMBTGS | N 35° 6.206' | W 106° 26.556' | Embudo - Three Gun Spring Trail junction |
| TGSTH | N 35° 4.587' | W 106° 26.649' | Three Gun Spring trailhead |
| TGSWP1 | N 35° 4.960' | W 106° 26.617' | Three Gun Spring Trail wilderness boundary |
| TGSWP2 | N 35° 5.808' | W 106° 26.428' | Three Gun Spring Trail switchbacks |
The hike began along Three Gun Spring Trail, following it about a half mile to the entrance to the wilderness area (wp TGSWP1). Immediately after entering the wilderness, there was a sign for Hawk Watch Trail, which headed to the right (east). It was a steep trail, but very easy to follow. The landscape was about like that at the lower portion of La Luz; it is open, with loose rock, and cactus. There were nice views into Three Gun Spring Canyon, and south to I-40 and Tijeras Canyon. After about a mile and a quarter, Hawk Watch Trail reached a flat ridge (wp HWKWP1). There was a wooden sign post there (although the only thing on it was hand-written "Big Loop South Peak"). I believe that this is the end of the "official" Hawk Watch Trail. From consulting the map and looking northwest across the canyon, I could tell that I was a little higher than the pass to the northeast, which is Post Pass. Thus, this spot was about 7,400 feet in elevation.
There was a less-distinct, but easy to follow trail continuing up the slope toward the east. I followed it for about a half mile. It kept working its way to the east (and upward). At about 7,900 feet elevation, I passed the rock pile of a fit pit (wp HWKWP2). I continued up the indistinct trail to about the 8,000 foot level before deciding to turn around. When I got home and checked my GPS track, I found that I had gotten to within about 0.2 miles and about 200 vertical feet of intersecting the South Crest Trail on the slope above.
The hike down was pretty easy. However, it was a little steep in places, and the footing a little uncertain due to the loose sandy gravel of the trail.
This was a nice hike, and the weather was perfect on this February day. We are having a very mild winter, so in other years, this trail may be snowier than it was this time. Later in the year, this is a very hot hike, with direct exposure to the sun, and no shade to speak of.
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| HWKWP1 | N 35° 5.229' | W 106° 25.949' | Hawk Watch plateau |
| HWKWP2 | N 35° 5.314' | W 106° 25.753' | Hawk Watch waypoint 2 |
| TGSTH | N 35° 4.587' | W 106° 26.649' | Three Gun Spring trailhead |
| TGSWP1 | N 35° 4.960' | W 106° 26.617' | Three Gun Spring Trail wilderness boundary |
I left my car at the Piedra Lisa parking area (wp PLSTHN), and then walked south along FR 445 for a half mile to the Del Agua Canyon trailhead (wp DAGTH), marked by signs. The trail headed south, gaining a little elevation along the side of the slope to the east. Upon reaching Del Agua Canyon, it turned eastward. After half a mile or so, the trail dropped into the canyon bottom along a streambed (wp DAGWP1). It continued along the streambed the remainder of its length. The trail was overgrown and a little hard to discern at some places along the way. There were a couple of spots where the trail split into a canyon going to the left and one going to the right. In each case (wp DAGWP2 and DAGWP3), I took the left branch. At the second such branching point, I saw a sign, almost hidden by the brush, pointing the proper way (wp DAGWP3).
The intersection of Del Agua Route with Piedra Lisa Trail (wp DAGPLS) was a little better marked than the last time I had hiked here. If you were trying to find this spot from the Piedra Lisa Trail (coming from the north), just as you come down over a little hill there are a couple of large boulders next to the trail. To the right (west) is a rock cairn (a pile of rocks), about two feet high marking the top of Del Agua Canyon.
I took Piedra Lisa Trail south (right). This was a very scenic, pleasant stretch, along a well-worn path. It was about a mile from this point to the half-way mark of Piedra Lisa trail. The trail dropped into a canyon bottom. In this low area, there was a sign post marking the half-way point of Piedra Lisa Trail (wp PLSWP2). (This sign had been knocked over and was laying on the ground as I passed it in 2001.) From this spot, it is 2.5 miles south to the far end of Piedra Lisa Trail, and 2.5 miles back to the northern trailhead. A trail called Tin Shed Trail goes east from the sign, but it is pretty hard to spot. More importantly, the area is marked with No Trespassing signs, and the public is not allowed to venture off of the trail. This area is actually privately owned land in the middle of the Wilderness Area.
I continued hiking south on Piedra Lisa Trail for another mile to reach the ridge of the Rincon (wp PLSWP1). There were a couple of gray signpoles marking the route over the ridge connecting the northern and southern halves of Piedra Lisa Trail. This was the highest point of the trail, and was a nice place for lunch.
At this point, I turned around to hike back north to my car. (I plan to take the southern half of Piedra Lisa Trail next weekend.) I hiked down the steep slope from the Rincon and through the canyon bottom (wp PLSWP2) and private property. After another mile, I passed the junction with Del Agua Canyon (wp DAGPLS). Piedra Lisa Trail got a little tougher on this last stretch to the parking area. The last 1 3/4 miles were very steep and not very pretty, with barren hillsides and no shade. There were plenty of loose rocks on the steep trail. Good hiking boots will really help you keep your footing.
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| DAGPLS | N 35° 15.755' | W 106° 28.079' | Del Agua - Piedra Lisa Trail junction |
| DAGTH | N 35° 16.613' | W 106° 29.050' | Del Agua trailhead |
| DAGWP1 | N 35° 16.232' | W 106° 28.992' | Del Agua waypoint 1 |
| DAGWP2 | N 35° 16.094' | W 106° 28.791' | Del Agua waypoint 2 |
| DAGWP3 | N 35° 15.835' | W 106° 28.303' | Del Agua waypoint 3 |
| PLSTHN | N 35° 16.734' | W 106° 28.711' | Piedra Lisa (north) trailhead |
| PLSWP1 | N 35° 14.676' | W 106° 28.510' | Piedra Lisa Trail crosses the Rincon |
| PLSWP2 | N 35° 15.193' | W 106° 28.371' | Piedra Lisa waypoint 2 |
The hike up Piedra Lisa Trail was very pretty. There were great views of green canyons on both sides of the trail, as it traveled up a ridge line. To the east of the ridge was Upper Juan Tabo Canyon, and to the west was the broad Lower Juan Tabo Canyon. Piedra Lisa Trail got a little steep shortly before reaching the top of the ridge line that ran east-west. Two sign poles marked the top of the ridge (wp PLSWP1), pointing the way for the continuation of Piedra Lisa Trail to the north, which I hiked last week. This ridge is called the Rincon (Spanish for "corner"). A seldom-traveled path, Rincon Spur Route, bisects Piedra Lisa Trail at this point and runs along the ridge.
I took the Rincon Spur Route, heading straight east along the ridge. Most of this route was well-worn and easy to follow, although steep in some places. The trickiest part came just a few minutes into this route. The trail was blocked by some very large rocks, perhaps forty feet high (wp RSPWP1). The trail lead up to these rocks, but then the question was "now what?" It turned out that I had to scramble up the smooth rocks about ten feet. Once I was at the top of a little plateau on the rocks, I could see that the trail continued in front of me and a little to the left (to the northeast) below these rocks. So, I scrambled down to the other side of the rocks another ten or fifteen feet, and picked up the trail again. I expected that there was some other branch of the Rincon Spur Route around these rocks. However, I looked in the area quite a bit, and I don't think that there was.
Once past this obstacle, the trail was again easy to follow. About five minutes later, I crossed a nice saddle point along the ridge, which was quite narrow at this point (wp RSPWP2). The trail continued on a ways more, then droped down thirty or forty feet at the base of a sheer cliff of rocks (wp RSPWP3). I believe that this is where I had turned around the last time that I hiked this trail. However, it turns out that the trail continues off to the left, around the corner and back above a steep canyon (which is to the north). I followed the trail deeper into this canyon for a while longer. However, I gave up after about five minutes because the trail became very narrow, and was starting to look a little dangerous to me (wp RSPWP4). I would only suggest going further for the very adventurous. Not being one of those folks, I turned around and began retracing my steps to Piedra Lisa Trail.
After resting a while, I followed the trail that goes west along the ridge. The trail west was quite well-worn, and it was lush, with soft brown dirt and fir trees. I followed the trail for 0.3 miles, until it made a pretty steep drop-off (wp RSPWP5). It looks like you could follow the trail around the corner of the Rincon for a ways more. However, this point is as far as I have gone. I returned to Piedra Lisa Trail, and then hiked back to the parking area.
I decided to hike the Piedra Lisa - La Luz Link Trail while I was in this area. The trailhead for this short trail was easy to find. As I walked out of the Piedra Lisa parking lot to go up the dirt road toward Piedra Lisa Trail, straight in front of me (across the dirt road) were three stone steps leading up the embankment. This was the beginning of the trail. It was about a half mile along this trail to reach the La Luz parking lot (wp LLZTH). It was easy to lose the trail at a couple of points along the way, when the trail crossed arroyos. However, I didn't really lose sight of it for very long at any point. At the La Luz trailhead, I turned around to retrace my steps to the car.
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| FLETH | N 35° 13.851' | W 106° 28.774' | Fletcher trailhead |
| LLZTH | N 35° 13.181' | W 106° 28.850' | La Luz trailhead / parking lot |
| PLSTHS | N 35° 13.378' | W 106° 29.005' | Piedra Lisa (south) trailhead |
| PLSWP1 | N 35° 14.676' | W 106° 28.510' | Piedra Lisa Trail crosses the Rincon |
| PLSWP4 | N 35° 13.698' | W 106° 28.938' | Piedra Lisa waypoint 4 |
| RSPWP1 | N 35° 14.599' | W 106° 28.445' | Rincon Spur Trail waypoint 1 |
| RSPWP2 | N 35° 14.624' | W 106° 28.300' | Rincon Spur Trail waypoint 2 |
| RSPWP3 | N 35° 14.614' | W 106° 28.188' | Rincon Spur Trail waypoint 3 |
| RSPWP4 | N 35° 14.601' | W 106° 28.106' | Rincon Spur Trail waypoint 4 |
| RSPWP5 | N 35° 14.830' | W 106° 28.733' | Rincon Spur Trail waypoint 5 |
At the top of the canyon, I didn't notice when Ojo Del Orno had merged onto the Crest Trail. The spot was actually marked by a cairn, which I didn't see at the time. After joining the Crest Trail, the path headed west toward the ridgeline. At the ridge overlook was a stone bench, a prominent landmark. (From the top of the mountain hiking down, Ojo del Orno Route might be a little hard to find. If you were hiking down, it is five minutes past the stone bench overlook. Just as you make a sharp inside turn in the Crest Trail, crossing the little streambed, continue about another fifty yards. The turn-off to Ojo del Orno Route is marked by the cairn, which I mentioned. The trail goes to the left, down toward the streambed.)
The stone bench at the top of the ridge was a nice place to rest, with a very beautiful view of Albuquerque to the west. From this point, it was about a two mile walk up the Crest Trail to the intersection with Penasco Blanco Trail, marked by a sign (wp NCRPBL). This portion of the hike had a only a slight grade, and was an easy walk. I turned around at this point, to head back to the car. I plan to cover the portion of the North Crest Trail to the south and Penasco Blanco Trail on another hike (reaching this point by hiking north from the Crest).
I decided to hike the long loop to the east at the lower portion of Tunnel Spring Trail instead of going back down Ojo del Orno. Tunnel Spring Trail swung very far to the east, and then I had to make up all of that distance walking west on the second half of this leg. The trail was a little indistinct in a few places, mainly when the trail seemed to be near an abandoned jeep trail. The Tunnel Spring Trail had a somewhat uphill grade for the last mile or so, which "burned" my leg muscles at the end of the hike.
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| DORNCR | N 35° 16.890' | W 106° 26.097' | Del Orno Route - North Crest Trail upper junction | DORTH | N 35° 17.451' | W 106° 26.323' | Del Orno Route lower trailhead |
| DORWP1 | N 35° 17.068' | W 106° 26.154' | Del Orno waypoint 1 |
| NCRPBL | N 35° 15.759' | W 106° 26.460' | North Crest Trail - Penasco Blanco Trail junction | NCRTH | N 35° 17.487' | W 106° 26.372' | North Crest trailhead (Tunnel Spring) |
I continued north for another three quarters of a mile, or so, and reached the intersection with Forest Park Route (wp FORPK1). This is a short side trail which is marked on the Forest service map. It was just about 150 yards north of a sharp turn through a canyon on Faulty Trail. There were no cairns marking this intersection (as there had been when I hiked in this area before). By closely examining the map, I also saw that this spot was just about 30 yards south of a saddle point in the terrain. There was a large ridge heading east from the saddle point, which is a landmark to look for.
I hiked down Forest Park Route (to the east), which was very pretty. It was a nice, maintained, and easy to follow trail. There were lots of trees, and good views to the north, south and east. The trail was rocky and steep along the way. About a half mile down the trail, I found myself hiking along a very narrow ridge; it was only about 30 feet wide. I could look down into canyons on the left and right (north and south). After a few more minutes, I made it to the bottom of this trail (wp FORPK2). At the bottom, there were electrical lines, a fallen fence, and a large natural-gas tank enclosed in a chain-link fence. I believe that there was a parking area and a paved road leading to a residential area beyond that. I turned around, and went back up the trail from here, returning to Faulty Trail (wp FORPK1).
On Faulty Trail, I hiked north for another 1.8 miles to the intersection with Bart's Trail, marked by a sign (wp BRTFLT). Along the way, I passed the turn-off to Cole Spring Trail (wp CSPFLT), which is only a few hundred yards long, heading to the east. There was a large Forest Service sign along the side of the Cole Spring Trail about 30 yards downhill (east) from the intersection with Faulty Trail.
I turned around at Bart's Trail, and began the walk south over the ground I had just covered. At one point, I actually took a wrong turn, going downhill along a ridge for two or three minutes until I realized that I had left Faulty Trail. The unidentified trail that I mistakenly took was marked by a cairn (wp FLTWP1). I believe that it continues east and ends up in the vicinity Albuquerque Public School's Sandia Mountain Natural History Center (near Mud Spring).
I continued south on Faulty Trail, to reach the signpost marking the intersection with Upper Faulty Trail (wp UFLLFL). Although I was pretty tired by then, I decided to hike Upper Faulty Trail over to the South Crest Trail. This segment was easy to follow, and pretty flat. It was about a one mile walk along Upper Faulty Trail to reach the South Crest Trail (wp SCRUFL). From there, I took South Crest Trail down to the car. On the final portion of the hike, the trail was pretty rocky, but well-worn and easy to follow.
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| BRTFLT | N 35° 8.500' | W 106° 23.405' | Bart's Trail - Faulty Trail junction |
| CSPFLT | N 35° 8.061' | W 106° 23.468' | Cole Spring - Faulty Trail junction |
| FORPK1 | N 35° 7.344' | W 106° 23.878' | Forest Park - Faulty Trail junction |
| FORPK2 | N 35° 6.991' | W 106° 22.981' | East end of Forest Park Trail |
| SCRLFL | N 35° 5.849' | W 106° 23.832' | South Crest - Lower Faulty Trail junction |
| SCRSPK | N 35° 5.373' | W 106° 23.494' | South Crest parking |
| SCRUFL | N 35° 5.916' | W 106° 24.360' | South Crest - Upper Faulty Trail junction |
| UFLLFL | N 35° 6.717' | W 106° 23.876' | Upper Faulty - Lower Faulty Trail junction |
Armijo Route was very easy to follow, with only a very slight uphill grade. The area was very nice, with lots of tall pine trees. The trail meandered up hill, in many places going parallel to a small stream. I followed Armijo Route to its intersection with Faulty Trail (wp ARMFLT), marked by a sign (again marked Cienega Horse Bypass).
I hiked south on Faulty Trail from here. About a mile from Armijo Route, I reached the intersection with Canoncito Trail (wp CNCFLT). There was a very good sign pointing the way to each of the trails at the intersection. It was another half mile or so walking south on Faulty Trail to reach Bart's Trail (wp BRTFLT). (I had reached this point on Faulty Trail on the hike last week.) I turned around at this point, and went back north on Faulty Trail.
I continued north on Faulty Trail, until I eventually reached a beautiful, high overlook above Cienega Canyon (wp FLTWP2). Faulty Trail then headed down into the canyon to the intersection with Cienega Trail (wp CIEFLT), marked by a sign. About a third of a mile further north, there was an intersection with a trail marked by a sign as the Cienega Horse Bypass (wp FLTWP3). (That is also a reasonably nice trail that you could take to return to the paved road leading toward Cienega trailhead.) It was just another few minutes north from here on Faulty Trail to the intersection with Sulphur Spring Trail (wp FLTSUL).
Continuing north on Faulty Trail, I reached the intersection with Oso Corredor Trail (marked by a sign) after another one mile (wp FLTOSO). The trail started getting a little steep shortly before I reached the Oso Corredor intersection. After a few more minutes on Faulty Trail, I reached a sign marking the top of Bill Spring Trail (wp BSPFLT). I took Bill Spring Trail, making my way back to my car.
It was about a half mile hike down Bill Spring Trail, to reach the far end of the Doc Long picnic ground (wp BSPTH). I walked along asphalt side roads through the picnic ground all the way to the Sulphur Spring Picnic Ground The little road I took from Doc Long's gave out just before reaching the Sulphur Spring Picnic Ground entrance. I walked the last 30 yards to the entrance to the parking lot along the Crest Highway.
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| ARMFLT | N 35° 9.381' | W 106° 23.336' | Armijo - Faulty Trail junction |
| ARMWP1 | N 35° 9.862' | W 106° 22.099' | Armijo Trail waypoint 1 |
| BRTFLT | N 35° 8.500' | W 106° 23.405' | Bart's Trail - Faulty Trail junction |
| BSPFLT | N 35° 10.975' | W 106° 23.307' | Bill Spring - Faulty Trail junction |
| BSPTH | N 35° 10.668' | W 106° 22.778' | Bill Spring trailhead |
| CIEFLT | N 35° 10.082' | W 106° 23.368' | Cienega - Faulty Trail junction |
| CNCFLT | N 35° 8.808' | W 106° 23.343' | Canoncito - Faulty Trail junction |
| FLTOSO | N 35° 10.863' | W 106° 23.276' | Faulty - Oso Corredor Trail junction |
| FLTSUL | N 35° 10.371' | W 106° 23.222' | Faulty - Sulphur Spring Trail junction |
| FLTWP2 | N 35° 10.095' | W 106° 23.256' | Faulty Trail waypoint 2 |
| FLTWP3 | N 35° 10.316' | W 106° 23.180' | Horse bypass from Faulty Trail |
| SULPK | N 35° 10.339' | W 106° 22.587' | Sulphur Spring parking lot |
I started going south from the Elena Gallegos parking lot on Trail 366 (wp EGPK). I reached an intersection with Trails 365 and 305A after about three quarters of a mile (wp 366END); this point is the south end of Trail 366. The system of intersecting trails is a little complicated. Trail 365 goes south from the paved road, near the ranger shack; it takes a jog eastward to intersect 366 at this sign post. Trail 365 continues south from here, and goes all the way to the Embudito trailhead. (Also from this intersection point, Trail 305A goes east. It is only about a minute's walk east from here on Trail 305A until you run into the northern end of Trail 305, which I took later in the hike.)
I went south on Trail 365, and passed the intersection with the southern end of Trail 305 (wp 305TH) after a half mile, or so. I continued south on Trail 365, and reached the Embudito trailhead (wp EBTOTH) after about another mile. I turned around and went back north, and hiked to the 305 trailhead (wp 305TH).
From here, I took Trail 305, which makes a broad loop toward the east and then north, and finally back west. It was about a mile walk to the intersection with Trail 305A (wp 305END). Trail 305A went off to the northeast, and also to the west. I took the westward branch, and it was only about a minute's walk to reach the intersection of Trails 366 and 365 (wp 366END), described in the third paragraph.
I started north on Trail 365, and crossed the paved road just west of the ranger station (wp 365W7) after about a mile. I continued walking north on Trail 365 toward the Tram, crossing Trail 230A along the way (wp 230AW1), and also the intersection with the western end of Trail 230 (wp 230365). I continued north on Trail 365, and eventually reached the end of this trail (wp 365W8). The end of the trail skirted just past a residential backyard, and exited onto a paved cul-de-sac.
I turned around and went back south along Trail 365 until I again reached the turn-off to Trail 230 (wp 230365). I decided to take Trail 230 back to the parking area. The hike up (east) Trail 230 was a little steep after walking for about 3 hours. It was two thirds of a mile to the top of Trail 230 (wp 230WP1). There was an entrance to the Wilderness area at that point, and a gray sign marking the way to Domingo Baca Route. I noted that from this fence corner, Trail 230 goes down hill (west) on the south side of the fence running east-west. There was another trail that headed down into the arroyo on the north side of the fence, but the main portion of Trail 230 is on the south side.
I went south from here on Trail 230 for a half mile, or so, and reached another entrance to the Wilderness. There was another gray sign marking a trailhead for Domingo Baca Route (wp DBCTH). Continuing south on Trail 230, I reached the turn-off (to the west) for Trail 230A a few minutes later. Trail 230 ended here, and the trail continuing south was Trail 342. I followed Trail 342 to the intersection with Trail 140 (wp 140342). I then continued west on Trail 140, which took me back to the parking lot (wp 140TH).
This was a nice, flat hike, but pretty hot. There was really no shade at any point along the way, so take lots of water on this hike.
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| 140342 | N 35° 9.850' | W 106° 27.951' | Trail 140 - Trail 342 junction |
| 230365 | N 35° 10.556' | W 106° 28.656' | Trail 230 - Trail 365 junction |
| 140TH | N 35° 9.795' | W 106° 28.200' | Parking lot and Trailhead for Trail 140 |
| 230AW1 | N 35° 9.951' | W 106° 28.571' | West end of Trail 230A |
| 230WP1 | N 35° 10.610' | W 106° 28.183' | Northeast corner of Trail 230 |
| 305END | N 35° 9.217' | W 106° 28.172' | Northern end of Trail 305 |
| 305TH | N 35° 8.769' | W 106° 28.404' | Southern end of Trail 305 |
| 365W7 | N 35° 9.703' | W 106° 28.470' | Trail 365 - Ellena Gallegos road junction |
| 365W8 | N 35° 11.151' | W 106° 28.828' | North end of Trail 365 |
| 366END | N 35° 9.214' | W 106° 28.286' | Southern end of Trail 366 |
| DBCTH | N 35° 10.262' | W 106° 28.011' | Trailhead to Domingo Baca Route |
| EBTOTH | N 35° 8.182' | W 106° 28.910' | Embudito Trailhead |
| EGPK | N 35° 9.704' | W 106° 28.191' | Ellena Gallegos parking lot |
Embudo Trail was a little rough and overgrown through this narrow canyon. I managed to lose the trail once, when I crossed over to the right (south) side of the streambed. As you to through this canyon, you never need to go to the right (south) side of the stream along here. If you always keep looking up and to your left as you make your way, a trail will be there.
As I exited the canyon, I began to walk up an arroyo, which soon split into a "Y" (wp EMBWP2). I took the right (south) branch at this "Y". After only a 100 feet or so, look for an opportunity to scale a little 10-foot embankment to pick-up Embudo Trail (wp EMBWP3). On top of the embankment, Embudo Trail was very well-worn and hard packed when I found it. (Heads up! If you miss this little juncture, you won't be on Embudo Trail, and will wander around and then probably quit in frustration. I've been there; done that...)
The hike up Embudo Trail became very pleasant as it made its way east to the far end of Embudo Canyon. It was about a mile hike through the generally flat and lush canyon bottom. The trail then began a series of switchbacks (wp EMBWP4) that took me to the upper portion of the canyon. At the top of the switchbacks, I came upon a saddle point, which was the turn-off (wp EMBPOS) to Post Pass to the south. The trail to Post Pass was blocked with a line of small rocks to keep the casual hiker from making the wrong turn.
I decided to hike south to Post Pass, which only took about five minutes, or so. The trail was a little indistinct, but basically followed the ridge line. It was not easy to tell when I arrived precisely at the pass itself (wp POSTPS). (From my checking my GPS reading after returning home, I think that I stopped a hundred yards or so from the actual position of the saddle point.) There were nice views of Three Gun Spring Canyon on the east, Embudo Canyon on the west, and I-40 to the south. I had a little easier time following the trail on the way back to Embudo Trail (wp EMBPOS).
It was about another one third of a mile further along Embudo Trail to reach the intersection with Three Gun Spring Trail (wp EMBTGS). This was a steep portion of the trail, so be prepared for a little workout here. Embudo Trail ended at this point. I planned to continue north, across the head of Embudo Canyon, along Three Gun Spring Trail.
After a short rest, I set off toward Oso Pass (wp OSOPSS), which was about a mile and a half hike. I crossed two or three streams along this portion of Three Gun Spring Trail. Some trail maps indicate routes down Embudo Canyon along these streams. However, I saw no signs of any trails there. The last few minutes before I made it to Oso Pass, the trail was pretty steep.
Oso Pass is a very significant spot at the southern part of the Sandia Mountains, with trails converging from four different directions. Embudito Trail comes up to Oso Pass from the north; it continues east from this point, heading up to the Deer Pass and South Peak. Three Gun Spring arrives at Oso Pass from the south, which I had just finished hiking. Finally, Whitewash Route heads west from Oso Pass. Whitewash Route is not part of the official maintained set of Forest Service trails, but is fairly well-traveled. I planned to finish my hike today by coming down the mountain on Whitewash Route. After a short rest at Oso Pass, I headed west on Whitewash Route.
I had an easy time following Whitewash Route most of its distance. I carried my map in hand most of the way, keeping track of where I was by judging the terrain. At one point, less than a mile into this leg, the trail took a sharp veer to the north of a small peak. I was a little worried whether I was still on the right trail, but I was indeed.
About a mile into Whitewash Route (wp WHWWP1), there was a very deep canyon (Long Canyon) and dried up streambed below me and to my right (north). As soon as I came out of this final canyon, the correct path for Whitewash Route took a sharp left turn (wp WHWWP2). There was clearly another trail in front of me, heading straight west. You don't want to take this fork! It would lead you down a long ridge going to the northwest, and exiting the mountain around Montgomery Blvd. You have to know to look for Whitewash Route immediately to your left, or it is easy to make that mistake. (As you might guess, I speak from experience here.)
After only a short distance walking toward the south, the trail seemed to go up to an "outpost" mound, perhaps 30 feet high (wp WHWWP3). I used to lose sight of the trail right after this point, but have finally learned what to do next. (Thanks to Steve Lee for this tip.) When you get to the top of this outpost, continue going south down to the bottom of the hill (only 30 yards, or so). When the ground gets flat, look immediately to your right (west), and you will see the well-worn path.
The trail down Whitewash Route from here became incredibly steep. The going was very slow, and I had to be careful picking my way down the western face of the mountain. In places it was hard to find the "main trail," because the area is crisscrossed with dozens of other "user trails" along the way. For the most part it doesn't matter if you take a slight variant coming down. I just kept working my way toward the southwest, and the parking area at the end of Menaul (wp MENLPK), which came into view.
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| EMB365 | N 35° 5.944' | W 106° 28.298' | Embudo - Trail 365 junction |
| EMBPOS | N 35° 5.990' | W 106° 26.735' | Embudo-Post Pass Trail junction |
| EMBTGS | N 35° 6.206' | W 106° 26.556' | Embudo - Three Gun Spring Trail junction |
| EMBWP1 | N 35° 5.800' | W 106° 27.879' | Embudo Trail waypoint 1 |
| EMBWP2 | N 35° 5.772' | W 106° 27.572' | Embudo Trail waypoint 2 |
| EMBWP3 | N 35° 5.761' | W 106° 27.556' | Embudo Trail waypoint 3 |
| EMBWP4 | N 35° 6.090' | W 106° 26.879' | Embudo Trail waypoint 4 |
| INSCPK | N 35° 5.943' | W 106° 28.800' | Parking lot at end of Indian School |
| MENLPK | N 35° 6.301' | W 106° 29.300' | Menaul parking |
| OSOPSS | N 35° 7.065' | W 106° 26.596' | Oso Pass |
| POSTPS | N 35° 5.744' | W 106° 26.819' | Post Pass (approximate location) |
| WHWWP1 | N 35° 7.019' | W 106° 27.924' | Whitewash Route waypoint 1 |
| WHWWP2 | N 35° 6.980' | W 106° 28.067' | Whitewash Route waypoint 2 |
| WHWWP3 | N 35° 6.836' | W 106° 28.109' | Whitewash Route waypoint 3 |
The lower portion of the trail was dry and rocky. However, after couple of miles, I got into very nice tree-covered scenery. Eventually there were very nice views of the rocky western face of the Sandias to the north, in the area near the Tram.
I got pretty tired on the way up, but took the strategy of just slowing down (sometimes going very slowly) whenever I got winded. I tried to just keep walking, instead of stopping altogether to catch my breath.
I was actually caught by surprise when I got to the top. I thought I had a ways to go because there were still some higher peaks to the north and to the south. The top of the trail was in a low spot between those local high points.
The top of Pino Trail intersects the South Crest Trail (wp PNOSCR), running north-south. Cienega Trail comes up the mountain from the east side, and also terminates at this point. It would be possible to plan a nice "up and over" hike, by leaving a car at the Cienega Trailhead, and hiking up the west side of the Sandias on Pino Trail, then down the east slope on Cienega Trail.
It was a little cool and breezy at the top of Pino Trail. There was some snow on the ground for the last mile on the way up. Since I was getting a little cold, especially after working hard to get up the last steep portion of the trail, I didn't linger long at the ridge. The hike down was very nice, with gravity "on my side" this direction.
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| EGPK | N 35° 9.704' | W 106° 28.191' | Ellena Gallegos parking lot |
| PNOSCR | N 35° 10.144' | W 106° 24.850' | Pino Trail - South Crest Trail junction |
| PNOWP1 | N 35° 9.907' | W 106° 27.415' | Pino Trail crosses Forest Service boundary |
About a mile into the hike, the trail took a dip down to the streambed (wp EBTWP1). However, after only 50 yards there was a gray signpost (wp EBTWP2) pointing the way for Embudito Trail to the left and back out of the streambed.
After about another mile or so, Embudito Trail started getting into some evergreen trees and shade, and it was much more pleasant. I passed a small wooden sign with the trail number 192 (wp EBTWP3) along the way. Shortly thereafter, the trail crossed a streambed and switched to the north-facing wall of the canyon. This stretch of the trail was very lush and green. It is one of the most secluded and prettiest areas in the Sandia Mountains.
It was about four miles total distance to Oso Pass (wp OSOPSS). As I mentioned in the notes from a couple of weeks ago, several trails intersect at Oso Pass. It was a beautiful place to rest and take-in the views, especially to the north. I left Oso Pass after a short rest, and continued up Embudito Trail (heading east now) toward South Peak. This part of the trail was very steep and relentless, especially after having already hiked for two hours. I just kept trying to move forward, slowly but surely.
I reached a turn-off to South Peak from Embudito Trail (wp EBTWP4) about a mile from Oso Pass. I had to look carefully to my left as I hiked along to notice a small trail leading up hill to my left (north). There was a cairn marking the spot. I took this turn and headed up. The trail over to South Peak was a little less than a mile from this point. The unmaintained trail was very steep for the first five minutes or so, and also got very steep about five minutes before the peak. The last 30 yards before reaching South Peak involved some rock scaling.
After a much needed rest at South Peak (wp STHPK), I headed back down the 30 feet of rocks to the trail that I had come up on (wp EBTWP5). However, instead of taking the same route down to Embudito Trail, I took a faint path to the north. This path wrapped around the peak toward the east, and soon entered a thick grove of trees. As I walked through the thick tree cover the trail became less and less distinct. I ended up just bushwhacking my way out toward the east. I came out by some aspens, and saw the South Crest Trail in front of me (wp SCRW3).
From here, I hiked south on the South Crest Trail. I passed the upper terminus of CCC Route (wp SCRCCC). About a minute later, I reached the intersection of South Crest Trail and the upper terminus of Embudito Trail (wp SCREBT).
I turned west onto Embudito Trail, which soon went over Deer Pass. It was "all downhill" from there; in fact, the elevation drop was over 3,500 feet back to the Embudito trailhead. I passed the turn-off that I had taken to South Peak (wp EBTWP4), and Oso Pass (wp OSOPSS). I continued down through the lush upper part of Embudito Canyon, eventually reaching the exposed, barren lower part of the trail. The final mile or so near the bottom was hot, steep, and not much fun.
I felt very tired after the hike, but satisfied to have made it to South Peak. This was one of the longest hikes that I will do this year. It was uphill for a 3,540 foot elevation change, and 3 hours of climbing.
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| EBTOTH | N 35° 8.182' | W 106° 28.910' | Embudito Trailhead |
| EBTWP1 | N 35° 8.031' | W 106° 28.030' | Embudito Trail waypoint 1 |
| EBTWP2 | N 35° 8.029' | W 106° 28.000' | Embudito Trail waypoint 2 |
| EBTWP3 | N 35° 8.028' | W 106° 27.477' | Embudito Trail waypoint 3 |
| EBTWP4 | N 35° 6.799' | W 106° 25.830' | Embudito Trail waypoint 4 |
| EBTWP5 | N 35° 7.234' | W 106° 25.856' | Embudito Trail waypoint 5 |
| OSOPSS | N 35° 7.065' | W 106° 26.596' | Oso Pass |
| SCRCCC | N 35° 6.711' | W 106° 25.612' | South Crest Trail - CCC Route junction |
| SCREBT | N 35° 6.666' | W 106° 25.627' | South Crest - Embudito Trail junction |
| SCRW3 | N 35° 7.307' | W 106° 25.669' | South Crest Trail waypoint 3 |
| STHPK | N 35° 7.235' | W 106° 25.842' | South Peak |
The other trail that I covered today was the CCC Route. It gets the designator "Route" instead of "Trail" because it is not one of the official trials maintained by the Forest Service. Any such Route in this hiking guide is much less traveled, and may carry some additional risks of getting lost in a remote section of the mountain. Be sure to carry along the suggested safety provisions, including a good map and compass when taking one of these Sandia Routes.
I wanted to take a loop hike up to the South Peak area involving the South Crest Trail one direction and the CCC Route on the other. I decided to take the South Crest Trail uphill, rather than CCC. The South Crest Trail is about 2 miles longer than CCC, but is much less steep. I figured that I would take this route uphill, because later in the day South Crest Trail would be very hot and in the sun. Also, CCC is very steep, and I decided that if I took it first, I would be pretty tired when starting the long route down South Crest Trail. After having finished the hike, I think I made a good choice.
The hike up South Crest Trail was very nice. The scenery, views, and trees were beautiful. The slope was indeed quite gentle almost all of the way to the top. Along the way up, I passed by the intersections of South Crest Trail with Lower Faulty Trail, (wp SCRLFL) and later the intersection with Upper Faulty Trail (wp SCRUFL). The lower terminus of CCC Route (wp CCCUFL) is just a few yards north of the point where Upper Faulty Trail meets the South Crest Trail. However, today I continued hiking up South Crest Trail.
Upon reaching the ridge line (wp SCRRDG), South Crest Trail opened up to panoramic views of Albuquerque to the west, and the broad, sloping expanses to the east. The trail passed by South Crest Spring (wp SCRSPR), which was just below the path by about ten feet. I actually heard the running water before I noticed the turn-off to the spring. Water was flowing out of a 4-inch pipe, and dropped into a metal trough, then spilled downhill. I soaked my hat to cool off, and kept going.
The last portion of South Crest Trail before reaching the Embudito Trail sign seemed a little hard. It was getting warm, and was exposed to the sun in most places. I think the 9,000' elevation began to take its toll, too. Finally, I reached the gray signpost marking the intersection with Embudito Trail (wp SCREBT). This is the point just east of Deer Pass that I reached last week.
The next trick was to find the upper trailhead for CCC Route. It was not marked by any sign, because it is not an officially supported trail. However, having hiked the route from the bottom on previous occasions, I knew how to find it from the top.
From the Embudito signpost, I continued north on South Crest Trail for just another minute or so, and spotted a couple of little worn paths heading over a small embankment toward the east. This was the top of CCC Route (wp SCRCCC). Once I was on top of the little shelf, I could see a couple of small cairns reassuring me that this was indeed the trail.
I started down CCC Route after a short rest. It was just as steep as I remembered it. I had to pay pretty close attention to the path and keep my eye out for cairns marking the way to keep from losing the route. The first half of CCC Route (from the top) was pretty exposed to the sun. Eventually, I got into some tall trees, and it was more pleasant. I reached the bottom of CCC Route (wp CCCUFL), marked by a very large pile of rocks, after about two miles. The bottom of CCC Route is just thirty yards north of the intersection of South Crest Trail with Upper Faulty Trail, marked by a gray signpost.
Now, on final leg of this hike, I continued down South Crest Trail. On the way down this time, I took the little turn-off to go past the Travertine Falls, which is just a small detour. The bottom turn-off to the Travertine Falls was marked by a gray signpost (wp SCRTRV), which I had seen before.
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| CCCUFL | N 35° 5.935' | W 106° 24.350' | CCC Route - Upper Faulty Trail junction |
| SCRCCC | N 35° 6.711' | W 106° 25.612' | South Crest Trail - CCC Route junction |
| SCREBT | N 35° 6.666' | W 106° 25.627' | South Crest - Embudito Trail junction |
| SCRLFL | N 35° 5.849' | W 106° 23.832' | South Crest - Lower Faulty Trail junction |
| SCRRDG | N 35° 5.687' | W 106° 25.694' | South Crest Trail ridge line |
| SCRSPK | N 35° 5.373' | W 106° 23.494' | South Crest parking |
| SCRSPR | N 35° 5.965' | W 106° 25.545' | South Crest Trail - South Sandia Spring |
| SCRTRV | N 35° 5.696' | W 106° 23.573' | South Crest Trail - Travertine Falls |
| SCRUFL | N 35° 5.916' | W 106° 24.360' | South Crest - Upper Faulty Trail junction |
I walked south on the asphalt road for about a half mile. Along the way I passed a sign marked Cienega Horse Bypass (wp CIEHRS). This trail heads west, and eventually ends up at Faulty Trail. The road made a "T", and I turned right (west) and continued to follow the pavement to the start of Cienega Trail. The Forest Service has done a lot of work developing picnic grounds along the way, and it was a very beautiful area.
To find the Cienega Trailhead (wp CIETH), walk to the very end of the paved road heading west. Take one of the paved trails from the end of the road, up the mountain and a little to the left (south). You will see a large Forest Service trail map, marking the start of the Cienega Trail proper.
Hiking up Cienega Trail, it took just a few minutes to reach the intersection with Faulty Trail (wp CIEFLT). I continued up the mountain on Cienega Trail. This section of the trail was beautiful with grass, streams, and high trees. The trail was a steady climb straight up hill, going along a streambed most of the way. Cienega Trail terminated at the ridge, intersecting with South Crest Trail (wp CIESCR). Pino Trail, coming up from the west side, also terminates here at the ridge.
I went left (south) on the South Crest Trail, heading toward the upper terminus of Canoncito Trail. I knew that this was a stretch of the South Crest Trail that I was not going to cover on any other hike. South Crest Trail is 16 miles long between the Canyon Estates trailhead and the Tram terminal. My plan for the year is to cover its length over the course of several hikes. This short jog to the south was part of that plan.
There was some elevation change along the route, going up and down as the crest ridgeline itself also went up and down. It was a little over a mile to the intersection with Canoncito Trail, marked by a good sign (wp CNCSCR). After resting a while, I returned back north along South Crest Trail to the top of Cienega Trail (wp CIESCR). Along the way, I saw a deer run across the trail. He stopped about 15 yards past the trail and we looked at each other for a few seconds before he ran away.
I continued north along the South Crest Trail, toward the intersection with Tree Spring Trail, which was about a mile and a half hike. This trail intersection was marked by a good sign pointing out trails in several directions. There was an arrow to the south for Canyon Estates (or South Crest) Trail (13 miles), the Crest Summit House (1.5 miles), an arrow pointing to 10 K Trail (which has its southern termination at this point), and downhill to Tree Spring Trail (wp 10KTSP).
I headed down Tree Spring Trail. The weather was starting to get a little overcast and cool, so I was anxious to keep going. Tree Spring Trail was very nice and not very steep. The trail intersected Oso Corredor (wp OSOTSP) near the Tree Spring's lower trailhead. There was a good sign marking both trails at the intersection. I hiked down to the Tree Spring Trail parking lot (wp TSPTH), just a few minutes walk, and back up to the Oso Corredor, just so I didn't miss covering this one section of trail.
I then hiked south on Oso Corredor. It was very pretty, with a gentle, downhill grade. However, I was getting pretty tired by then. I followed Oso Corredor its 2.75 mile length to the intersection with Faulty Trail (wp FLTOSO), which was marked by a sign. I rested a while, and then continued toward the car.
I went south on Faulty Trail for a little over a mile to the intersection with Sulphur Spring Trail (wp FLTSUL), marked by a sign. I went down Sulphur Spring Trail, reaching the far end of the paved picnic ground road after just a few minutes. I continued through the paved picnic area to my parked car (wp SULPK).
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| 10KTSP | N 35° 11.236' | W 106° 25.256' | South 10K - Tree Spring Trail junction |
| CIEFLT | N 35° 10.082' | W 106° 23.368' | Cienega - Faulty Trail junction |
| CIEHRS | N 35° 10.120' | W 106° 22.539' | Cienega Horse bypass |
| CIESCR | N 35° 10.136' | W 106° 24.854' | Cienega - South Crest Trail junction |
| CIETH | N 35° 10.178' | W 106° 23.047' | Cienega trailhead |
| CNCSCR | N 35° 9.213' | W 106° 24.881' | Canoncito - South Crest Trail junction |
| FLTOSO | N 35° 10.863' | W 106° 23.276' | Faulty - Oso Corredor Trail junction |
| FLTSUL | N 35° 10.371' | W 106° 23.222' | Faulty - Sulphur Spring Trail junction |
| OSOTSP | N 35° 11.524' | W 106° 24.501' | Oso Corredor - Tree Spring Trail junction |
| SULPK | N 35° 10.339' | W 106° 22.587' | Sulphur Spring parking lot |
| TSPTH | N 35° 11.632' | W 106° 24.287' | Tree Spring trailhead |
The North Crest Trail starts just north of the parking lot (wp CRSTPK). The trail begins by skirting just west of the fence that encloses the electrical towers at the top of the Crest.
After a half mile, I reached a small sign (wp CHMTH) on the east side of the trail that said "Del Agua Overlook 1.5 miles." (On the other side of the sign, it said "0.5 miles to the Crest.") Directly west from this spot were two small trails that began from the same point, but quickly branched. The right (northern) branch seems to head down a steep incline very quickly. The left branch headed 20 degrees west of south. This left branch is a new trailhead for the Chimney Canyon Route. (I plan on taking Chimney Canyon Route sometime later in the year, after all of the snow is gone.)
I continued north on the Crest Trail for about a mile, and reached a gray signpost marking the intersection with North 10 K Trail (wp 10KNCR). Along the way I saw a black bear along side the trail. It would be more accurate to say that he saw me first, and took off running through the trees. I heard him crashing through the brush, then saw him tearing away.
At the junction with 10K Trail there was a stone bench by the side of the trail, with a very nice view to the west. In mid- to late September this is the site of a spectacular show of Fall colors, when the aspens on the north face of the slope turn yellow.
After hiking north on the Crest Trail another hundred yards or so, I saw a gray signpost marking the intersection with Osha Loop Trail (wp NCROLP). I continued hiking north on the Crest Trail for another half mile, and reached a second stone bench, the Del Agua Overlook. I verified that I could find the northern end of Ellis Trail by taking an indistinct path straight south from this stone bench. Ellis Trail is just 50 yards or so through the scrub oak trees south of here (wp ELIEND). Upon locating Ellis Trail, I then went back to the Crest Trail and continued hiking north.
The scenery along the walk to Penasco Blanco Trail was spectacular, with very broad views of the green mountain slopes to the east, and down to Las Huertas Canyon. I could survey many square miles, and had the feeling that nobody else was in the entire area (which probably was the case). I passed another stone bench along the way at the top of a switchback (wp AGSNCR). It turns out that Agua Sarca Route comes up from the north along the ridgeline and reaches the Crest Trail at this point. This landmark is called the North Del Agua Overlook. From the switchback, the North Crest Trail headed downhill and crossed a stream (wp NCRSTR) at the top of Agua Sarca Canyon. I reached the trailhead for Penasco Blanco Trail (wp NCRPBL), marked by a gray signpost, about a half mile past the last stone bench that I mentioned above. (I had reached this juncture of Penasco Blanco Trail and North Crest Trail on a hike earlier in the year.) I rested for a while, then started south along Penasco Blanco Trail.
I had no trouble following Penasco Blanco Trail until very near its end. After hiking about a mile and a quarter, I saw a gray signpost marked "Penasco Blanco" (wp PBLWP1). Just a few dozen yards later was another gray signpost (wp PBLWP2). As it turns out, these posts are meant to mark the route along the trail (instead of marking the intersection with some other trail as is usually the case), in a pretty confusing area. This is the area of Osha Spring, as marked on the map. It was pretty open, with hardly any trees. There were large sections of soft, gray dirt, similar to ashes. Penasco Blanco Trail was virtually impossible to see along this stretch. I know now that the trail goes pretty much in a straight-line path following the line formed by the signposts that I mentioned. Once I followed the line formed by the posts, I was able to pick-up the trail re-entering the woods (wp PBLWP3). Without these signposts as way-markers, one could wander around for a long time trying to find the route. (If it sounds like I have done just that, it is because I have.)
Once safely again on the well-worn trail through the wooded area, I reached the intersection with Osha Spring Trail (wp OSPPBL) just five minutes later. (I will return to this point later in the year on a hike up Osha Spring Trail.) At this point, Penasco Blanco Trail ends. Continuing southward (which I did) I was now on Osha Spring Trail. I reached the intersection with Osha Loop Trail (wp OLPOSP) after 5 more minutes. There were a couple of gray signposts pointing to Osha Loop Trail (which actually goes off in two different branches from this point), and a sign pointing back down toward Osha Spring Trail and Penasco Blanco.
I took the left (southern) branch of Osha Loop Trail. After about a mile on Osha Loop Trail, I reached North 10 K Trail (wp 10KOLP), marked by a brown signpost.
From here, I took North 10 K trail toward the right (north). I was getting pretty tired, and the uphill climb, slight as it was, took a toll on me. I crossed Ellis Trail (wp ELI10K), marked by a gray signpost, a quarter of a mile into 10 K Trail. Continuing on 10 K Trail, I crossed Survey Trail (wp SRV10K), marked by a gray signpost, just a quarter of a mile later. (Survey Trail is a cross-country ski trail cutting through this area. I will end up hiking the length of this trail later in the year.) Continuing on 10 K Trail, I reached the intersection with North Crest Trail (wp 10KNCR) just a few minutes later. I rested there for a while, then turned south on the Crest Trail, and headed back to my car.
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| 10KNCR | N 35° 14.257' | W 106° 26.973' | North 10K - North Crest Trail junction |
| 10KOLP | N 35° 13.932' | W 106° 26.631' | North 10K - Osha Loop Trail junction |
| AGSNCR | N 35° 15.771' | W 106° 27.025' | Agua Sarca - North Crest Trail junction |
| CHMTH | N 35° 13.089' | W 106° 27.085' | Chimney Canyon trailhead |
| CRSTPK | N 35° 12.679' | W 106° 26.958' | Crest parking lot |
| ELI10K | N 35° 14.057' | W 106° 26.852' | Ellis - North 10 K Trail junction |
| ELIEND | N 35° 14.967' | W 106° 27.017' | Ellis Trail north end |
| NCROLP | N 35° 14.472' | W 106° 27.032' | North Crest Trail - Osha Loop Trail junction |
| NCRPBL | N 35° 15.759' | W 106° 26.460' | North Crest Trail - Penasco Blanco Trail junction | NCRSTR | N 35° 15.636' | W 106° 26.919' | North Crest Trail crosses stream |
| OLPOSP | N 35° 14.569' | W 106° 26.193' | Osha Loop - Osha Spring Trail junction |
| OSPPBL | N 35° 14.664' | W 106° 26.129' | Osha Loop Trail - Penasco Blanco Trail junction |
| PBLWP1 | N 35° 14.815' | W 106° 26.191' | Penasco Blanco waypoint 1 |
| PBLWP2 | N 35° 14.779' | W 106° 26.187' | Penasco Blanco waypoint 2 |
| PBLWP3 | N 35° 14.732' | W 106° 26.203' | Penasco Blanco waypoint 3 |
| SRV10K | N 35° 14.140' | W 106° 26.948' | Survey - 10K Trail junction |
In the Spring of 2001, the dirt road for vehicle access to the trailhead was closed by private landowners in the area. Shortly beyond the fork in the road mentioned above, there is now a locked metal gate. The Forest Service told me that hikers wishing access to Canoncito / Bart's Trail can park to the side of the road outside of the gate. (Please be sure not to block any private driveways or traffic when you park.) The private land owners currently will allow hikers to walk up the road to the trailhead. Please be respectful of their private property if you do so. The locked gate adds about one mile of extra distance at the beginning and the end of this hike, but currently this is the only recourse.
I didn't see the sign for the Canoncito trailhead at first. The trail begins going up a hill almost due east from the trailhead clearing. It turns out that there was a small sign marking Canoncito Trail that was obscured by some branches the first time that I looked. Once I spotted the trail it was, of course, easy to follow.
There was a lot of water cascading down a series of 1-foot-high waterfalls along the first portion of Canoncito Trail, which looked man-made to me. This was actually a travertine formation, a light-colored porous calcite, CaCO3, deposited from solution in ground or surface waters that contain lime. Shortly past the falls, I reached the intersection with Faulty Trail, marked by a sign (wp CNCFLT).
The hike up Canoncito was pretty, and the slope was only moderate. I reached the intersection with South Crest Trail about 3 miles into the hike (wp CNCSCR). From there, I headed south on the South Crest Trail. I passed the upper trailhead of Bart's Trail, marked by a sign, after about a half mile (wp BRTSCR).
I continued south, covering a stretch of the South Crest Trail that I had not been on this year. It was very lush in this area, and there were nice views to the east, and over the ridge to the west. I passed a wooden shelter about a mile south of Bart's Trail (wp SCRW4). I reached the intersection with Embudito Trail (wp SCREBT), marked by a sign, after about another mile's walk. This is the third time in recent weeks that I had reached this point east of Deer Pass, previously approaching from the south on South Crest Trail and from the west on Embudito Trail.
I retraced my steps north along the South Crest Trail, to the intersection with Bart's Trail (wp BRTSCR). My next route was to descend Bart's Trail, beginning to make my way back to my car. The hike down Bart's Trail was quite steep, as I had remembered from previous hikes. The trail was a little obscure in spots, but I never really lost the way.
From the lower trailhead (wp BRTCNC), I walked the final one mile down the dirt road to my car, outside the locked gate (wp CNCPK).
This was a beautiful and rewarding hike through the southern part of the Sandia Mountains. The views, scenery, and lush vegetation encountered in this hike may be unmatched across this wilderness area.
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| BRTCNC | N 35° 8.417' | W 106° 23.171' | Bart's and Canoncito trailheads |
| BRTSCR | N 35° 8.624' | W 106° 24.837' | Bart's Trail - South Crest Trail junction |
| CNCFLT | N 35° 8.808' | W 106° 23.343' | Canoncito - Faulty Trail junction |
| CNCPK | N 35° 8.112' | W 106° 22.635' | Canoncito parking (road blocked) |
| CNCSCR | N 35° 9.213' | W 106° 24.881' | Canoncito - South Crest Trail junction |
| SCREBT | N 35° 6.666' | W 106° 25.627' | South Crest - Embudito Trail junction |
| SCRW4 | N 35° 7.935' | W 106° 25.266' | South Crest Trail waypoint 4 |
To find the beginning of the trail, I walked uphill along the road (roughly southeast) for about 30 paces, then looked down and to the left. A very well established trail headed east from this point. The trail followed the canyon around, just below the level of the road.
After about 1/2 mile (wp PLPKSW) the trail crossed a streambed at a sharp switchback. Shortly afterward, the trail crossed an open area, Lagunita Seca, marked on the Forest Service map. Do not go up the open meadow, but look for the trail to turn left, and continue uphill.
The trail made its way up to Palomas Peak, the very large peak overlooking Las Huertas Canyon. The trail ended up following the limestone bands that run just below Palomas Peak. It seemed to end as it made it to the west side of the peak (wp PLPKEN), above Las Huertas Picnic Area on the road below. The trail did not continue to the top of the peak (that I know of). The distance from the trailhead to this spot was about 1.5 miles.
After enjoying the view of Las Huertas Canyon and the eastern slope of the Sandias, I made my way back to the car. I drove to the trailhead for Tecolote Shadow Route, described next.
I had seen the worn path heading into the woods a number of times on my drives to the top of the mountain. I always wondered where it went, so today I found out. It was a very short route, but it was nice to satisfy my curiosity.
The trail followed the bottom of the canyon, generally toward the north. After about a third of a mile, the trail seemed to disappear when it entered an open grassy area (wp TSHEND). I continued in the same general direction up the mountain past this grassy area but found no further trace of an established trail. I believe that with persistence and bushwhacking, you could continue up this canyon about another third of a mile to reach the Dry Camp Picnic Area, and the trailhead for Tecolote Trail (wp TECTH). However, I didn't try to do that.
There was a large (ten feet wide) watering hole at the top of the open meadow. I saw a bear there as I walked up toward the clearing. He looked at me, and I looked at him. Neither one of us started moving for five seconds or so, so I began to reach for my camera in my backpack. However, my movement spooked him, and he quickly ran off.
After searching the area for a continuation of the trail past the meadow, I returned to my car.
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| PLPKEN | N 35° 14.081' | W 106° 24.386' | Palomas Peak trail end |
| PLPKSW | N 35° 13.622' | W 106° 24.091' | Palomas Peak switchback |
| PLPKTH | N 35° 13.584' | W 106° 24.561' | Palomas Peak trailhead |
| TECTH | N 35° 12.036' | W 106° 24.299' | Tecolote trailhead |
| TSHEND | N 35° 11.823' | W 106° 24.155' | Tecolote Shadow trail end |
| TSHTH | N 35° 11.664' | W 106° 24.082' | Tecolote Shadow trailhead |
North 10 K Trail was shaded and beautiful. I enjoyed it very much. It was a little muddy and slick from recent rains. Near the beginning of the hike, I heard, and then saw a deer about 50 yards to the side of the trail. About a mile further down the trail, I caught a glimpse of another deer running through the woods. (In 2001, I saw a bear in this same area.)
It was a little over a mile's hike to the intersection with Osha Loop Trail (wp 10KOLP). The intersection was marked by a gray signpost. I took the right branch, and began to follow Osha Loop Trail. There was a significant split in the trail just a few yards after it began. I took the left (northern) choice, which turned out to be correct. The other was heading downward. I expected to meet up with it again, but never did. It may be that this branch headed into the canyon just to the south of Osha Loop Trail.
After about a mile on Osha Loop Trail, I reached another trail intersection marked by two gray signposts (wp OLPOSP). (I was at this spot a few weeks ago on the hike coming back from Penasco Blanco Trail.) The turn-off to the left continues on Osha Loop Trail, and to the right is Osha Spring Trail, which goes down to Penasco Blanco Trail. I took the left branch, and thus stayed on Osha Loop Trail westward, and up toward the crest ridge. Immediately after starting on this branch, I saw another deer very close to the trail in front of me, the third one I'd seen today. After about a half mile on this section of Osha Loop Trail, I reached a clearing at the edge of a canyon. There was a great view of the large gray rock forming the wall of Penasco Blanco in the distance to the north.
I soon crossed Ellis Trail (wp ELIOLP), marked by a gray signpost. I rested there for a while, then continued upward toward the ridge. I passed a signpost for Survey Trail (wp SRVOLP). (A couple of weeks ago, I also crossed Survey Trail, but at the point it intersected with North 10 K Trail.) Just a few minutes later, I reached the intersection with the North Crest Trail, marked by a gray signpost (wp NCROLP).
From here, I wanted to reach the north end of Ellis Trail, and decided to do so by following the Crest Trail north. Hiking that direction, I reached the second Del Agua overlook with a stone bench after about a half mile. There was a very beautiful view to the north from this spot. I walked straight south from the stone bench, through some scrub oak, about 50 yards and entered the clearing for the north end of Ellis Trail (wp ELIEND). (I had scouted out this short cut through the trees several weeks ago.) There was a 2-foot-high cairn right at the spot I entered Ellis Trail.
I started hiking south on Ellis Trail. I reached the signpost for Osha Loop Trail after about a quarter of a mile (wp ELIOLP). I passed a huge, 4-foot-tall cairn about a quarter of a mile later. This cairn did not seem to be marking the intersection with any other trail that I could tell. I crossed the intersection with 10 K Trail (wp ELI10K), marked by a gray signpost, a short while later.
Soon after passing under the power lines (wp ELIPWR), Ellis Trail went down a steep embankment. At the bottom of this embankment, there was a 6-foot-tall wooden signpost with four spray painted arrows pointing to the left, marking the direction that I had just come from. This sign is to prevent you from following the jeep road, which curves east at this embankment, and looks like it goes downhill from there. I continued south, and returned to my parked car (wp ELISPK).
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| 10KOLP | N 35° 13.932' | W 106° 26.631' | North 10K - Osha Loop Trail junction |
| ELI10K | N 35° 14.057' | W 106° 26.852' | Ellis - North 10 K Trail junction |
| ELIEND | N 35° 14.967' | W 106° 27.017' | Ellis Trail north end |
| ELIOLP | N 35° 14.692' | W 106° 26.990' | Ellis - Osha Loop Trail junction |
| ELIPWR | N 35° 13.007' | W 106° 26.729' | Ellis Trail power lines |
| ELISPK | N 35° 12.543' | W 106° 26.458' | Ellis Trail parking |
| N10KPK | N 35° 12.595' | W 106° 26.161' | North 10K parking lot |
| NCROLP | N 35° 14.472' | W 106° 27.032' | North Crest Trail - Osha Loop Trail junction |
| OLPOSP | N 35° 14.569' | W 106° 26.193' | Osha Loop - Osha Spring Trail junction |
| SRVOLP | N 35° 14.537' | W 106° 27.013' | Survey - Osha Loop Trail junction |
The trail continued along the ridge, then took a little jog to the left and downhill, around a bend. Just after that was a brown sign post (wp TECLP) marking the start of a loop that forms the last portion of the trail. The loop was just a quarter of a mile around, and then I was on my way back, hiking to my car. Because this was such a short trail, I planned to continue hiking further up the mountain.
I drove to the South 10K Trail parking lot (wp S10KPK), about five miles up the Crest Highway. I saw a group of five deer crossing the road on the drive up. I parked at the small lot on the south side of the road, across from the larger parking lot (with restroom facilities) for the North 10K trailhead.
This was another nice, easy hike. I began hiking south on South 10 K Trail, and reached the first of the ski runs (wp S10KSK) after about a half mile. Be careful crossing the ski runs to make sure you see where 10K Trail re-enters the woods on the other side. I didn't have any trouble on the first half of this hike, that is going south. Each time I reached the edge of a ski run, I saw a blue diamond marker on a tree on the opposite side as I crossed the grassy openings.
The trail dropped down a pretty steep section after the last (eighth) ski run (wp S10KW2). Eventually, South 10 K Trail reached the intersection with Tree Spring and the South Crest Trails (wp 10KTSP), marked by a sign. This turns out to be the second of three times this year that I will reach this point of intersecting trails, each time coming from a different direction. (The first time from the south on the Crest Trail; the third time approaching from the north, also on the Crest Trail.) After a short rest stop, I turned around to hike back north on 10 K Trail toward my car.
The hike up the steep section on the way back was a little tiring, after having walked a couple of hours at that point. However, after making it up that hill, the hike back to the car was very enjoyable.
On the way back north, I actually lost sight of 10K Trail while crossing one of the ski runs. It took me five minutes of wandering around to pick-up the proper trail again. Remember to look very carefully for the blue diamond markers on the trees as you re-enter the woods each time you go across the grassy ski slopes.
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| 10KTSP | N 35° 11.236' | W 106° 25.256' | South 10K - Tree Spring Trail junction |
| S10KPK | N 35° 12.552' | W 106° 26.129' | South 10K parking lot |
| S10KSK | N 35° 12.084' | W 106° 25.834' | South 10K north-most ski run |
| S10KW2 | N 35° 11.771' | W 106° 25.551' | South 10K south-most ski run |
| TECCAV | N 35° 11.998' | W 106° 24.111' | Tecolote Trail cave |
| TECLP | N 35° 11.691' | W 106° 23.785' | Tecolote Trail loop |
| TECTH | N 35° 12.036' | W 106° 24.299' | Tecolote trailhead |
This morning, it was a very pretty and cool hike in the shade along Crest Spur Trail. After about a half mile, I reached a fork in the trail (wp CSPLLZ). The La Luz Trail went to the right and down the mountain; the left trail continued to the Tram Terminal. I took the left branch, and reached the Tram about one mile later (wp CRSTRM).
I hiked south from the Tram / Ski Area along the South Crest Trail. It was a steady downhill walk along this stretch of trail. There was a nice over look (wp SCRW5) at the first switchback south of the Tram terminal. I reached the intersection with Tree Spring Trail and South 10 K Trail after a little more than a mile's hike (wp 10KTSP). (I was at this spot on the hike last week.) I rested for a while, then hiked back north on the Crest Trail to the Tram Terminal.
I started walking north from the Tram Terminal area on the Crest Trail (Trail 130) toward the Crest parking lot. The old trails along the ridge to Kiwanis Cabin and through Kiwanis Meadow were blocked-off with a fence. There were several informational signs explaining that the meadow has been closed to allow it to recover from the decades of over use by the public. I continued north along the Crest Trail for a mile or so, and reached a turn-off to another route over to Kiwanis Cabin (wp CRSKIW). It took just five minutes to walk over to Kiwanis Cabin (wp KIWCAB), and I spent some time looking at the view and reading about the history of this spot. It was beautiful, and well worth the walk. I went back to the Crest Trail, and continued to my car.
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| 10KTSP | N 35° 11.236' | W 106° 25.256' | South 10K - Tree Spring Trail junction |
| CRSKIW | N 35° 12.433' | W 106° 26.661' | Crest Trail - Kiwanis Cabin Trail junction |
| CRSTPK | N 35° 12.679' | W 106° 26.958' | Crest parking lot |
| CRSTRM | N 35° 11.822' | W 106° 26.089' | Crest Trail (130) - Tram trailhead |
| CSPLLZ | N 35° 12.276' | W 106° 26.849' | Crest Spur - La Luz Trail junction |
| CSPTH | N 35° 12.570' | W 106° 26.921' | Crest Spur (north) trailhead |
| KIWCAB | N 35° 12.206' | W 106° 26.594' | Kiwanis Cabin |
| SCRW5 | N 35° 11.448' | W 106° 25.741' | South Crest Trail switchback |
I started at the bottom of La Luz (wp LLZTH) and hiked about a mile to the intersection with Tramway Trail (wp LLZTRM). I then followed Tramway Trail to the right, rather than taking the switchback up La Luz Trail. Tramway Trail runs to the south, all of the way to the lower Tram Terminal. I plan to hike the entire length of Tramway Trail later in the year.
Today, I went only a short distance, about 250 yards, along Tramway Trail. I walked to a turn-off to go up the south face of the canyon, which is the lower trailhead for Trail 137B (wp TRM137). The turn-off was a little hard to see, but once I was up the side of the hill about 20 feet, it was easy to spot the trail. Trail 137B did a few switchbacks at the beginning, which I didn't expect from looking at the map. The trail was pretty steep, but easy to follow. After about a mile I reached the intersection with the main La Luz Trail (wp LL137B). (The point that the trails meet is just about a five minute walk below the streambed that runs through Chimney Canyon.) I walked about 300 yards further up La Luz Trail to the intersection with Chimney Canyon Trail (wp CHMLLZ).
I then hiked down La Luz, to the parking lot (wp LLZTH). I don't know how many people I saw on the trail today, but would guess that it was a hundred or more. Don't go on this trail on a Saturday looking for solitude.
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| CHMLLZ | N 35° 12.763' | W 106° 28.045' | Chimney Canyon Route - La Luz Trail junction |
| LL137B | N 35° 12.747' | W 106° 28.217' | La Luz - Trail 137B junction |
| LLZTH | N 35° 13.181' | W 106° 28.850' | La Luz trailhead / parking lot |
| LLZTRM | N 35° 12.817' | W 106° 28.535' | La Luz - Tramway Trail junction |
| TRM137 | N 35° 12.786' | W 106° 28.660' | Tramway Trail - Trail 137 B junction |
Warning: This is one of the most potentially dangerous hikes in the Sandia Mountains. The first hour goes almost straight down the mountain in a very remote area. The Chimney Canyon Route is not an officially maintained trail. Do not attempt this hike unless you are well prepared physically, and able to take care of yourself in the event of a mishap in the wilderness. If you complete the hike as described, you are in for five hours of very strenuous hiking.
I followed this trail around to the south. After a few hundred yards, I reached a fork in this trail (wp CHMWP1). One branch went left, and upward to the radio towers; I took the right fork to continue down the mountain. However, I immediately encountered another branch in the trail after only 20 feet. At this point, the left branch heads over to the La Luz Crest Spur trail, (I took this path once by mistake). Chimney Canyon Route is the right, downhill branch. The trail was pretty easy to follow the whole way after getting past these few branch points. The trail began to take a more southerly tact after this.
About a half mile from the Del Agua sign, I reached a distinct aspen grove (wp CHMWP2). It was on a small saddle, easily found on the Forest Service map. The grass was pretty tall, and it was a little hard to find the trail through this grove. The proper route is to keep toward the left. The trail began going down hill and to the left, toward the "inside corner" of the canyon walls to the east.
The downhill slope began to get steep; soon it became unbelievably steep. The trail descended a steep rock slide (wp CHMWP3), which took a lot of patience and scrambling to get down. It must drop 400 feet or more, going nearly straight down. At least I'd have to say that the route was very well worn and easy to see (if not easy to scramble down) the whole way. I eventually made it to the base of the Chimney (wp CHMNEY), a large rock formation from which the canyon gets its name.
The remainder of the way down Chimney Route was relatively easy. After a while, the trail took a significant jog to the right (north) staying well above the streambed. The trail stayed along the northern slope of the canyon as the ground turned to sandy soil, much like it is on the La Luz Trail (that was how I could tell when I was getting near the end of the Chimney Canyon Route). I made it to La Luz Trail (wp CHMLLZ) after about a two mile hike from the Chimney. There was a very small rock cairn on the opposite side of La Luz, marking the point where I had just come out. This spot is just downhill from the point that the La Luz Trail crosses the streambed running down from Chimney Canyon.
I decided to walk back up La Luz Trail, to where my car was parked. (Last week, I covered the portion of La Luz Trail below this point.) I had hiked the round trip down Chimney Canyon, then up La Luz Trail once before, several years ago. I am not sure that I would recommend doing it again. It was very tiring to climb the 2,400 vertical feet back up to the top. An easier, and probably better, choice would be to walk down to the La Luz parking lot, and get a ride to the Tram, ride up, and then walk from the Tram back to the car.
At any rate, today I walked up. I rested where I was, at the lower Chimney Canyon trailhead for a while, then started up the trail. By the time I reached the rock slides (wp LLZRK2), the mileage and the heat of the day were really taking their toll. It was a 1.4 mile trudge to the top of the rock slide (wp LLZRK1). I had to stop and rest many times along the way, and worked just to put one foot in front of the other. Eventually I reached the turn-off to the Tram, at the intersection with the Crest Spur Trail (wp CSPLLZ), and had another nice long break. I took the left fork (toward the north) continuing up the Crest Spur Trail, and made it to the parking area (wp CRSTPK), ending a rugged and memorable hiking day.
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| CHMLLZ | N 35° 12.763' | W 106° 28.045' | Chimney Canyon Route - La Luz Trail junction |
| CHMNEY | N 35° 12.795' | W 106° 27.270' | Chimney rock formation |
| CHMTH | N 35° 13.089' | W 106° 27.085' | Chimney Canyon trailhead |
| CHMWP1 | N 35° 13.026' | W 106° 27.170' | Chimney Canyon Route waypoint below radio towers |
| CHMWP2 | N 35° 12.942' | W 106° 27.240' | Chimney Canyon Route aspin grove |
| CHMWP3 | N 35° 12.877' | W 106° 27.193' | Chimney Canyon Route along the rock slide |
| CRSTPK | N 35° 12.679' | W 106° 26.958' | Crest parking lot |
| CSPLLZ | N 35° 12.276' | W 106° 26.849' | Crest Spur - La Luz Trail junction |
| LLZRK1 | N 35° 12.308' | W 106° 26.884' | La Luz top of rock slides |
| LLZRK2 | N 35° 12.437' | W 106° 27.313' | La Luz bottom of rock slides |
Osha Spring Trail itself was very primative. It was an abandoned rock-bed jeep road for much of the way. I kept hoping that it would become a regular dirt hiking path, but it did not until near the top of the mountain. In some places it was a little unclear to me if I was following the correct route. Sometimes there were alternate, parallel branches of the "road". I tried to keep on the main branch and usually came out OK.
There were nice views of the mountains and plains to the north and east, and of the eastern slopes of the Sandias above me. This was the nicest thing about the hike. In general, the hike uphill was quite a workout. It was very exposed to the sun, and it would probably be much nicer to hike this trail in late September or in October, when it is a little cooler.
After about three quarters of a mile (wp OSPWP1), the trail took a sharp turn to the west opening up nice view of a canyon to the north, and all of the way up to the Penasco Blanco wall of gray rock above me (and to the east). About two miles into the hike, I reached a very nice area for a break (wp OSPWP2). As I came up to this spot, I was going up a slope and the trail was interrupted by 20 to 30 small shrubs that seemed to have been planted there. Just over the rise beyond this point, the trail turned left and went down into the nice little area. This recess was shaded by tall pine trees and by the ridge that I had just walked up. There were large, gray "shelf rocks" to sit on.
The scenery along the trail became much nicer beyond this spot. Soon I went through a stretch where the trail became a dirt road, instead of the rocks I had been on. In places here, the trail was pretty indistinct. However, I didn't get lost (for once).
Further on, there were a couple of long stretches in which small trees overgrew the trail. I had to move the limbs apart and keep ducking them for several minutes. Fortunately, the trail was well marked with cairns along the way. They were very reassuring signs that I was still on the trail as I passed them.
I started getting pretty tired by the time I reached the top. Near the end, the trail passed along the northern rim of a canyon (wp OSPWP3), and then jogged a little ways back to the north.
The trail switched to soft dirt through some tall trees and lots of grass just before (five minutes) I reached the end (wp OSPWP4). I went through a little vale for a couple of minutes before reaching the intersection with Penasco Blanco Trail (wp OSPPBL) to the right (north). Osha Spring Trail technically continues to the left for just another couple of minutes, to the point that it meets Osha Loop Trail (wp OLPOSP). I rested here in the cool shade for a while before starting back down the mountain.
The walk down was not too bad, and I made good time. It was pretty easy to follow the route, having just hiked up it. I reached the shady spot where I had taken my first rest break (wp OSPWP2), and took another short breather. I then continued down, returning to my car (wp OSPTH).
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| OLPOSP | N 35° 14.569' | W 106° 26.193' | Osha Loop - Osha Spring Trail junction |
| OSPPBL | N 35° 14.664' | W 106° 26.129' | Osha Loop Trail - Penasco Blanco Trail junction |
| OSPSW | N 35° 16.737' | W 106° 24.672' | Osha Spring Trail switchback |
| OSPTH | N 35° 16.516' | W 106° 24.555' | Osha Spring Trail trailhead |
| OSPWP1 | N 35° 16.295' | W 106° 24.824' | Osha Spring Trail waypoint 1 |
| OSPWP2 | N 35° 15.759' | W 106° 25.190' | Osha Spring Trail waypoint 2 |
| OSPWP3 | N 35° 14.691' | W 106° 25.794' | Osha Spring Trail waypoint 3 |
| OSPWP4 | N 35° 14.677' | W 106° 26.059' | Osha Spring Trail waypoint 4 |
A few minutes later I passed a sign that pointed the way to Spring Creek (wp ROZTRM). You could see the ruins of one of the old ranger cabins (Jaral Cabin) just down the trail (wp JARCAB). The Rozamiento Trail (also know as Jaral Cabin Trail or Spring Creek Trail) goes down the slope from here.
Perhaps a mile and a half into the hike, I reached a signpost pointing the way to La Cueva Picnic Ground (wp TRMLPG). I hiked down La Cueva Trail (# 83) to the picnic ground (wp LPGTH). This trail was only a quarter of a mile long, and took just five minutes, or so. The picnic facilities in this area were built in the 1930's by the Civilian Conservation Corps. After a water break at the trailhead, I returned to Tramway Trail (wp TRMLPG).
Upon reaching Tramway Trail, it looked like La Cueva Trail continued east as a faint path toward La Cueva Canyon. However, I believe the better way into the canyon is just north of this point. Continuing north on Tramway Trail, a few minutes later the trail reached a significant fork (wp TRMLCN). From the wear on the trails I couldn't say that one was more dominate than the other. The fork that goes down into the arroyo, crosses it, and comes up on the other (north) side is the correct route for Tramway Trail. The right branch continues east, up into La Cueva canyon. It probably meets up with the smaller trail that I mentioned at the La Cueva Picnic Ground sign.
I reached the turn-off fork to Trail 137B (wp TRM137) about three quarters of a mile later. This turn-off is just about 250 yards before Tramway Trail intersects with La Luz Trail (wp LLZTRM), marked by a sign. I was at this point in the trail earlier in the year, when I hiked the lower portion of La Luz Trail and Trail 137B. The last 15 minutes of hiking on Tramway Trail before reaching this point was pretty steep. I was tired by the time I got here, and rested for a while before starting back.
At some point during the last stretch of Tramway Trail returning to my car, I lost the "real trail" and branched onto one of the older variants of Tramway Trail. This route took me close to the backyards of the houses near the Tram. The "official," newer trail is routed higher, above and around these neighbors.
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| JARCAB | N 35° 12.025' | W 106° 28.995' | Jaral Cabin |
| LLZTRM | N 35° 12.817' | W 106° 28.535' | La Luz - Tramway Trail junction |
| LPGTH | N 35° 12.267' | W 106° 29.232' | La Cueva Picnic Ground trailhead |
| ROZTRM | N 35° 11.998' | W 106° 28.946' | Rozamiento - Tramway Trail junction |
| TRM137 | N 35° 12.786' | W 106° 28.660' | Tramway Trail - Trail 137 B junction |
| TRMLCN | N 35° 12.379' | W 106° 28.917' | Tramway Trail entrance to La Cueva Canyon |
| TRMLPG | N 35° 12.333' | W 106° 29.016' | Tramway Trail turn-off to La Cueva Picnic Ground |
| TRMPK | N 35° 11.519' | W 106° 28.753' | Tramway Trail parking lot (south trailhead) |
| TRMWP1 | N 35° 11.945' | W 106° 29.027' | Tramway Trail three signposts |
It was an overcast Saturday morning for this hike. It had rained about an inch the day before, so I was looking for a trail that might not be too muddy. This is a nice, short hike when I want to get out for a quick bit of exercise. However, it can also be very hot and exposed due to the lack of tree cover.
Boundary Loop Route began by following a rocky slope north from FR 333, up to a ridge. Just over the ridge, the trail took a turn to the right (east). The trail maintained level elevation eastward for a little while. After about a half mile, the trail took a sharp dip downward (wp BNDWP1). From here, Boundary Loop Route is to the north. To the south over the ridge, is another trail (#3A) that I took at the end of the hike.
I went north, up the broad arroyo on a fairly well-worn trail. The trail soon took a significant veer to the east (wp BNDWP3). This path lead me to a blind opening into a rocky arroyo (wp BNDWP2), with very large rocks at the mouth of the entrance. A few yards later I had to scramble up a five-foot rock bed that blocked the way. Once I found these landmarks, I knew I was in the proper entrance to the east side of the Boundary Loop Route (Tr. 204). From here, I continued to hike up the streambed until I reached the northern end of the trail over a mile away. Along the way, there was sometimes a worn trail off to the side of the streambed. It was usually worth taking the trail to the side, because it had a little firmer footing. At the north end of Jaral Canyon, I hiked up a slope and reached the edge (wp BNDWP4) of the very deep (several hundred feet) Juan Tabo Canyon to the north. Juan Tabo Canyon contains the Sandy Arroyo Route, which I plan to hike later in the year. I saw a couple of people on that trail, which was to the west.
The trail that I was on went up the ridge toward the west from this point. Just a few minutes later I reached the top of the ridge (wp BNDWP5). The trail then started down another ridge toward the south. Going down, I reached a saddle point where three trails branched (wp BNDWP6).
At this saddle point, one trail went to my right, heading back north and a little downhill. I decided to take this branch, which I had seen before, but had never hiked. After a few minutes hike on flat terrain, the trail wrapped around the hillside toward the east. The trail then took a very steep trip down the hillside all of the way into Juan Tabo Canyon and the streambed below. At the bottom, just across the stream, was the western portion of the Juan Tabo Canyon Route, Trail 4 (wp BNDTR4). I hiked back up the steep hillside to rejoin Boundary Loop Route.
At the saddle point (wp BNDWP6), and looking south, the trail before me split in two. The left branch headed south and up to the ridge that separated the two sides of Jaral Canyon. I had walked down this ridge trail once on a previous hike, and it was a nice route. However, today I decided to take the right fork that continued south, but dropped to the arroyo bottom. This branch was West Jaral Canyon Route (Trail #3A). It turned out to be a nice trail, and easy to follow. The trail became a jeep road (wp BNDWP7) along the way, and stayed above and to the west of the streambed. It eventually took me down into the arroyo bottom (wp BNDWP3). Just a minute or two later, I was at the point where the first trail that I was on this morning had made the sharp dip downward, mentioned in the fourth paragraph of the Narrative (wp BNDWP2).
I continued south over the ridge, and followed the trail down to where it crossed FR 333. There was a small dirt parking area just to the left (east) of this point. I walked over to the parking area and found a place to scramble down into the arroyo. I began walking east up the arroyo toward Juan Tabo Cabin (wp JTBCAB), which was only about a quarter of a mile away, on Trail #205. The cabin is in ruins today. I continued up the arroyo another quarter mile or so, until it crossed a paved road, Tierra Monte (wp 205END). From this point, I headed back west down the arroyo, and returned to my car (wp BNDTH).
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| 205END | N 35° 12.487' | W 106° 29.532' | East end of Trail 205 |
| BNDTH | N 35° 12.159' | W 106° 30.233' | Boundary Loop trailhead / parking |
| BNDTR4 | N 35° 13.082' | W 106° 30.032' | Boundary Loop - Trail 4 junction |
| BNDWP1 | N 35° 12.364' | W 106° 30.128' | Boundary Loop waypoint 1 |
| BNDWP2 | N 35° 12.487' | W 106° 30.011' | Boundary Loop waypoint 2 |
| BNDWP3 | N 35° 12.468' | W 106° 30.084' | Boundary Loop waypoint 3 |
| BNDWP4 | N 35° 13.054' | W 106° 29.839' | Boundary Loop waypoint 4 |
| BNDWP5 | N 35° 12.974' | W 106° 29.977' | Boundary Loop waypoint 5 |
| BNDWP6 | N 35° 12.893' | W 106° 30.015' | Boundary Loop waypoint 6 |
| BNDWP7 | N 35° 12.738' | W 106° 30.013' | Boundary Loop waypoint 7 |
| JTBCAB | N 35° 12.359' | W 106° 29.800' | Juan Tabo Cabin |
It turned out that the first ridge that I climbed from the road was not the one that the real trail is on. Across a small canyon to the east and north was another ridge. I made my way over to that ridge by heading south, instead of straight across a little valley. The two ridges meet toward the south (wp PLAWP2), and once I was at that point, the trail was easy to locate, running north-south. The trail looked like a rocky jeep road or horse path at that point. (Mountain biking, horseback riding, and hiking are all permitted on this trail.)
Once I was on Placitas Palomas Trail, it was a pleasant walk, although the trail was pretty indistinct much of the way. The first half mile or so was across a very broad, flat meadow. The scenery of the Sandias to the west was spectacular. I got nice views to the west, up toward the Penasco Blanco rock formation. The trail had a gradual uphill slope, but was not a difficult hike. After about a half mile, the trail made a distinct right (west) turn (wp PLAWP3). The trail went around the west side of a large hill (rather than east of this hill as on the map; the Forest Service map is inaccurate here).
After this, the trail became very indistinct in places. There were rocky stretches where I could only assume the direction that the trail continued. Generally though, the trail stayed along the ridge line.
I reached a plateau with soft earth and sparse tree coverage, about two and a half miles into the hike (wp PLAWP4). The trail seemed to disappear here, and I decided that I had probably reached the southern end. (According to my GPS track, this spot is about 0.2 miles short of the end of the trail as shown on the Forest Service Map.) After looking around the area for signs of a trail further south, I decided to head back.
I made good time returning north. The trail was a little downhill in this direction. However, I didn't like having to continually concentrate just to follow the indistinct trail. I ended up looking for turned-over earth (from horse tracks, presumably) on the rocky path in order to make it out. Soon I reached the spot where I had first joined the trail after scaling the initial ridge from the car (wp PLAWP2).
I decided to walk down the well-traveled trail that I was on, instead of freelancing it down the mountain side, the route that I had taken on the way up. Continuing north, the trail was easy to follow. Near the bottom of the hill it turned a little to the west. Unfortunately, the trail lead to backyards (private property) that were fenced in. There was an indistinct trail skirting the back of the property lines toward the south. I was able to follow that path to the south end of the last residence. Then I headed west, and came out on the road very close to my parked car (wp PLAPK).
I decided to drive south to the Sandia Man Cave Trail (# 72), about a 3 mile drive along the rough dirt road. The parking lot (wp SNDMN1) was after the fifth one-lane bridge that I crossed. There was a sign on the left (east) side of the road marking the turn-off.
It was a nice ten minute walk to the cave, just slightly up hill. I climbed the spiral staircase up to the cave itself at the end of the trail (wp SNDMN2). There were beautiful views of the eastern slope of the mountains from a small observation deck.
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| PLAPK | N 35° 16.970' | W 106° 24.614' | Parking for Placitas Palomas Route |
| PLAWP1 | N 35° 16.950' | W 106° 24.383' | Placitas Palomas Route waypoint 1 |
| PLAWP2 | N 35° 16.901' | W 106° 24.308' | Placitas Palomas Route waypoint 2 |
| PLAWP3 | N 35° 16.621' | W 106° 24.185' | Placitas Palomas Route waypoint 3 |
| PLAWP4 | N 35° 15.590' | W 106° 24.006' | Placitas Palomas Route waypoint 4 |
| SNDMN1 | N 35° 15.016' | W 106° 24.588' | Sandia Man Cave trailhead |
| SNDMN2 | N 35° 15.282' | W 106° 24.336' | Sandia Man Cave (trail end) |
To find Survey Trail, I left the Ellis Trail parking area and walked north on the Crest Highway for 0.4 miles (wp SRVTH). To my right (east) was a tree with five different small (four inch) metal signs marking the entrance into the woods. From the top, the signs were: a blue diamond, a white square with a symbol of a skier, a yellow square, a black diamond with a white curvy line, and a blue diamond with an arrow pointing toward the road.
Survey Trail was very flat, wide, lush, and tree covered. It was similar to North 10K Trail, which is just below it by a half mile or so. It is one of the most pleasant hikes in the Sandias. The first part of the trail, heading north, paralleled the Crest Highway, less than 100 yards above me. I crossed under the power lines after 10 minutes on the trail (wp SRVPWR). I could see the highway just about 100 yards to the west. A couple of minutes later, I passed a large gray Sandia Mountain Wilderness sign.
The trail continued with a slight downhill grade going north. I crossed North 10K Trail, marked by a gray sign pole (wp SRV10K). Continuing north, I reached the intersection with Osha Loop Trail about three quarters of a mile later (wp SRVOLP). This intersection marked the northern end of Survey Trail.
After a short break, I turned around to hike the length of Survey Trail south to the Crest Highway. I decided to cross the highway and follow Survey Trail on the south side of the road. The entrance on the south side of the road was also marked with a blue diamond sign, but was not as well marked as the north side.
The trail paralleled the road for a ways. I suspected that the trail would run into the service road that goes up to the Tram terminal, which turned out to be correct. Around here, the trail that I was on (Survey Trail) intersected with another cross country ski trail, which turned out to be Switchback Trail (wp SRVSWT) according to the cross country ski map. At this intersection, Survey Trail officially ends, and the trail leading down to the service road is actually Switchback Trail. I came across a large sign that said "Cross Country Ski Trails Adopted by New Mexico Ski Club" (wp SRVWP1). From here, there was a trail that headed straight down to the Ellis Trail parking lot. However, I continued on the main trail. Less than 100 yards later, there was a "Y" in the trail. Only the left branch appeared to be marked with the blue diamond signs. I followed the left branch and came out on the service road just a few minutes later. I was just about 100 yards south of the Ellis Trail Parking Lot. There was a brown sign pole here that said "To Crest Parking Lot / Trail 271" and another sign pole that said Switchback Trail.
I decided to go to the Capulin Spring Snow Play (or Picnic) Area. I had never been there before, and had never hiked the trail described next.
I went uphill for just a couple of minutes. Shortly after crossing under the power lines, the trail then dead ended into a "T" with another trail going east-west (wp CAPSW2). There was a blue diamond sign with a yellow arrow pointing left and right. I took the right (east) branch, and continued on the trail marked by blue diamonds. After a couple of minutes the trail split into a "Y" (wp CAPSW3) The right (south) branch headed back under the power lines; however, the proper route is the left branch. I hiked this left branch for a few hundred yards, until the trail appeared to dead-end on a rise (wp CAPSW4). The trail actually continued from here, but 90 degrees to the right (going south).
I followed this rocky path to Capulin Peak itself (wp CAPSW5). It was well worth going all of the way to the top. There were beautiful views of the eastern slopes of the Sandias, as well as the ski area to the left. After enjoying the scenery for a while, I returned to my car.
As a final note, today was Saturday of Labor Day weekend. It was also the second day of bow hunting season. Along the Crest Highway there were probably thirty or more parked trucks belonging to hunters. This wasn't the best weekend to hike around the woods. I tried my best not to resemble a deer today.
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| CAPSTH | N 35° 13.066' | W 106° 24.889' | Capulin Spring trailhead |
| CAPSW1 | N 35° 13.100' | W 106° 24.884' | Capulin Spring waypoint 1 (wooden posts) |
| CAPSW2 | N 35° 13.146' | W 106° 24.894' | Capulin Spring waypoint 2 (T in trail) |
| CAPSW3 | N 35° 13.142' | W 106° 24.838' | Capulin Spring waypoint 3 (Y in trail) |
| CAPSW4 | N 35° 13.206' | W 106° 24.619' | Capulin Spring waypoint 4 (deadend) |
| CAPSW5 | N 35° 13.154' | W 106° 24.568' | Capulin Spring waypoint 5 (peak) |
| ELISPK | N 35° 12.543' | W 106° 26.458' | Ellis Trail parking |
| SRV10K | N 35° 14.140' | W 106° 26.948' | Survey - 10K Trail junction |
| SRVOLP | N 35° 14.537' | W 106° 27.013' | Survey - Osha Loop Trail junction |
| SRVPWR | N 35° 13.006' | W 106° 26.865' | Survey power line |
| SRVSWT | N 35° 12.583' | W 106° 26.639' | Survey - Switchback Trail junction |
| SRVTH | N 35° 12.727' | W 106° 26.763' | Survey trailhead |
| SRVWP1 | N 35° 12.508' | W 106° 26.548' | Survey Trail waypoint 1 |
Agua Sarca Route generally followed an old jeep trail for three quarters of a mile, or more. It headed up a steep slope to a saddle point (wp AGSWP1), then dropped into Agua Sarca Canyon itself. There was an important "Y" in the trail 0.2 miles later (wp AGSWP2); the left branch is the correct route. Going left, I found a very well established trail that was easy to follow. From there, I began a steep section that was more of a traditional trail, i.e., a narrow trail cutting through tree cover.
I reached a distinct "T" in the trail (wp AGSWP3) about a mile and a half into the hike. The left branch continued to parallel the stream, but looked very overgrown. The path to the right was well-worn, and seemed to be the correct way (it was).
Following the right branch of the trail, eventually I was led to a huge pile of rocks. At one time this may have been a cooking grill, or a shelter; it was certainly a noticeable landmark (wp AGSWP4). I had been to this area on hikes in previous years, and the trail ended here. However, upon this trip it looked like a clear trail continued up the mountain, so I decided to follow it.
The trail went up some steep terrain, but kept going and going up and south. At some places (especially some rocky places near the top) the trail was hard to see. However, there were a great number of cairns (that you had to look closely for) to mark the way. To my surprise, the trail took me all of the way up to join the North Crest Trail (wp AGSNCR). The trails met at the North Del Agua Overlook on North Crest Trail, at a stone bench. If you were hiking north on the Crest Trail, this is the overlook spot where the trail makes a sharp switchback to the east. If you were to hike straight north (and didn't make the turn in the switchback) you would meet the Agua Sarca Route that I had just hiked up.
I rested on the stone bench for a while, then decided to hike down the Crest Trail and del Orno Canyon instead of retracing my steps down Agua Sarca Route. I thought that the distance would be about the same. As it turned out, the way that I went down was about 1.2 miles further than the more direct route down Agua Sarca. However, it still turned into a very nice loop hike.
Hiking down the Crest Trail, I passed the flowing stream that runs through (upper) Agua Sarca Canyon (wp NCRSTR). A half mile later, I passed the north trailhead of Penasco Blanco Trail (wp NCRPBL).
I reached the top of del Orno Trail (wp DORNCR) after another 2.3 miles. This trail junction is 5 minutes past the next stone bench that I passed. Just as I made a sharp inside turn in the Crest Trail, crossing a little stream bed, I continued about another 50 yards and found the turn-off to Ojo del Orno Route, marked by a cairn (wp DORNCR). The trail went down to the left, toward the streambed.
Del Orno Trail was easy to follow, except for one spot. About a third of a mile into the trail (wp DORWP1), the trail jumped over the ridge to my left to the next little canyon to the west. On a previous hike down del Orno, I missed this turn, and ended up bushwhacking down the streambed. The real trail was well lined with stones, and easily recognizable as a trail all of the way down.
Del Orno Trail came out at the North Crest Trail about 10 feet past a large wooden sign that says "Sandia Mountain Wilderness" (wp DORTH). I walked from the Crest Trail parking area (wp NCRTH) to my car at the Agua Sarca lot (wp AGSTH), about 0.3 miles.
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| AGSNCR | N 35° 15.771' | W 106° 27.025' | Agua Sarca - North Crest Trail junction |
| AGSTH | N 35° 17.489' | W 106° 26.464' | Agua Sarca trailhead |
| AGSWP1 | N 35° 17.091' | W 106° 26.630' | Agua Sarca waypoint 1 |
| AGSWP2 | N 35° 16.926' | W 106° 26.677' | Agua Sarca waypoint 2 |
| AGSWP3 | N 35° 16.562' | W 106° 26.486' | Agua Sarca waypoint 3 |
| AGSWP4 | N 35° 16.478' | W 106° 26.728' | Agua Sarca waypoint 4 |
| DORNCR | N 35° 16.890' | W 106° 26.097' | Del Orno Route - North Crest Trail upper junction | DORTH | N 35° 17.451' | W 106° 26.323' | Del Orno Route lower trailhead |
| DORWP1 | N 35° 17.068' | W 106° 26.154' | Del Orno waypoint 1 |
| NCRPBL | N 35° 15.759' | W 106° 26.460' | North Crest Trail - Penasco Blanco Trail junction | NCRSTR | N 35° 15.636' | W 106° 26.919' | North Crest Trail crosses stream |
| NCRTH | N 35° 17.487' | W 106° 26.372' | North Crest trailhead (Tunnel Spring) |
It was a very easy two-mile hike to reach the Del Agua overlook just north of North Sandia Peak, where there is a very large aspen bowl. A lot of other hikers had that same idea that I did, and there was a constant stream of people walking the trails
It was about a one mile hike along North 10K Trail to the intersection with Osha Loop Trail (wp 10KOLP). I turned left (west), continuing on North 10K Trail, and began a slight climb toward the ridge line. The trail soon crossed Ellis Trail (wp ELI10K), then Survey Trail (wp SRV10K). Shortly thereafter, it intersected with the North Crest Trail (wp 10KNCR), overlooking Del Agua Canyon below.
I stayed at the overlook for quite a while taking pictures, talking with the other people arriving at the site, and enjoying the sunshine on a beautiful Fall day. I then made the pleasant two-mile walk back to my car.
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| 10KNCR | N 35° 14.257' | W 106° 26.973' | North 10K - North Crest Trail junction |
| 10KOLP | N 35° 13.932' | W 106° 26.631' | North 10K - Osha Loop Trail junction |
| ELI10K | N 35° 14.057' | W 106° 26.852' | Ellis - North 10 K Trail junction |
| N10KPK | N 35° 12.595' | W 106° 26.161' | North 10K parking lot |
| SRV10K | N 35° 14.140' | W 106° 26.948' | Survey - 10K Trail junction |
Note: This part of the mountain is closed to protect wildlife between March 1 and Aug. 15 every year.
I hiked north from the parking lot on the dirt road for about five minutes until I reached the real trailhead for Piedra Lisa Trail, marked by a sign (wp PLSWP4). I hiked up a rise for a short ways, then the trail dropped into a little canyon that contains the intersections with Fletcher, Movie, and Waterfall Canyon Routes, all coming down from the right (east) at the bottom of this dip (wp FLETH). Two arroyos come down the mountain from the east at this point and cross Piedra Lisa Trail. The left (northern) arroyo leads to "Upper Juan Tabo Canyon" via Fletcher Route. The right (southern) streambed leads up Waterfall Canyon. Movie Route (which I will hike next week) is on the ridge between these two canyons.
I began Fletcher Route by hiking up the (north) arroyo. I passed a large, wooden sign just a minute or so up the trail that contained the seasonal closure warning, mentioned above (wp FLEWP1). About a half mile up Fletcher Route, the trail lifted out of the sandy arroyo, onto the right bank (wp FLEWP3). This turn-off is easy to miss, which I did today. There used to be another seasonal-closure sign at this spot, but I didn't see it this time. From this point, Fletcher Route headed into the woods, and it became a very pleasant walk. The trail basically paralleled the arroyo for a while. It was covered with fallen leaves, which I suspect stay there year round. After about a third of a mile, the trail swung north, crossing the arroyo (wp FLEWP2), and then headed east, up to a ridge.
The hike up the ridge was was steep, with loose dirt, so the footing was not very good. It took about ten minutes to walk up the ridge, although I was working very hard. The trail swung south from this point (wp FLEWP4), and generally stayed level for a while. The trail was a little hard to spot in places along here, but still not too bad. It went around the ridge, and started going up into a canyon, toward the east. There were beautiful views of the Prow (rock formation) across the canyon to the south. Eventually I came to the base of an obvious large rock formation, which was UNM Spire (wp FLEWP5). This spot is a fine place to end your hike for the day. Going further involves scrambling up some steep rocks. However, I decided to continue onward.
The trail went south around the corner of the slope, below large rock formations. The scrambling on the trail was pretty hard along here. The trail also became less and less distinct. Eventually, I got to a big pile (10 or 15 feet high) of loose rocks at the base of a large rock formation (wp FLEWP6). At this point I was back further into the canyon than the eastern end of the Prow, which is to the south. The large wall of rocks above me was very slick and shiny, with lots of black discoloration. If the trail continued further, I could not spot it. I rested for a while, then started back down the trail. Going back was much quicker, since it was downhill most of the way.
Upon reaching the junction with Piedra Lisa Trail (wp FLETH) I decided to hike up Waterfall Canyon while I was in the area. This is a very rough and overgrown route. I reached a large rock formation after about five minutes. I could get around this formation by following a trail below and to the right of the rocks. I followed the trail for a short distance further, and the path began getting rougher and more overgrown. I decided to stop and turn around upon reaching another rock formation about five minutes later. I believe that with perseverance, you can get much deeper into this canyon and eventually come to a high waterfall. However, I hate bushwhacking through the underbrush, and decided to head home.
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| FLETH | N 35° 13.851' | W 106° 28.774' | Fletcher trailhead |
| FLEWP1 | N 35° 13.877' | W 106° 28.714' | Fletcher Route waypoint 1 |
| FLEWP2 | N 35° 14.191' | W 106° 28.479' | Fletcher Route waypoint 2 |
| FLEWP3 | N 35° 14.083' | W 106° 28.636' | Fletcher Route waypoint 3 |
| FLEWP4 | N 35° 14.215' | W 106° 28.274' | Fletcher Route waypoint 4 |
| FLEWP5 | N 35° 14.093' | W 106° 28.090' | Fletcher Route waypoint 5 (UNM Spire) |
| FLEWP6 | N 35° 14.087' | W 106° 28.017' | Fletcher Route waypoint 6 |
| PLSTHS | N 35° 13.378' | W 106° 29.005' | Piedra Lisa (south) trailhead |
| PLSWP4 | N 35° 13.698' | W 106° 28.938' | Piedra Lisa waypoint 4 |
Note: This area is closed to protect wildlife from March 1 to Aug. 15 every year.
To find the actual start of Movie Route, I walked up the right (south) streambed for about twenty yards, then veered-off to the left at about a 45 degree angle. I followed a small dried gully up and to the left. After only 30 yards or so, there was blank, brown sign on a wooden sign post. The trail went up the ridgeline from here on a loose dirt path. The footing here was not very good, so I had to be careful. It took about 10 minutes to hike up this steep portion. There was a gray, blank sign on a metal pole at the top of the ridge (wp MOVWP1). The trail headed a little southward from there, and was generally pretty hard to discern.
After only a few minutes hiking south, I lost sight of the trail. (I hate when that happens.) I knew generally where I wanted to end up, so I bushwhacked my way up the hill and to the north, toward the ridgeline. Once on the ridge, I followed a crude path in a crevice formed by a little streambed. Eventually, I made my way to a small plateau (wp MOVWP2). From there, I could see that the ridgeline going to the Prow (rock formation) was up a ridge significantly to the north of this point. To get there, I kept making my way north and a little east to that ridgeline. I found pretty good trails (although very steep) all of the way to the base of the Prow. Along the way, I crossed a nice saddle point (wp MOVWP3). I stopped at the base of the Prow (wp PROW), although it was very steep scrambling up rocks for last few minutes. I rested at the top for a while, and headed back down the mountain.
The trail along down the upper ridge line from the Prow was easy to follow down to the plateau (wp MOVWP2). Since the scramble up to the plateau had been very rough, that is, there was no real trail in sight, I decided to see if I could find a better trail by going down toward the west (rather than to the south). Well, there wasn't any real trail that way. I ended up scrambling down the hillside through the brush for a while, but eventually ran into the trail (thanks to my GPS).
This is a nice hike, but you have to do a lot of path finding and bushwhacking along the way.
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| MOVPLS | N 35° 13.849' | W 106° 28.772' | Movie Route - Piedra Lisa Trail junction |
| MOVWP1 | N 35° 13.841' | W 106° 28.606' | Movie Route waypoint 1 |
| MOVWP2 | N 35° 13.916' | W 106° 28.388' | Movie Route waypoint 2 |
| MOVWP3 | N 35° 13.976' | W 106° 28.248' | Movie Route waypoint 3 |
| PLSTHS | N 35° 13.378' | W 106° 29.005' | Piedra Lisa (south) trailhead |
| PLSWP4 | N 35° 13.698' | W 106° 28.938' | Piedra Lisa waypoint 4 |
| PROW | N 35° 13.931' | W 106° 28.055' | Prow rock formation |
Warning: This is one of the most remote and rugged areas in the Sandia Mountains. The hike to TWA Canyon is not along an officially maintained trail. Do not attempt this hike by yourself, in case an emergency should arise. You should also be well prepared physically, and have provisions to take care of yourself in the event of a mishap in the wilderness. You should wear a long-sleeved shirt and long pants, due to numerous sticker bushes and low-hanging trees along the upper portion of the route. I also recommend that you take a GPS, if you have one available, and use the waypoints that I have listed to help you find your way through this remote area.
I followed several of the trails in the Elena Gallegos Open Space to get over to the entrance to the Sandia Mountain Wilderness. There were signs along the way pointing the way to Domingo Baca Route. I took the Nature Trail, and Trails 342, 341, and 230 along the way. I made it to the entrance to the Wilderness about a half mile into the hike.
I recommend taking the first entrance into the wilderness (wp DBCTH), rather than following Trail 230 further. This avoids the many mountain bikers on the Open Space Trails. About a half mile inside the wilderness area, the trail took a noticeable turn from its northeast direction (wp DBCWP1), and began to go straight east.
I came upon the ruins of an abandoned shelter (just its rock foundation was left) about a half mile later (wp DBCWP2). The ruins were just north of the trail about 30 feet, at a spot where the main trail jogged south, across a streambed.
Right at this spot I ran into an experience hiker, a woman in her early 70's. I asked her if she knew how to find the trail up to TWA Canyon. I had been up Domingo Baca Route several times, and had never found it. She told me what to look for, and today I found the trail for the first time.
The turn-off to TWA Canyon is 0.2 miles (wp DBCWP3), a five minute walk for me, east of the ruins that I just described. You must be hiking along the streambed, within the deep tree cover, to find the turn-off. Coming up to this spot, there is actually a nicer, well-worn trail to the north of the stream. You need to make your way down to the stream itself. As you walk east along the stream, look closely to your right for a crude path taking you out of the streambed, and up the 20-foot-high embankment, toward the southeast. There was a cairn marking the spot on this day. (I returned to this spot on a subsequent hike, and the cairn was not there.) If you miss this turn-off and continue up the streambed, you will soon run into a deadend canyon blocked by a 30-40 foot high wall of rocks. If you have a GPS, I recommend that you use the waypoint that I list (wp DBCWP3) to find the spot.
The good news is that once I scrambled up the embankment, I found a relatively good and well-worn trail for the remaining 1.6 miles up to the crash site. However, the trail was quite steep, gaining about 1,400 feet in elevation over that distance.
From the turn-off, the trail crossed some open, sandy terrain for a short distance. It then joined another streambed, which it followed for the rest of the hike. After another 0.2 miles, I passed a nice area that looked like it had been used as an established camp site (wp DBCWP4). I have heard that the Boy Scouts used to come up to this area for overnight camping trips.
The hike up the canyon was pretty rugged and steep, through very dense tree cover. Along the way, I could hear the Sandia Tram passing overhead, but the trees were so thick that I couldn't see it. When I was nearly below the Tram wires, the trail took a veer to the left, heading directly toward the plane wreckage.
The trail became more rugged and less distinct as it made its way up the slot canyon. There was a significant rock obstacle, about 8 feet high, that I had to scramble up along the way.
After perhaps a ten minute trek through the dense foliage, I came upon the first of the wreckage (wp TWA). There was a large, about 4 foot by 4 foot, portion of the fuselage with a large red number 416 on the side, and two rubber tires. As I continued up the canyon there were hundreds of pieces of the plane strewn around, including identifiable parts of the engine, propeller, and landing gear.
The site is humbling and rather sad to visit. I recommend that you treat it with respect, and think of the 16 lost souls as you reach the area.
I turned around and hiked back from this point. On a subsequent hike, I attempted to hike all of the way to the top of the mountain by continuing up this canyon. In principle, it should join the La Luz Trail, below Kiwanis Cabin. I made it about half a mile past the wreckage, gaining an additional 1,000 vertical feet. However, the trail became increasingly indistinct and tree covered. I had to give up about 300 feet below La Luz Trail, which was pretty frustrating. However, the dense tree coverage was too much for me on that day.
The hike downhill was steep, but went quickly. I got back to my car tired, but very satisfied that I had made it up to the TWA Canyon. I had heard about this route for years, and had tried unsuccessfully to find the trail a half dozen times. My gratitude goes out to the (unnamed) hiker I ran into that morning who told me how to find the route
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| 140TH | N 35° 9.795' | W 106° 28.200' | Parking lot and Trailhead for Trail 140 |
| DBCTH | N 35° 10.262' | W 106° 28.011' | Trailhead to Domingo Baca Route |
| DBCWP1 | N 35° 10.520' | W 106° 28.117' | Domingo Baca waypoint 1 |
| DBCWP2 | N 35° 10.805' | W 106° 27.718' | Domingo Baca waypoint 2 |
| DBCWP3 | N 35° 10.886' | W 106° 27.594' | Domingo Baca waypoint 3 |
| DBCWP4 | N 35° 10.882' | W 106° 27.442' | Domingo Baca waypoint 4 |
| TWA | N 35° 11.696' | W 106° 26.552' | TWA Crash Site |
The initial portion of Trail 2 was very well worn and broad. It went uphill from the parking area for a few minutes, then down into Juan Tabo Canyon. As the trail turned to the west, it paralleled a streambed for a while. About a third of a mile from the trailhead, the trail dropped into the sandy arroyo. This was the intersection with Trail #2B, the Sandy Arroyo Route (wp TR2T2B). However, before hiking Trail 2B, I stayed on Trail 2 and hiked to its end.
To continue on Trail 2, which went north from this spot, I took a right turn in the arroyo and walked north for about 50 yards, or so (wp TR2WP1). I could see a distinct, well-worn trail going off to my left (west), and up hill, the continuation of Trail 2. This little stretch of trail was a steady up-hill climb. There were beautiful views of the western, rocky face of the Sandias looming high above me to the east, and the green Rincon area to the north. I followed Trail 2 to the end, which was only about a quarter of a mile (wp TR2WP2). There were some road blocks at the end of the trail to block vehicles. The path actually continued uphill, but lead to private property in a residential area, so I went no further. As I headed back down the trail, I can see a huge "hole" in the wall forming the southwest rim of Juan Tabo Canyon. That landmark was my next destination. I retraced my steps to the sandy arroyo (wp TR2T2B).
I then walked down Sandy Arroyo Route (marked # 2B on the Forest Service map), heading southwest, and following the arroyo. There were lots of footprints from previous hikers, but it was not a maintained trail. After about a quarter of a mile or so (wp T2BWP1), the arroyo made a 45 degree turn left (south), and the path became a little indistinct. A short distance later (wp T2BWP2), it made another turn to the left, and I was now hiking south. After a few more minutes, the trail merged into the arroyo coming down from the north (my right). This place is the intersection (wp T2BTR4) with the Juan Tabo Canyon Route (number 4 on the map), running north-south. When I got to this spot, there were no markers or cairns to make it very noticeable. I had to keep a close eye on my map to make sure I knew where I was relative to these trails.
I followed the arroyo and Juan Tabo Canyon Route (#4) to the south. I hiked the arroyo and streambed through a number of twists into the canyon. There was flowing water for the second half of this short distance. Along the way, I passed the trail that comes down from the Boundary Loop Trail (wp BNDTR4). The scenery was nice down in this canyon. However, I also felt a little isolated and pinned-in. I would not recommend going back into this area alone.
The stream and canyon ran into a fence, which marks the boundary with the Sandia Pueblo grounds (wp TR4WP1). No trespassing is allowed on the tribal land. This was the southern end of Trail #4. I walked 0.8 miles back up the trail, to the intersection with Trail #2B (wp T2BTR4). However, instead of taking #2B back toward the car, I wanted to continue north on Trail #4.
It can be a little hard to find the turn-off to go up the northern half of Juan Tabo Canyon Route #4 (unless, of course, you are using a GPS). From the south end of Trail 4, as you walk out of the last tight canyon into the broader, more open area of Juan Tabo Canyon, look for two landmarks. The first, which is quite obvious, is the steep canyon wall looming hundreds of feet overhead in front of you and to your left. (This is the western rim of this large canyon.) Juan Tabo Canyon Route continues up the arroyo just to the east of this steep slope, at its base. The second landmark that you see when heading up from the southern end of the trail is a much smaller mound (maybe 40 feet high) in front of you and a little to the east of the arroyo. (You can make-out this little mound on the Forest Service map.) Juan Tabo Canyon Route (#4) heads to the left (west) of the small mound. Sandy Arroyo Route (#2B) heads east, just south of that mound. With these landmarks in mind, keep a sharp eye out for a "Y" in the trail heading north (wp T2BTR4), and you should be able to find the northern branch of Juan Tabo Canyon Route, by taking the left branch at this "Y."
I continued north on this portion of Trail 4, and it was about a mile to reach its northern terminus. This trail was also pretty sandy, but I was able to follow foot tracks pretty easily the whole way. At the northern end, the trail passed by the back yard of a private home, just before the arroyo curved to the right (east). The trail ended at a fence marking the boundary of private property (wp TR4WP2).
I hiked back down Juan Tabo Canyon Route, and then picked up Sandy Arroyo Route #2B heading back east (wp T2BTR4). I followed the arroyo to the intersection with Trail #2 (wp TR2T2B), and walked back to the parking area (wp TR2TH).
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| BNDTR4 | N 35° 13.082' | W 106° 30.032' | Boundary Loop - Trail 4 junction |
| T2BTR4 | N 35° 13.220' | W 106° 29.921' | Trail 2B - Trail 4 junction |
| T2BWP1 | N 35° 13.334' | W 106° 29.710' | Trail 2B waypoint 1 |
| T2BWP2 | N 35° 13.282' | W 106° 29.851' | Trail 2B waypoint 2 |
| TR2T2B | N 35° 13.312' | W 106° 29.443' | Trail 2 - Trail 2B junction |
| TR2TH | N 35° 13.007' | W 106° 29.245' | Trail 2 trailhead / parking |
| TR2WP1 | N 35° 13.323' | W 106° 29.423' | Trail 2 waypoint 1 |
| TR2WP2 | N 35° 13.555' | W 106° 29.308' | Trail 2 waypoint 2 (end) |
| TR4WP1 | N 35° 12.947' | W 106° 30.173' | Trail 4 boundary with Sandia Pueblo |
| TR4WP2 | N 35° 13.933' | W 106° 29.436' | Trail 4 north terminus |
I started up Embudo Trail toward the east, then cut south around the east end of the large, empty "holding pond." Signs pointed toward Trail 365, which is part of the system of Foothills Trails. However, it was more efficient to stay on the old rocky path that runs below the power lines (wp 365PWR), rather to than follow Trail 365, which went a little westward. The northern trailhead for Mano Route was at the third set of power line poles (three poles side-by-side), at the top of the second ridge that I reached (wp MNONTH). From this ridge looking south, I could see the U-Mound a couple of miles to the south. There was a wide trail heading due east from the power-line poles, which was Mano Route. There was a small sign marking the National Forest Wilderness boundary a few yards up the trail.
The trail was clearly visible and easy to follow up the ridge for a few minutes. Mano Route then took a jog south (wp MNOWP1) around the corner of a ridge into a small canyon. I followed the trail back into this canyon (walking east) to the point that the trail started to swing around in the canyon, and turned to the south. Just before the trail swings south, look closely for a branch in the trail going up the hill and to the left (wp MNOWP2). It is very easy to miss this turn to the left (which I did today!). Once I found the correct turn-off, the trail continued northeast up to the top of the ridge line. Once I got to the top of the ridge (wp MNOWP3), the trail was easy to follow again for quite a distance. Note: The hardest part of this trail is the turn-off that I just mentioned. If you find yourself in the wrong place, you probably need to go back and navigate this section again.
After a pretty steep climb up the ridge, I reached the top of a wide, flat, open area. There were panoramic views in all directions, including Albuquerque laid-out to the east. The flat stretch was welcome after the hike up the ridge. The trail continued east, then swung around to the south going behind a small hill to my right. Behind that hill, piled high with large boulders, was a broad saddle point (wp MNOWP4), after which the trail began a slight downhill grade.
Continuing to follow the trail, I reached the edge of a canyon to the south (wp MNOWP5). Across this canyon, directly to the south, was another broad plateau, upon which lies the southern half of Mano Route. I continued to go straight south, dropping down into the canyon a hundred feet or so at the low spot (wp MNOWP6), then hiking up the slope on the other side. There was a very indistinct trail going straight across, which I followed as best I could, coming up on the opposite side of the canyon (wp MNOWP7).
Once I reached the far side of the canyon, I continue walking south on the plateau until I found a well-worn trail running east-west (wp MNOWP8). This was the southern leg of Mano Route.
I decided to follow Mano Route to the east on this plateau, up to a prominent rise just a quarter of a mile or so up the hill. There was a single large tree at the top of the saddle point (wp MNOSDL). It is a distinctive landmark that you can see from the streets of Albuquerque, if you know where to look. There were vistas in all directions from this pass, including a view all the way down to Tijeras Canyon to the southeast. There were faint "user trails" heading to the north and to the south from the pass, going up to the prominent neighboring peaks on either side. Today, the wind was blowing about 40 miles per hour, with temperatures in the 40's, so I didn't stay long at the pass.
The path down the southern leg of Mano Route was very easy to follow. It went west across the broad plateau below the pass, then generally kept to the ridgeline coming down the mountain. Mano Route ended at a set of quadruple power line poles on top of a ridge (wp MNOSTH). When I reached this spot, I could see U-Mound to the southwest.
If you have left a car at the parking lot off of Copper, you can head south from this point on crisscrossing trails that head generally south and east of the U-Mound. Once you've passed U-Mound, head around to the west, to the parking area.
Since my car was back at the Indian School lot, I headed north from Mano Route, back toward the Embudo trailhead. Coming down from the ridge, I reached a large sign (wp 365W5) by the path pointing one direction for Copper Trailhead and the other direction for Embudo Trailhead. It turned out that the trail I had begun hiking was Trail #365, part of the foothills system of trails. I continued hiking north on this trail.
The hike along this area was very pretty. The trail generally paralleled the power lines that run north-south, but kept to the west and a few hundred feet below them most of the way. After about a mile and a half, Trail 365 took a swing to the east, toward the power lines. This was just north of the set of power line poles at the northern Mano Route trailhead (wp MNONTH). Continuing this direction would lead me around the east end of the large holding pond that I passed earlier in the day.
However, at this point (wp 365AW1) there was another sign pointing to Trail 365A that continued going north. I took Trail 365A, which soon wrapped around the west side of some foothills and dropped me down to the Indian School parking area (wp INSCPK). Taking Trail 365A cut-off about half the final distance of the hike, and was a nice surprise. Trail 365A was not marked by a sign at the northern end (by the parking lot). To find it from the north end, head south up the hill immediately when you step from the Embudo parking area onto the start of Embudo Trail.
Although it turned out to be a cold day, it was a great outing in the foothills, and I enjoyed this hike very much.
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| 365AW1 | N 35° 5.652' | W 106° 28.493' | Trail 365A waypoint 1 |
| 365PWR | N 35° 5.849' | W 106° 28.339' | Trail 365 crosses power lines |
| 365W5 | N 35° 5.137' | W 106° 28.536' | Trail 365 waypoint 5 |
| INSCPK | N 35° 5.943' | W 106° 28.800' | Parking lot at end of Indian School |
| MNONTH | N 35° 5.525' | W 106° 28.344' | Mano northern trailhead |
| MNOSDL | N 35° 4.803' | W 106° 27.756' | Mano Trail saddlepoint |
| MNOSTH | N 35° 5.019' | W 106° 28.593' | Mano southern trailhead |
| MNOWP1 | N 35° 5.486' | W 106° 28.220' | Mano Trail waypoint 1 |
| MNOWP2 | N 35° 5.431' | W 106° 28.157' | Mano Trail waypoint 2 |
| MNOWP3 | N 35° 5.345' | W 106° 28.020' | Mano Trail waypoint 3 |
| MNOWP4 | N 35° 5.223' | W 106° 27.995' | Mano Trail waypoint 4 |
| MNOWP5 | N 35° 5.145' | W 106° 27.961' | Mano Trail waypoint 5 |
| MNOWP6 | N 35° 5.016' | W 106° 27.988' | Mano Trail waypoint 6 |
| MNOWP7 | N 35° 4.930' | W 106° 27.978' | Mano Trail waypoint 7 |
| MNOWP8 | N 35° 4.890' | W 106° 27.984' | Mano Trail waypoint 8 |
There was a very nice, short nature trail leading from the Balsam Glade Picnic Area to an overlook above La Madera Canyon (wp BALTH). There were numerous benches alongside the path. The nature trail was very pretty, and would be a good place to take an out-of-town visitor who might not be able to manage a more demanding mountain hike.
The trail was about one third of a mile in length, with hardly any elevation gain. There were many informative signs along the route discussing the wildlife and ecosystem of the area. Along the way, I passed the ruins of an old YMCA camp that dates back to the 1930's. An overlook at the end of the trail (wp BALOBS) gave nice views across the deep La Madera Canyon to the south, and of the eastern slopes of the Sandia Mountains.
Today was my first hike on Embudo Cave Route. This trail was hard to find and even harder to follow. Nonetheless, here is what to do to find the trailhead. From the Balsam Glade parking lot, head back down the Crest Highway 1.2 miles. The trailhead for Embudo Cave Route (wp ECAVE1) is at the "inside corner" as the highway makes a rather sharp turn to the left (as you are going downhill). You can park your car at the side of the road here, or alternatively continue 0.2 miles more to the Dry Camp Picnic Area parking lot to leave your car, and walk back to the trailhead. If you were looking for the Embudo Cave trailhead when driving from the bottom of the Crest Highway, it is 6.2 miles from NM 14, just 0.6 miles past the Tree Spring Trail and 0.2 past the Dry Camp Picnic Area, at the sharp turn in the highway.
The trailhead was not marked by any sign. There was also no real discernable trailhead leading up from the road. Looking west from the highway, you should be able to spot a narrow streambed and tight little canyon to your left (south) heading up the mountain. You might want to walk up that canyon along the streambed for a hundred yards or so, just to assure yourself that you have this first landmark spotted correctly.
Embudo Cave Route goes up the slope (ridge) that is just to the north (right) of the streambed described in the previous paragraph. There were some clearings through the trees up this slope, but there was nothing remotely like a well-worn trail near the bottom. I headed straight up this slope until I was at least 100 feet above the roadway in elevation. Then, I looked toward the right (north) for signs of a trail. It took several minutes of hacking around through the brush on other "user trails" until I found the best one, which was Embudo Cave Route. (The trick was to climb up the ridge far enough to where Embudo Cave Route was more evident.) The tree coverage was very dense, but I managed to take a couple of GPS readings through this area (wp ECAVE2, ECAVE3).
Once on the correct trail, I headed on a steep northwesterly route. The trail roughly paralleled the Crest Highway going north, but a few hundred feet above it. Embudo Cave Route mounted the top of the rise, and continued in roughly the same direction until it crossed the southern-most ski run in the Sandia Peak Ski Area. (At the top of the rise, the trail was virtually impossible to make out, but I knew from the map that if I continued northwest, I would exit onto a ski run.)
Embudo Cave is north of this ski run. I had seen its position on a 1961 version of the Forest Service map, and had tried (unsuccessfully) to find the cave on previous trips. This time, I knew the GPS coordinates (wp ECAVE) and was able to find my way.
The UNM Physics Department is the last known "proprietor" of the cave, having used it to conduct experiments measuring cosmic rays. The entrance to the cave is blocked with a thick metal door to keep the public out.
Originally, Embudo Cave Route continued up the mountain to the top. However, any signs of that trail have long been obscured by the Ski Area and bike paths.
After checking out the area of the cave I headed back to my car. Rather than making my way back down the steep, slick Embudo Cave Route, I decided to take the longer route through the Ski Area. The ski runs were crisscrossed with mountain biking trails along here. I walked down the mountain, sometimes taking the bike paths, and at other points just walking down the ski run itself. I hiked down to the ski lodge, had a soft drink, then walked along the Crest Highway to return to my car.
I had always wondered how to find Embudo Cave Route and the cave itself, having seen them mentioned in old newspaper articles and hiking books. I am glad that I finally did the hike. However, the trail was very rough (to non-existent in places). I hardly recommend it, unless you are in the mood for some exploring, bushwhacking, and scrambling through the woods.
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| BALOBS | N 35° 12.776' | W 106° 24.357' | Balsam Glade observation deck |
| BALTH | N 35° 12.825' | W 106° 24.489' | Balsam Glade trailhead |
| ECAVE | N 35° 12.250' | W 106° 24.873' | Embudo Cave |
| ECAVE1 | N 35° 12.068' | W 106° 24.587' | Embudo Cave trailhead |
| ECAVE2 | N 35° 12.072' | W 106° 24.656' | Embudo Cave waypoint 2 |
| ECAVE3 | N 35° 12.198' | W 106° 24.736' | Embudo Cave waypoint 3 |
I hiked the northern portion of this trail in March, covering the section from the Elena Gallegos Picnic Area, roughly between the base of the Tram and Montgomery Blvd. I hiked the southern end just a couple of weeks ago on the hike up Mano Route. This week I covered the short section between those two segments.
I walked due east from the parking lot, across the picnic area, following a trail to the base of the mountain. I intersected a trail running north-south (wp 365W1) which, according to the Open Space map, was Trail 365, and I began following it toward the north. The trail was easy to follow and quite flat.
North of the picnic area, the trail began to parallel a street named Camino de la Sierra (wp 365W2), staying just to its east, behind the fenced boundary to the Open Space. I soon passed the Piedra Lisa Canyon Open Space parking area (wp PLCYPK). (Note that Piedra Lisa Canyon is many miles south of Piedra Lisa Trail, which I hiked much earlier in the year. To reach the Piedra Lisa Canyon trailhead, go east on Candelaria Blvd. until it deadends, and turn south on Camino de la Sierra for 0.2 miles to the marked parking area.) The canyon directly to the east is notable for a large gray rock formation, that looks like a natural dam. Many "user trails" make their way up to these rocks and beyond. Although there is not an "official" trail maintained by the Forest Service, this area provides a nice, short hike up the canyon that I will take next week.
Further north, Trail 365 continued just behind the houses on the east side of Camino de la Sierra, but within the Open Space Boundary. Along the way, I passed by Candelaria Boulevard (wp 365W3). The trail ended in an open area just north of Comanche Boulevard (wp 365W4). Unfortunately, there is not an Open Space Trail to continue all the way north to the Embudito Trailhead. If there were, it would connect a very nice foothills route running from the Tram all the way to I-40. As it is, mountain bikers or walkers must take surface streets between Embudito Trailhead and Comanche Blvd., where Trail 365 begins again.
I turned around from here, and made my way back to the car just minutes before a soaking rainstorm. This turned out to be one of those rare occasions that the TV weather forecasters hit it right on the money!
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| 365W1 | N 35° 6.302' | W 106° 29.188' | Trail 365 waypoint 1 |
| 365W2 | N 35° 6.567' | W 106° 29.326' | Trail 365 waypoint 2 |
| 365W3 | N 35° 6.923' | W 106° 29.345' | Trail 365 waypoint 3 |
| 365W4 | N 35° 7.403' | W 106° 29.349' | Trail 365 waypoint 4 |
| MENLPK | N 35° 6.301' | W 106° 29.300' | Menaul parking |
| PLCYPK | N 35° 6.739' | W 106° 29.286' | Piedra Lisa Canyon parking |
Apart from the lower portion of this hike, there are not any well-defined trails in the upper part of Piedra Lisa Canyon. It is relatively easy to walk around and make your own way, which I did. However, because this area is not developed or maintained, be very aware of safety precautions. If you are at all wary of your surroundings, or not sure of where you are, just turn around and go back at any time. I simply suggest this hike as a convenient one for getting a little exercise during the cold months. Because of its exposure, a hike up the western foothills is unbearably hot most of the rest of the year.
I didn't get started on this hike until about two in the afternoon on a cold, breezy November day. From the parking lot (wp PLCYPK), I hiked east toward the large gray rock formation in the canyon straight ahead. There was a trail of sorts along the south side of the canyon. I scrambled up the south path, and ended up walking across the gray rocks at the top. These rocks basically form a dam at the top of this part of canyon (wp PLCWP1).
A very indistinct trail lead up the north side of the canyon from the gray rocks. It soon petered-out, but I made my way up and to the right (north-east) toward the high ridge forming the northern boundary of the canyon (wp PLCWP2). Along the ridge, well-defined trails appeared on and off. Once I hiked north to the ridge, I headed east, up the ridgeline, and soon crossed a fallen barbed wire fence marking the boundary to the Wilderness Area (wp PLCWP3).
I hiked east along a trail for about 5 minutes more, then stopped to survey my options. To the south, at about the same elevation, was a small plateau or saddle point along a narrow ridge. I worked my way across a small canyon to that ridge (wp PLCWP4).
From this point, I could again see the streambed running through Piedra Lisa Canyon. (I had been far enough north to have lost sight of the stream for a while.) From my current location, I followed a contour (constant elevation) path south and east around the curve in the mountain, and back further into the upper portion of Piedra Lisa Canyon. At the far end of the canyon I saw a deer, the first one that I had ever seen so low on the mountain.
I hiked the route back to the eastern end of this canyon. I considered walking around the end of the canyon and up to the ridge farther to the south. Whitewash Route lies at the top of that ridge. However, there was a fair bit of snow in the shadows on the north-facing slope, and I decided not to hike that direction.
I dropped down to the streambed (wp PLCWP5), and then followed it west to the mouth of the canyon, at the large gray rocks (wp PLCWP1). There was some scrambling to do along the way, but it was not too hard. There was, however, some ice in parts of the stream that made the footing treacherous in places.
From the top of the natural dam, I took the rough path down the south side of the stream, and made my way back to the parking lot (wp PLCYPK).
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| PLCWP1 | N 35° 6.678' | W 106° 29.025' | Piedra Lisa Canyon waypoint 1 |
| PLCWP2 | N 35° 6.928' | W 106° 28.833' | Piedra Lisa Canyon waypoint 2 |
| PLCWP3 | N 35° 6.938' | W 106° 28.788' | Piedra Lisa Canyon waypoint 3 |
| PLCWP4 | N 35° 6.873' | W 106° 28.710' | Piedra Lisa Canyon waypoint 4 |
| PLCWP5 | N 35° 6.824' | W 106° 28.457' | Piedra Lisa Canyon waypoint 5 |
| PLCYPK | N 35° 6.739' | W 106° 29.286' | Piedra Lisa Canyon parking |
I had hiked quite a few of the Open Space trails in March. However, there were several that I didn't get to. Today I spent a couple of hours with map in hand, crisscrossing the area, hiking over different segments that I had not walked before. The following narrative is not very interesting, but is more or less a list of the trail segments that I took in order. Of course any combination or subset of these trails would make an equally enjoyable hike through these grassy plains. However, if you mark-off each of the trails as covered in the earlier narrative and the one below, you will see that basically all of the trails in the area are covered.
I hiked southeast on Tr. 305A from the first (south) parking lot (wp EGPK), to the juncture with Tr. 342 (wp 342STH). I turned right to continue south on 305A, and hiked to its intersection with Tr. 305 (wp 305END). I then retraced my steps on 305A to the intersection with Tr. 342 (wp 342STH).
I took Tr. 342 north until I reached the intersection with Tr. 341 (wp 341342). At this juncture, I continued north a quarter of a mile to the intersection with Tr. 141 (wp 141140). (I reached this point again at the end of the hike.) I then turned around and went south on 342 to Tr. 341 (wp 341342).
I took Tr. 341 northeast to the intersection with Tr. 140, and the entrance to the Sandia Mountain Wilderness area (wp PNOWP1). I rested on a wooden bench there, before continuing north on Tr. 341. This trail looped toward the northwest, and eventually intersected with Tr. 230 (wp 230341).
I took Tr. 230 south for just a couple of hundred yards to the intersection with Tr. 230A (wp 230342). I turned right (west) on 230A, and followed it for about a half mile, until it intersected with Tr. 365 (wp 230AW1). I then retraced my steps on Tr. 230A, to Tr. 230 (wp 230342). South of this point, Tr. 230 becomes Tr. 342.
I took Tr. 342 to the intersection with Tr. 140 (wp 140342), and then walked east on Tr. 140 to the junction with Tr. 140a (wp 140AW1). I turned around and walked back on Tr. 140 to the intersection with Tr. 342 (wp 140342). I then went south on Tr. 342 to the intersection with Tr. 141 (wp 141140). I continued west on Tr. 141, and returned to the parking area (wp EGPK).
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| 140342 | N 35° 9.850' | W 106° 27.951' | Trail 140 - Trail 342 junction |
| 140AW1 | N 35° 9.857' | W 106° 27.826' | Trail 140 - Trail 140A junction |
| 141140 | N 35° 9.832' | W 106° 27.886' | Trail 141 - Trail 140A junction |
| 230341 | N 35° 10.193' | W 106° 28.022' | Trail 230 - Trail 341 junction |
| 230342 | N 35° 10.067' | W 106° 28.085' | Trail 230 - Trail 342 junction |
| 230AW1 | N 35° 9.951' | W 106° 28.571' | West end of Trail 230A |
| 305END | N 35° 9.217' | W 106° 28.172' | Northern end of Trail 305 |
| 341342 | N 35° 9.695' | W 106° 27.809' | Trail 341 - Trail 342 junction |
| 342STH | N 35° 9.430' | W 106° 27.909' | Southern end of Trail 342 |
| EGPK | N 35° 9.704' | W 106° 28.191' | Ellena Gallegos parking lot |
| PNOWP1 | N 35° 9.907' | W 106° 27.415' | Pino Trail crosses Forest Service boundary |
Rozamiento Trail (# 208) is an alternate route for access Tramway Trail (rather than starting from the Tram parking lot). The trail is also known as Jaral Cabin Trail, and is listed so on the Forest Service map. For good measure, the trail is also called Spring Creek Trail, the name listed on a sign at the intersection with Tramway Trail.
From the parking area, the trail headed east, up the broad arroyo through thick chamisa growth. It was pretty well traveled and easy to follow its short (0.6 mile) length. After about a 10 minute walk up the arroyo, the trail lifted out of the streambed (wp ROZW1), and veered toward the north. Only a short distance later, the ruins of Jaral Cabin (wp JARCAB) came into view. Only the stone foundation of this old cabin remains.
Rozamiento Trail ended about a hundred yards further east, where it intersected with Tramway Trail (wp ROZTRM). There was a sign pointing to the north for Tramway Trail, and back down to the left (west) for Spring Creek Trail (one of the other names for Rozamiento Trail). I returned to my car (wp ROZPK) walking down the route that I had just come up.
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| JARCAB | N 35° 12.025' | W 106° 28.995' | Jaral Cabin |
| ROZPK | N 35° 11.829' | W 106° 29.420' | Rozamiento parking |
| ROZTRM | N 35° 11.998' | W 106° 28.946' | Rozamiento - Tramway Trail junction |
| ROZW1 | N 35° 11.990' | W 106° 29.074' | Rozamiento waypoint 1 |
I have been blessed by the rugged beauty and serenity of the mountains on these outings, having hiked 3 out 4 weekends throughout the past year.
I encourage you to get out and enjoy the trails, and maybe I'll see you there.
Vaya con dios!
Mike