Reddit reviews 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Albuquerque: Including Santa Fe, Mount Taylor, and San Lorenzo Canyon

Because this is rising and will be seen a bit, I’ll add more info so you can see this with your own eyes. It is much more beautiful in real life (this is a crappy cell phone image). It’s really sad how few people use this trail.

Parking for the trail is here: Elena Gallegos Open Space
7100 Tramway Boulevard Northeast, Albuquerque, NM 87122 https://goo.gl/maps/mibey2hPHG2Mfxep8 . It is open until 9PM and they charge $2 to park (or $30 for a year if you use it a lot, like I do). It is almost never crowded, even on weekends and most of the few cars in the lots are bicyclists using nearby trails. There is no cycling or bicycles on the Pino Trail itself outside of the EG recreation area, which is nice.

This is a great trail for beginners to use to grow stronger. Just bring plenty of water and take breaks when needed. I’m 70 lb overweight and was able to reach the crest after walking the trail a couple times per week for a couple months to build my strength and endurance. It takes me about 1.5 hours to reach the spot where the photo was taken, but a thin young fit person could likely reach it in an hour. If I were to walk to the photo location and back down, I would carry at least 1/2 gallon of water, but if you’re more fit and faster you can likely carry less. I’ve seen very-fit trail runners this far and even higher not carry any water, but that is nuts.

The views in every direction are spectacular on every inch of the trail, beginning the moment you step out of the car. The city, the mountains, the foothills, all of it is breathtaking and it changes constantly as you climb higher on the trail. Even the trees and flowers and other vegetation change frequently.

From the car, you walk about 0.75mi in desert area and there are quite a few cyclists depending on the trail you park near, but everyone is polite and shares the space well. After you reach the east edge of the EG area 0.75mi from the car, cycling is forbidden. All the trails in the EG parking area lead to the Pino Trail Cibola national forest area if you just keep going east (toward the mountain). There are lots of signs. In this area, and for the next 0.75 mi into the national forest area you are pretty exposed to the sun (few opportunities for shade). Don’t forget sunscreen and insect repellant and wear a hat. After you are about 1.5 miles from the car there are many more trees, you will be in shade about half the time for the next couple miles. This hike isn’t too bad even when it is very hot as long as you bring plenty of water and rest when you feel tired. When I started, I had to rest every 0.2 miles or so, but it doesn’t take long to get strong if you go often. I can go at a slow walking pace for a couple miles after some practice. No matter how far you go, the views never disappoint, and the next time you return you are a little bit stronger and go a little farther. Before long, you find yourself staring through oak bushes onto the plains east of the Sandias (the top of the trail at the crest is just under five miles from the parking area).

I’m pretty new in town and I have been learning about local outdoor hikes from this book: “60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Albuquerque.” I know there are many more than 60 great hikes just in the city limits, but this book does a great job rating trails for difficulty and contains plenty of detail and maps and the author is obviously in love with hiking in the city. His enthusiasm is contagious. I keep a copy of that book on my phone ($10 for Kindle edition). I tried using a few apps to find trail info, but the reviews and ratings in this real book are better. I like the gps maps in the apps, but I like the “60 Hikes” book better as a guide.