60 Short Hikes in the Sandia Foothills

60 SHORT HIKES IN THE SANDIA FOOTHILLS

60

SHORT

HIKES

IN

THE

SANDIA

FOOTHILLS

Tamara Massong

UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO PRESS, ALBUQUERQUE

© 2018

BY THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO PRESS

All rights reserved. Published 2018

Printed in Korea

COVER DESIGNED BY LILA SANCHEZ

TEXT DESIGNED BY TERESA W. WINGFIELD

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

Names: Massong, Tamara, 1969– author.

Title: 60 Short Hikes in the Sandia Foothills / Tamara Massong.

Other titles: Sixty Short Hikes in the Sandia Foothills

Description: Albuquerque : University of New Mexico Press, 2018. | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.

Identifiers: LCCN 2017005530 (print) | LCCN 2017011576 (ebook) | ISBN 9780826358868 (E-book) | ISBN 9780826358851 (pbk. : alk. paper)

Subjects: LCSH: Hiking—New Mexico—Sandia Mountains—Guidebooks. | Trails—New Mexico—Sandia Mountains—Guidebooks. | Sandia Mountains (N.M.)—Guidebooks.

Classification: LCC GV199.42.N62 (ebook) | LCC GV199.42.N62 S265 2017 (print) | DDC 796.5109789—dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017005530

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

INTRODUCTION

   PART ONE. NORTHERN TRAILS

1.  Upper La Cueva Overlook via La Luz Trail

2.  La Luz Switchback Overlook from Tram Trail

3.  La Luz–Piedra Lisa Trail

4.  Juan Tabo Picnic Area

5.  Hidden Falls Canyon Route

6.  El Rincon via Piedra Lisa Trail

7.  Waterfall Canyon via Piedra Lisa Trail

8.  Old 333 Road Trail

9.  Jaral Watershed Loop

10.  Juan Tabo Cabin (Ruins) and Adjacent Arroyo Trail

11.  Juan Tabo Canyon via Sandy Arroyo/Old 333 Road Trails

12.  La Cueva Picnic Area and Valley Hike

13.  Ruins Loop from La Cueva Picnic Area

14.  La Cueva Canyon Route

15.  Spring Creek Trail (a.k.a. Jaral Cabin Trail)

16.  Lower Spring Creek Route and Loop

17.  Tram Trail (a.k.a. Tramway Trail)

   PART TWO. CENTRAL TRAILS

18.  Trail 365–Sandia Peak Tram to Embudito Trailhead

19.  Water Tank Canyon Route–Local Trails at Sandia Peak Tram

20.  Northern Elena Gallegos Boundary Loop from Sandia Peak Tram

21.  Cañon Domingo Baca Trail

22.  Pino Trail to the Dead Trees

23.  Domingo Baca Outwash Fan–North EGPA Loop

24.  Grassy Hills Loop

25.  Pino Arroyo Loop

26.  Bear Arroyo Loop from Elena Gallegos Picnic Area

27.  Elena Gallegos Outer Trail Loop

28.  Elena Gallegos Inner Trail Loop

29.  North Levee/Trail 305 Loop

30.  Mountain Base Loop from Michial Emery Trailhead

31.  Academy Camp Loop

32.  Bear Canyon Overlook

33.  Middle Bear Arroyo Loops from Michial Emery Trailhead

34.  Lower Bear Arroyo Loops from John B. Robert Dam

35.  Trail 365–Levee Loop from Embudito Trailhead

36.  Mountain Base–Academy Camp Loop from Embudito Trailhead

37.  Embudito Canyon Overlook Loop

38.  Embudito Canyon Route/Loop

39.  Embudito North Ridge Trail Loop

40.  Embudito South Ridge Trail to Boulder Cave

   PART THREE. SOUTH CENTRAL TRAILS

41.  Trail 365–Comanche Road to I-40

42.  Trail 401–Piedra Lisa Canyon to Hilldale Mound

43.  Sunset Canyon Route

44.  Candelaria Bench Loop

45.  Piedra Lisa Falls and Bench Loop

46.  Piedra Lisa Ridge Overlook Loop

47.  Piedra Lisa–Sunset Canyon Loop

48.  Narrow Falls

49.  Embudo Dam Loop

50.  Hanging Rock Canyon Loop

51.  Embudo Trail Loop to Upper Watershed/Headwall

52.  Embudo Mound Loop

53.  Embudo–U-Mound Overlook Loop

54.  U-Mound Perimeter Loop

55.  Old Man Canyon Loop

56.  Two Mound Loop

57.  Hilldale Mound Loop

58.  Four Mound Loop

59.  Tijeras Canyon–Four Hills Overlook Loop

60.  South Mound/I-40 Loop

APPENDIX A. Directions to Parking Areas

APPENDIX B. Timeline of Post–Pueblo Revolt Land Ownership and Management of the Sandia Foothills

APPENDIX C. Digital Data: How Do I Use It with My Smartphone?

INDEX

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A big thank-you to all my hiking friends who explored trails, gave advice, shared information, tested data, helped with contacts, and were willing to just talk with me about my ideas: Susan, Julie, Sarah, Will, Arianne, Sandra, Kerry, Champ, Erik. Special thanks to the Press and their reviewers, John, Sonia, Matt, and Bob, whose suggestions improved the content of this work. I am particularly grateful to my family, Neill, Emily, Conor, Mom, and Cookie, for being my partners on many hikes that didn’t make the book, for putting up with my repetitive need to verify trails and maps, for the numerous photographs, and, of course, for all the support to make this possible.

INTRODUCTION

An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.

—HENRY DAVID THOREAU

ONE OF THE MAJOR ATTRACTIONS OF life in Albuquerque is the variety of public lands within the city, which yield access to the Rio Grande, petroglyphs, volcanoes, and the Sandia Mountains. With our busy lifestyles we have precious little time to do the homework about these places. When we are able to free up a couple of hours on a sunny afternoon, we flock to places like the foothills and swarm the popular trails, joining a steady stream of hikers enjoying the splendid views and the joy of outdoor exercise. Rarely do these hikes result in a true visit with nature and all that this normally quiet world has to offer. With the Sandia Mountains right there at the edge of the city, blocking the early morning sun and beckoning for us to visit, it seems ridiculous that hikers congregate along a few trails. There are nooks and crannies everywhere. A hiker with a couple of free hours and a little desire can visit breathtaking falls, hidden springs and canyons, ruins, forests, and mountain benches frequented by deer or simply get off the beaten track on a quiet trail.

This guide is for everyone who not only likes the big, popular trails, but also would like to explore a few of those nooks and crannies. These short excursions through the foothills, into canyons, and onto the lower mountains create a perfect introduction for less-experienced hikers, for people who are new to high-desert hiking, and for hard-core hikers who haven’t yet taken the time to look around. Some routes, although short, are harder than others, creating a number of choices for every skill and endurance level. Introductory information about the geography, plant community, and wildlife you are likely to encounter is included to broaden your general awareness while enriching the hiking experience as you explore the variety of environments and ecosystems that exist throughout the western Sandia Mountains and its foothills.

Hiking safely should always be a priority. A variety of safety considerations are discussed, with specific information given for each hike, including details about nearby private lands. With neighborhoods bounding the foothills areas, being aware of public versus private property is a must for every hiker. In a couple of locations, private lands have actually been made available for public use. This wonderful sharing needs to be respected so that the owners keep those lands open to the public.

The short hikes described here are typically two to four miles in length and will usually take less than two hours. They range from easy to hard and explore the greater foothills area and the lower (western) Sandia Mountains. They encompass many different landscapes and ecosystems, including the large outwash plain of the foothills, tight canyons, outwash fans, waterfalls, springs, and the steep lower mountains and their grassy benches. Some routes make use of old roads or small trails leading to cabin ruins, while others are serious treks straight up the mountains. Some of the trails are exceptionally busy; others have more rabbits than people.

These routes are full of fantastic views and beautiful scenery. They are also teeming with wildlife of all kinds. Birds flock to these open areas. The abundant population of local, year-round inhabitants includes roadrunners and robins, along with a noticeable influx of migratory birds, such as the ever-curious and all-time favorite hummingbirds, which show up in the late spring and stay until early fall. The land animals most encountered are deer, coyotes, and rabbits, all of which will run and hide from hikers. But don’t be surprised to see a snake sunning itself, or to hear about the occasional black bear visit.

NATURAL HISTORY OF THE LAND

Geologic Background

The oldest rocks in the Sandia Mountains are the Precambrian Sandia granite and mica schist of the Rincon Ridge metamorphics, both more than 1.5 billion years old. The Sandia granite is the most abundant rock and is along nearly every trail in this guide. Its color and composition varies, but is generally characterized by large pink or white crystals surrounded by smaller crystals. Mica schist is found only in the far north of the Sandia Mountains, in the hills at the Jaral Watershed, and along the full length of Juan Tabo Canyon Watershed, including the Rincon Ridge on the Piedra Lisa Trail. This metamorphic rock has relatively thick bands of light-colored mica and quartz crystals intertwined with less-distinct darker layers.

About three hundred million years ago, during the Pennsylvanian geologic period—after the granite and schist basement rocks formed but long before the Sandia Mountains came to be—this area of New Mexico was a shallow sea. An abundance of shelled creatures lived and died in these warm ocean waters, creating a thick layer of calcium carbonate at its bottom. As the sea drained, the sediments hardened, becoming limestone, which is found in two forms today at the Sandia Crest: the dark-gray Sandia and the lighter-gray Madera. The Madera limestone is the more exposed of the two, extending from the top of the crest nearly to New Mexico State Route 14 in the East Mountains. Chunks of limestone are scattered throughout the western mountains, especially in drainages and their valleys within the foothills.

The Sandia Mountains began forming ten to fifteen million years ago, as the Rio Grande Rift–Albuquerque Basin pulled apart this section of the continent. As the land stretched, deep north–south trending faults split the terrain, creating a large valley (also known as a graben). On the edges of the rift/fault zone, the Sandia Mountains rose up as the valley continued to sink. The stretching of the land occurred slowly, with many faulting episodes. Eventually the top limestone layers, along with the Sandia granite, began to tilt toward the east and form the steep and rugged western face of the mountains. The Sandia Crest has continued moving to the east as fault blocks slide down the edge of the mountains to fill in the bottom of the rift. Many of these blocks lie deep in the valley depression and are covered with river sediment and rock debris from the mountains. Others, not yet buried, form the lower mountains. Many of these blocks have relatively flat tops, creating a series of benches near the outwash plain.

Erosion, meanwhile, has been slowly and continually chipping away at the uplifted bedrock, chemically altering it and gradually crushing it into small pieces that break free and are transported downhill. Over the same millions of years of mountain formation, enough sand, gravel, and boulders have been carried downstream through the canyons and deposited at the base of the mountains to completely cover the lower fault blocks and form a broad outwash plain, also known as the foothills. From a distance, this plain is obviously tilted but looks smooth. Closer inspection reveals a series of valleys running from the top of the plain near the mountains to its bottom at the Rio Grande. These features, known locally as arroyos (a Spanish word for ephemeral channels) continuously change the surface of the outwash plain as they move sand and rocks downhill in flash floods; in a single season, a pulse of sediment can fill in an entire arroyo valley, causing the channel to jump (avulse) to a new location. This dynamic system, with continued uplift of the mountains along with ongoing erosion of the rock, has created a varied landscape that remains active today.

Life Zones

In 1889 naturalist C. Hart Merriam described all terrains in North America as belonging to one of seven elevation-driven life zones, each with its own characteristic plant and animal life. Although somewhat outdated in its field, this simple classification is still a good and easy-to-use system for describing the plant communities in the Sandia Mountains, where four of the seven life zones are present: the Upper Sonoran, Transition, Canadian, and Hudsonian. Most of the routes described in this guide start and are fully contained in the Upper Sonoran life zone, although a few climb higher up, reaching the Transition zone. However, Merriam’s simplistic model isn’t perfect, as specific site conditions overrule these general trends. Finding and recognizing these unusual and unexpected communities can be a lot of fun, and long-time avid hikers in this area usually have their favorites.

In the Sandia Mountains, gaining altitude results in drastic changes not only in the plant community but also to hiking conditions. The highest elevations have a solid winter period, accompanied by snowpack, ice, and a colder year-round climate. Hiking in higher elevations is beyond the scope of this book; thus, hikes through the Canadian and Hudsonian life zones are not covered here.

The Upper Sonoran Zone, the most common life zone in this guide’s hikes, extends up to about 7,200 ft. (∽2,200 m) above sea level. This zone is officially characterized by juniper, piñon, and oak trees, chamisa, Apache plume, yuccas, cacti, bear grass, many species of native grasses including the popular grama grasses, and a variety of other forbs and flowering plants. Observant hikers will note that within this life zone, the vegetation can be notably different depending on elevation as well as specific geography: the steepness of the hillside, ridgeline, or valley bottom and, of course, slope aspect. In this high desert, many north-facing slopes are full of significantly thicker patches of juniper, piñon, Apache plume, and bear grass, while the small, almost indistinct ridgelines along the main foothills area are dominated by grama and other grasses. There are many differences between the lower and higher elevations within the Upper Sonoran life zone: for example, at the Elena Gallegos Picnic Area, the piñon-juniper forest is relatively thick and expansive, but this gradually thins to the south as the foothills’ elevation decreases, such that there are almost no trees present at U-Mound.

The Transition life zone, characterized by ponderosa pine forests, extends from about 7,200 to 7,800 ft. (2,200 to 2,400 m). Some plant species common in the Upper Sonoran life zone also thrive here, among them piñon, oak, banana yucca, and a variety of cacti. Oaks actually change character between the Upper Sonoran and Transition zones: a deciduous variety thrives in the former, but changes to an evergreen variety in the higher elevations and colder winters of the Transition zone.

NATIVE AMERICAN CONNECTION TO THE SANDIA MOUNTAINS

Local Native American pueblos and tribes have lived in this area, hunted game, harvested trees and other vegetation, and simply gathered resources from the Sandia Mountains for thousands of years. The resources are used for everyday life as well as for culturally important activities, such as ceremonies and dances. The trees, the animals, and simply the mountains are sacred in many tribal cultures, a reverence that transcends time.

With such a long history in the area, ruins of Native American camps and villages, along with artifacts such as potsherds or corn-grinding stones (metates and manos) can be found throughout the mountains. It is unlawful to dig in, pillage, damage, or take artifacts from these sites. If you are lucky enough to stumble upon an old camp, please be respectful, as these places are and always will be sacred to our Native American friends.

HISTORY OF LANDOWNERSHIP IN THE FOOTHILLS

With the return of Spanish settlers after the Pueblo Revolt of the late 1600s, the government of Spain divided the majority of the foothills into two sections: the Villa de Alburquerque land grant in the south and what later became known as the Elena Gallegos Land Grant in the north. The Villa de Alburquerque slowly transformed into what we know today as the City of Albuquerque. The Elena Gallegos property extended from near the Rio in today’s northern section of Albuquerque to the crest of the Sandia Mountains. These two large land grants contained most of the foothills, and both used the foothills and lower mountains as open space for things such as timber harvest and cattle grazing. In both cases, descendants of the grantees subdivided the lands and eventually sold them to outsiders.

Meanwhile, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the US government became concerned about overuse of public land resources, in particular the hunting of game species and tree harvest. In a national effort, it began setting aside public land and limiting the resource use on those lands. This led to the formation of National Forests, which were and are managed by the federal government. In 1906, the United States Forest Service (USFS) formed the Manzano National Reserve, which included a collection of unowned foothills and mountain properties in the Manzano and Sandia Mountains.

In the 1930s, the Manzano National Reserve was joined with several other nearby federal lands as the Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands, and the Sandia Ranger District was created to manage the Sandia Mountains. In 1978, 30,981 acres of Sandia Ranger District land was designated as wilderness and strict land-use restrictions were implemented for land managers and recreationists alike. The major constraints included no bicycle or motorized vehicle use within the Wilderness Area.

Although the USFS public lands in the Sandia Mountains were quite extensive, for a long time they didn’t include the northern foothills or northwestern mountain areas. These lands are part of the former Elena Gallegos Land Grant and took a different path to public ownership, as the grant heirs kept the lands in the family until the 1930s. After returning from Washington, DC, where he had been a Congressional representative for New Mexico, Albert G. Simms and his wife, Ruth Hanna McCormick Simms, began purchasing parcels of the former Elena Gallegos Land Grant. On his death in 1964, Mr. Simms bequeathed a large portion of these properties to the Albuquerque Academy, a day school for students of middle- and high-school age.

In the late 1970s, the Academy decided to sell a portion of the bequeathed lands, which eventually led to a complicated land purchase and exchange among the school, the City of Albuquerque, and the USFS in 1982. This brought approximately eight thousand acres of the northwestern Sandia Mountains into public land status. Some of it became USFS land; another portion became part of the city’s Open Space Division and is maintained by Albuquerque as a public park and recreation area.

Appendix B of this volume gives a detailed timeline of post–Pueblo Revolt landownership and management of the foothills.

CURRENT LAND MANAGEMENT AGENCIES

United States Forest Service

The USFS, an agency of the US Department of Agriculture, describes itself as a multi-faceted agency that manages and protects 154 national forests and 20 grasslands in 44 states and Puerto Rico and states that its mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. Among the properties it oversees is the Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands, which covers more than 1.6 million acres in New Mexico and extends into Texas and Oklahoma. The terrain there rises from 2,700 to 11,300 feet above sea level. The Cibola National Forest includes four wilderness areas, among them the one that is the focus of this guide: the 37,200 acres that was designated as the Sandia Mountain Wilderness Area in 1978.

USFS Sandia Ranger District

Contact Information:

Address: 11776 Highway 337, Tijeras, NM 87059

Phone: (505) 281-3304

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/cibola/home

City of Albuquerque Open Space Division

In 1988 the City of Albuquerque revised its comprehensive plan to identify and designate more than twenty-nine thousand plots of land in and around the metropolis as major public Open Space. Its Open Space Division works to acquire and protect these lands’ natural character in order to, in their words,

•  Conserve natural and archaeological resources

•  Provide opportunities for outdoor education

•  Provide a place for low impact recreation

•  Define the edges of the urban environment.

Contact Information:

Address: Open Space Division, Parks and Recreation, P.O Box 1293, Albuquerque, NM 87103

Phone: (505) 452-5200 or 311 (Citizen Contact Center)

Website: https://www.cabq.gov/parksandrecreation/open-space/open-space

PRIVATE LANDS

The private landowners who live along the edges of these public areas will ultimately evaluate the success of recreation in the foothills. And, appropriately, they will grade the users on their behavior on and respect for private property as well as public land. Stay off posted private land (that is, with No Trespassing or similar signs along its perimeter). Also be certain that when you park your vehicle, you do not block owners’ access to their properties. When walking along the edge of private lands with houses, keep your voices down and don’t peer into windows or backyards; these people have a right to privacy. If you desire to cross private property, ask the landowner for permission before you do so. Many residents are concerned about loose dogs and messes on their property, so please keep your pets on leash near private lands and clean up after them, whether this entails dislodged landscape rocks or poop.

SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS

Although this area doesn’t seem all that dangerous—after all, it is at the edge of the city—there are many safety concerns for hikers to consider and plan for. The most common injury stories seem to revolve around the vegetation, especially stepping on, brushing up against, or sitting on cacti. Many hikers are concerned about wildlife, but luckily most creatures are very wary of humans and tend to keep their distance. Being prepared for trail and obvious weather-related conditions is the easiest and most important plan for every hiker. Here are some tips for staying safe.

Picking a Good Hike Based on Your Skills and Preparedness

Although it is rare for hikers to get in trouble in the Sandia Mountains, it does happen, typically because a trail or route turns out to be too difficult for the hiker’s skill/athletic level, or the trail conditions are unexpected (e.g., deep snow). These types of problems can be avoided easily by being honest with yourself and learning in advance about the trails. If the trail is too hard, turn around before you have a problem. The hikes in this book have information about difficulty and skill level recommendations. Know your abilities and be honest with yourself, and you’ll stay safe.

Predicting trail conditions can be tough, as this status can change from season to season and year to year. In this guide, trail maintenance, trail size (large vs. small) and seasonal safety concerns are noted for each hike. Most of the small trails described are unmaintained pathways, while the large trails are well-maintained. Small-trail conditions range greatly, but generally small foothill trails are in better condition than those that climb up the mountain slopes. Mountain trails may fade out or become filled with loose rocks, requiring more navigation and athletic skills than their flat counterparts below.

Even with the best planning, unexpected conditions may exist on these trails. Two important examples of this are summer weather and lingering snowpack. Thunderstorms in the Sandia Mountains usually last for less than half an hour, but they can turn a nice afternoon hike into a dangerously slippery adventure. Although snow conditions may seem easy to research, many hikers have discovered that lingering deep snowpacks in the late spring (especially on the La Luz Trail) are crazy scary when the trail turns into a long, bumpy slab of ice. If in doubt about the current trail conditions, call the USFS Sandia Ranger District at (505) 281-3304 or search for information on their web page.

Altitude

Altitude sickness is unlikely on the routes in this book, which range in elevation from 5,000 to 8,000 feet. However, hikers will definitely notice how difficult exercise is at a mile-high elevation due to the thin and dry air. For Albuquerque residents who are acclimatized to the elevation, the high altitude should not be a concern. Visitors who live at lower elevations should not find altitude sickness a problem either, but if you are concerned, wait a few days before hiking in the foothills to partially acclimate to the altitude. Take it slow on the hike and bring along extra water to help keep your body hydrated.

Summer: Sun, Water, and Heat Exhaustion/Hyperthermia

Summer begins early in New Mexico, and often lasts longer than in the rest of the country: April to October. Every trail in this guide starts in the high-desert environment, and most hikes do not have abundant shade. Hikers should take extra precautions for the sun and the hot, dry, thin air. Simply stated, the high-desert sun is intense, and it can be daunting in the summer months as it endlessly shines down. Protecting your skin is paramount. Sunburns on your head, face, and shoulders can happen quite quickly. A light hat is advised, not only to keep the sun off your head but also to provide a little shade for your shoulders. Sunscreen is highly recommended even if you are wearing a hat, as the sun’s rays are continually reflected off the desert sand. In fact, the winter sun also causes sunburns, so sunscreen is recommended year-round. The higher the sun protection factor (SPF) number, the better, preferably 30 or higher. If you are sweating, reapply it often.

Drinking water is advisable on every hike, regardless of the route’s length. Carry at least one quart/liter of water per person for every hour of hiking expected. More may be needed in the summer, and keeping an extra supply in the car for after the hike is highly recommended.

Overexertion leading to heat exhaustion or, even worse, heat stroke is a primary concern in the hot summer months. The best way to avoid this issue is to hike in the early morning, when the temperatures are lower and the sun is less daunting. Dress in light clothing, wear a hat, and drink lots of water before, during, and after the hike. Even if you take these precautions, you can still suffer from heat exhaustion, which is caused by a lack in the body of either hydration or essential salts. The symptoms for heat exhaustion, as described by the Mayo Clinic, are cool, moist skin with goose bumps while in the heat, heavy sweating, faintness, dizziness, fatigue, weak and rapid pulse, lightheadedness, muscle cramps, confusion, nausea, and headache. The treatment is to stop all activity, rest in a cool spot out of the sun, and drink water or a sports drink. If untreated, heat exhaustion can lead to heat stroke, which has many of the same symptoms but also involves a rapid rise in body temperature (104°F or more). If heat exhaustion symptoms worsen or don’t improve within the hour, or you think you may have heat stroke, seek medical assistance immediately.

Thunderstorms and Lightning

It is hard to overemphasize the importance of being aware of the high-desert weather and how quickly it can change. As most Albuquerqueans know, when it rains, it usually pours. Thunderstorms are possible year-round but are most common in July and August when the monsoon season is in full swing. If you happen to find yourself hiking in one, you will likely get soaking wet and very cold. You also face a notable risk of being struck by lightning. After the storm has passed, you’ll have two other major concerns to face: slipping and falling on wet rocks or muddy trails, and being stranded in the foothills by flooded arroyo channels that block your exit route. However, the largest storms generally travel across New Mexico from southwest to northeast, so hikers in the foothills can easily see them coming. Additionally, the National Weather Service and all the local news stations track thunderstorms and send out weather alerts. Given the wide-open views of the western horizon and the copious amounts of real-time data available, hikers can easily avoid being caught out in bad weather.

STORM SAFETY

Thunder equals lightning. If you see lightning, you can estimate how close it is by counting the seconds between the flash and the thunder: every five seconds equals about one mile. Here is a summary of the current recommendations provided by the National Park Service for lightning within five miles of your position:

•  Lightning often strikes the tallest object in the area. Avoid seeking shelter under tall, isolated, or solitary trees. Avoid locations with water, metal, and power lines.

•  Find an open, low space on solid ground. If in the forest with no clearing, position yourself under the shortest trees you can find.

•  Leave ridgelines and other high points such as mounds or hills. If on a ridgeline trail, hike off the ridge and wait out the storm.

•  Remove metal objects and electrical devices from your body.

•  Space yourself at least fifteen feet from your hiking companions.

•  As a last resort, make yourself a small target by crouching on your toes, hands covering your ears, head between your knees. Crouch down on a sleeping pad, pack, or other nonmetal material to insulate yourself from ground currents. The ground conducts electricity, so touch the ground with as little of your body as possible.

•  Do not lie flat.

•  Stay alert and remain in a safe position until thirty minutes after the last thunder.

POST-STORM FLOOD SAFETY

Flood safety is a real concern when hiking in a canyon or when your route crosses any valley or arroyo. Canyons should be avoided during inclement weather as they are prone to dangerous flash floods during and after rainstorms. Most of the canyons in this guidebook have steep valley walls and can quickly become death traps. They also commonly contain smooth bedrock steps that become slippery when wet, creating an extremely dangerous situation for falling.

General arroyo safety applies to just about every hike in this book. Don’t cross an arroyo that contains floodwaters. As little as one foot of fast-flowing water can knock hikers off their feet and sweep them away. Pay particular attention to storms brewing over the mountains, and be smart and avoid hikes that cross arroyos or valleys if rain is on the way.

Winter Snow and Ice

The most common hiking mistake in the winter is being unprepared for snow and ice, which generally leads to an uncomfortable hike, an injury, or worse. Snow regularly blankets Albuquerque and the Sandia Mountains from late November to late March. Even though the foothills get more snow than the city, there is rarely enough there for cross-county skiing or snowshoe hiking. Although it generally melts quickly, large sections of bumpy, slippery ice often form on the foothill trails in the winter months. With only a little foot traffic, these patches form quickly, most commonly on north-facing hills and in deep valleys. The primary concern for hiking on snow and ice is slipping; even if you don’t fall, this can jar your back and cause an injury.

At a minimum, winter conditions require good hiking shoes with a grippy tread and extra clothing. It’s possible to avoid most of the snow and ice on the lower-elevation foothill trails by waiting for a few days after a snowstorm to go out, but still be mentally and physically prepared for icy sections. Regardless of your athletic level, refrain from any hike that climbs into the mountains unless you are prepared for winter mountain conditions and have some sort of shoe cleats (crampons) with you.

Mine Safety

Mining in the Sandia Mountains ended in the 1970s. Many mines were simply abandoned without any regard for safety, and none of them are marked with warning signs. Although several trails in this area pass right next to a mine shaft or test pit, hikers may not notice it, as trees or the tailings may obscure the actual hole. Unfortunately, many of these features are simply holes in the ground, with shafts that may drop straight down or lead into the hillside. The walls of the vertical shafts often fall in under their own weight and aren’t necessarily scalable. Shafts that enter the hillsides at an angle or are horizontal are often stabilized with wood structures or concrete; however, the wood is likely old and rotten and may collapse without warning. Best practice is to stay out of these features, while treading lightly and very carefully around them.

Animals and Wildlife Safety

There is a surprising amount of wildlife within the foothills and lower Sandia Mountains. A general list of species to be aware of includes black bears, cougars, bobcats, deer, coyotes, snakes, lizards, rabbits, squirrels, prairie dogs, mice, scorpions, tarantulas, roadrunners, quail, ducks, hawks, ravens, and a wide variety of migratory and other birds. All wildlife can be dangerous and should be viewed from a distance. Given a chance, every wild animal wants to flee from a hiker, but just in case they don’t, never try to touch them, even if they approach you. Do not feed or leave food for the wildlife along the trails. Doing so makes the animals associate human contact with easy food. This leads them to seek humans out for food and often results in the destruction of the animal.

Here are some specific tips for the more worrisome creatures.

BLACK BEARS AND COUGARS

The two largest predator species in the foothills are black bears and cougars (also called pumas or mountain lions). Although it is extremely rare to have an encounter with either of these animals, hikers should know what to do if they do meet one. Although brown bears (grizzlies) resided in the Sandia Mountains at one time, black bears are the only bear species there today; luckily, these are the least aggressive of the bears in North America. In some years, especially when it is extra dry in the mountains, bears will venture down into the lower foothills looking for food and water. Cougars are found throughout the North American mountains but are very private animals that actively avoid humans.

The most dangerous encounters with either of these animals occur when you surprise them, somehow threaten them, or seem to pose a danger to their offspring. The best way to avoid this is to be a noisy hiker so these animals will hear you and retreat. Being noisy does not mean that you need to shout: just talk with the other hikers in your group and scuff your feet as you walk or—if you are alone—sing to yourself.

If you do meet a bear or cougar, the general recommendations from the USFS and the National Park Service are to

•  stop, stay calm, and talk calmly to the animal; do not shout or act aggressively;

•  stand firm: do not turn your back or run away; let them know you are not prey;

•  try to look bigger by waving your arms and standing tall;

•  group together and pick up small children to help them stay calm;

•  hold your dog’s collar; and

•  wait for the animal to leave, as they usually do quickly once they see you. If the animal doesn’t leave right away, hold your ground and be patient.

Additional information on what to do when encountering bears and cougars is often posted at major trailheads and is also readily available on both the USFS and the National Park Service websites.

RATTLESNAKES AND OTHER SNAKES

The Sandia Foothills, with its granite rocks and sandy terrain, has the perfect habitat for a variety of venomous and nonvenomous snakes. Although snake encounters can be common for frequent users of this area, the most important thing to know about snakes is that they do not want to bite humans. Usually, a snake will hide or leave an area if it realizes you are nearby, so making obvious movements and walking heavily on the trail is a good precaution. Because humans are not prey for snakes, their biting is strictly a defensive action and is always their last resort. The most likely encounter for hikers is when the snake is sunning itself on a warm, sandy trail. They also live in piles of boulders or brush, so it is ill-advised to stick your hands into rock crevices and holes where you can’t see what’s inside.

Although all snakes will coil, act defensive, and potentially strike out if they feel threatened, it is the rattlesnake that most folks fear. Luckily, rattlesnakes do not like to be around humans, so encounters are rare. As with all snakes, a rattlesnake does not want to strike at hikers or their dogs; however, it will if threatened.

The best course of action if you encounter any snake is to stop and back up if you are too close, stand still for a moment, and assess it. Is it rattling or acting defensive? If not, take a picture, then turn around and leave. Do not touch the snake or try to pick it up, even if it is nonvenomous. If the snake is cold, it may just lie there, so you will need to hike around it. Give all snakes a wide berth, as they can reach beyond their body length with multiple strike attempts. If the snake is not leaving on its own, be smart and safe: turn around and leave the area. If you must pass a rattlesnake, back off to a safe distance, stomp on the ground, and wait for the snake to leave. Have patience: it may take a while.

Although snakebites are rare and usually nonfatal, all bites (including those from nonvenomous species) should be seen immediately by a medical professional to decrease the risk of infection. The venom from rattlesnakes is of particular concern for many hikers and their