Cedro Creek Nature Trail

March 20, 2021

Brandy and I took a drive up to Tijeras this morning for a quick hike along the Cedro Creek Nature Trail.

Alltrails.com classifies this trail as an Easy 1.7 mile out and back trail with a 114 foot elevation gain, but at the trailhead, the sign said the trail is 1.1 mile with a 200 foot elevation gain. Eh, Whatever.

It took us a minute to get our bearings and find ourselves on the right path. We eventually found the trail and began our trek.

Winding through the Manzanita Mountains, the trail roughly follows the mostly dry Cedro Creek and Highway 337. At 6840 feet in elevation, the area definitely sees snow, which was scattered along the trail. The melting snow left plenty of mud in our path as well. The trail is quite narrow with a somewhat steep drop on the north side of the trail. The mud made for a slick surface that almost slid me down the ravine on a couple of occasions. A couple of other areas saw us stepping down from a rock onto a sheet of ice.

We finally found semi-level ground in warm sun, so Brandy stripped off the sweater she wore onto the trail. The mud eased up so we started making good time before Brandy suggested we turn around and head back just past the half mile mark. Her legs were starting to burn. We headed back up and over the treacherous ridge and made our way back to the car and headed back into Albuquerque.

It was a fairly short trip, seeing us hike just about a mile in total, but we got out, saw some wonderful scenery and got some fresh air into our lungs. Brandy says she wants to head to a different trail tomorrow. I found the Armijo Trail and Wagon Trail Loop near Sandia Park. If we do make it out tomorrow, that’s where we’re going to wind up.

Either way, it was a perfect day for a trek through the mountains. It was sunny and warm, and we followed the hike up with a sushi lunch in town. I hope we make it out again tomorrow, but if not, I’m happy with today’s outing.

Check back real soon for more outings!

-Phil