New Mexico Equestrian
- joannazattiero
- Sep 11
- 7 min read
Route 66 Open Space Trailhead
The City of Albuquerque’s newest open space trailhead was opened to the public in July and allows users, including equestrians, to access a number of trails throughout the lower Tijeras Creek Cultural Corridor, including access to Manzano/Four Hills Open Space, the Tijeras Bio-Zone Education Center (currently closed due to damage from the July flooding through the Tijeras Creek arroyo), and Bernalillo County Open Space. Access to this area had previously been through a user-made pull out along the south side of Route 66, just past the American Society of Radiologic Technologists building that is about a half-mile east of Tramway. The pull out was small, close to speeding traffic, and not well suited for horse trailers and horses. I’d wanted to see what those trails were all about for years but never felt like hauling my rig and horses down there just to try and squeeze in, hoping that I wouldn’t get parked in and that the traffic on Route 66 wouldn’t scare the horses and cause a wreck.
Now that the formal Route 66 Open Space trailhead is open, I was excited to haul down there and investigate. The trailhead includes paved parking for passenger vehicles and a fairly large gravel lot specifically signed for horse trailer parking. This lot is easily big enough for 5-6 smaller rigs and 4-5 larger ones depending on how people park, and although it is directly adjacent to Route 66 (and Interstate 40 just to the north of that) it doesn’t feel like you are unloading your horses on the shoulder of the highway due to the size of the parking area and the fencing around it. You’ll hear the traffic, certainly, but it is an enormous improvement from the old pull out farther down the road!
On this trip, I had talked another endurance-riding friend (thanks, Leslie!) into meeting my husband and I at the new trailhead and checking out some of the trails. Once we were saddled and ready to go, we headed down the wide, gravel trail into Tijeras Creek arroyo. The multi-use trails out of the trailhead are clearly signed for hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians. I’d love to see the City add some of the triangular “Yield to” signs reminding users to always yield to horse traffic, as this is such an important safety rule and many people don’t seem to realize that their actions could inadvertently lead to their own or someone else’s injury by startling or scaring a horse on the trail. Rarely do people intentionally scare horses on public trails, but they often have no idea that they should stop, step aside, stay in sight of the horses, and speak up clearly so that they aren’t so obviously predators (from the horse’s perspective) waiting to pounce. On this day, we only encountered a few other trail users and they were all great with horses on the trail.
The trails along Tijeras Creek arroyo, which is the northern section of the Open Space and is at the lowest elevation, are generally wide and sandy or packed dirt, with some single track and old two track roads. Most of the trails in this area are clearly marked with signs showing trail names and directional arrows. If you head south, however, the trails are not marked and quickly become ambiguous as there is no formal map available, either at the trailhead or online (although you can find some of the trails listed in the All Trails app) to show you where to safely go. Keep your eyes open for areas with loose barbed wire strewn along the side of the trails and watch out for several different fences that cross the trails, especially where hikers and bikers have pulled the fence wire down to cross. Those areas in particular pose a big risk for horses getting entangled and causing a big wreck. As always, keep your eyes out for trail hazards.
There is at least one fence gate, often referred to as a “kissing gate,” that easily accommodates hikers but will not accommodate horses. DO NOT try to go through it with your horse. Ride west down the fence line for about 100 yards and you’ll come to a step-over gate. This gate is passable, but is in a less-than-ideal location on a slanting hillside with slippery sand and pea gravel for footing. This is dangerous for several reasons and although we chose to ride over it our exceptionally trail-savvy horses were a bit leary of it, for good reason. I would suggest getting off and hand-walking your horses over this gate if you come to it, especially when going over it from the higher (south) side. I will be contacting the City/County to request that this gate be fixed and signage added as it is currently a safety and liability issue.
As you continue south on the unmarked trails you’ll climb steadily through either a sandy wash or a series of single track trails that bisect smaller, sometimes a bit steep washes. Since this is a multi-use area, be sure to look and listen for other trail users as visibility is often limited. Once you reach the top of the first ridge south of Route 66/I40, you’ll be looking at both the Manzano/Four Hills Open Space trails to the southwest as well as some large and impressive fencing that is the southern border of the greater Open Space area. Don’t even daydream about sneaking through that fencing to keep riding, as it is the border of federal lands for Kirtland Air Force Base and Sandia National Laboratories.
The trails in this southern area are well-used but still not marked except for an occasional (and seemingly out of place?) Rio Grande Valley State Park sign. If you use All Trails, you’ll find some of these trails listed under “Twin Peaks South,” although the lower trails along the Tijeras Creek Cultural Corridor and around the Tijeras Bio-Zone Educational Center, which are better marked, are not currently listed. Use common sense and keep track of the obvious landmarks (interstate, mountains, a huge water storage tank for the Four Hills neighborhood, etc.) and you’ll be fine.
You can easily put in ten or more miles of riding in this open space area, which feels unique considering you are quite literally on the edge of Albuquerque. I’d consider this an urban-mountain interface trail system, which like the Sandia Foothills trail system just to the north, is a great benefit to the region and allows visitors to park in the City and almost immediately feel like they are away from it. According to the City’s website (https://www.cabq.gov/parksandrecreation/open-space/lands/tijeras-cultural-corridor) it appears that future trail development may eventually connect the Route 66 trailhead with areas further up the canyon, including the Tijeras Creek Open Space and the Tijeras Pueblo Archeological Site.
Overall, I’m thrilled that the City of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County have teamed up with the Cañon de Carnue Land Grant and the Village of Tijeras to more formally open and maintain these multi-use trails at the mouth of Tijeras Canyon. This is a fantastic area to explore and, especially once the Bio-Zone Educational Center reopens, to learn more about the culture and history of the area.
Here are some of my top TL;DR insights:
*The new Route 66 Open Space trailhead is easily accessible from Interstate 40/Route 66 at the southeastern edge of Albuquerque. It is near fuel, grocery stores, restaurants, etc. and is a nice place to stop with room for multiple trucks/trailers.
*The trailhead offers a fairly large gravel parking area designated specifically for horse trailers, as well as picnic benches, a few interpretive signs, and some shade structures. There is no water available, nor are there bathrooms.
*Footing is great throughout the trail system. Trails are mostly sandy or hard-packed dirt and sand with a few rocky areas.
*The lower trails along Tijeras Creek arroyo are clearly marked with trail signs and are largely well maintained, although there is some damage along the creek bed due to July flooding. If you venture further up and south along the trails, keep an eye out for fences, downed wire, and other occasional metal and debris along the trails. I think this area could really benefit from a volunteer cleanup day!
*There are some gates along the fences on the ridge that are definitely unsafe for horses. If you find one, ride the fence line for a hundred yards or so and look for a step-over gate that is safe for horses.
*As this is a multi-use trail system, always be aware of your surroundings and both look and listen for other trail users, especially in areas with limited visibility due to trees, steep trails, and sharp corners. Never assume that you are the only one out on the trails.
*There are no reliable water sources for horses or humans on the trail or at the trailhead.
*This area sits at a slightly higher elevation than the rest of Albuquerque and is lower than the adjacent East Mountains, meaning that it is generally a bit cooler than the City in the summer and a bit warmer than the mountains in the winter. Canyon breezes or winds are often present, as well, so plan your visit accordingly.
*There is currently no signage stating that horse manure must be scooped and removed from the parking area, nor is there a dumpster or other place to dump manure. I’m hopeful that the City will consider adding both as trailhead use increases.
If you’re local or even just traveling through the area, consider stopping for a ride out of the new Route 66 Open Space trailhead. It’s a gem that feels like it is hiding in plain sight!
A few resources:
Tijeras Creek Cultural Corridor info: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/7ac34a4edaea49bfb89a08221e1e62ef
City of Albuquerque Open Space:
More photos:
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