#manzano-mountains — Public Fediverse posts

The Manzano Mountains: The Apple of My Hiking Eye

When you visit or move to Albuquerque, generally one of the first things you hear about is how wonderful the Sandia Mountains are to hike, climb, trek, scale, etc. The La Luz Trail is regularly listed among the top trails to trek both locally and statewide. And there is no doubt the Sandias are beautiful, especially when seen near dusk, when snow-covered, or when towering storms grumble atop them.

That being said,to this peak-climber and hiker, the lesser-known and more laid-back Manzano (Apple) Mountains located just to the south of the Sandia Mountains and southeast of Albuquerque are equally magnificent and frankly provide outdoor enthusiasts with a more enjoyable and varied hike. Probably best known to locals for the 4th of July Trail due to the litany of fall colors that can been seen on this trek, the Manzano Mountains offer a rich variety of hiking opportunities.

Both ranges are quite unique in the fact that the drier (desert-like) side is on the western slope are wetter (more wooded) side is on the eastern slope — completely opposite of most all mountains ranges in the Northern Hemisphere. Generally for hikers, this means you scale the western slopes in the cooler months of the year and eastern slopes in the warmer ones. The amount of snowfall on the eastern slopes is considerably higher on the western slopes.

What I truly love most about the 30 mile long Manzano Mountain Range is their remoteness and lack of crowds, especially compared to the Sandias. This allows you to take in their rugged beauty without being bothered by the noise and actions of others. It also gives a better chance for observing the subtleties of nature in all its glory.

Three trails in particular are personal favorites of mine in the Manzanos:

Manzano Crest Trail – splendid vistas in literally every direction — east towards the High Plains, west towards the Rio Grande Valley, and north and south along the spine of the mountain range. The main trail is 20.1 miles long, all of which is within or abutting the border of the Manzano Wilderness Area, with an optional 5.9 mile Pine Shadow spur. Can’t wait to trek the trail’s entire length beyond the segments near Capilla Peak, and Red and New Canyons hiked to date.

Red (Colorado) Canyon Trail – in the spring or after monsoon season rains, this steep, 2.4 mile long trail has you crossing a small spring fed stream multiple (nine) times and reveals two lovely waterfalls. Several rugged rock outcroppings also adorn this route.

New (Nuevo) Canyon Trail – a more gradual 2.0 mile long climb than Red Canyon that provides stunning views across varied ecosystems along the way.

If you have the opportunity, be sure to check out one or more of the scenic hiking trails traversing the Manzano Mountains. While the 4th of July Trail is the best known, there are others with outstanding scenery and wonderful solitude.

Peace!

#CapillaPeak #environment #fun #geography #hiking #history #landUse #ManzanoCrest #ManzanoMountains #nature #NewCanyon #NewMexico #RedCanyon #SandiaMountains #trails #travel #walking

The Manzano Mountains: The Apple of My Hiking Eye

When you visit or move to Albuquerque, generally one of the first things you hear about is how wonderful the Sandia Mountains are to hike, climb, trek, scale, etc. The La Luz Trail is regularly listed among the top trails to trek both locally and statewide. And there is no doubt the Sandias are beautiful, especially when seen near dusk, when snow-covered, or when towering storms grumble atop them.

That being said,to this peak-climber and hiker, the lesser-known and more laid-back Manzano (Apple) Mountains located just to the south of the Sandia Mountains and southeast of Albuquerque are equally magnificent and frankly provide outdoor enthusiasts with a more enjoyable and varied hike. Probably best known to locals for the 4th of July Trail due to the litany of fall colors that can been seen on this trek, the Manzano Mountains offer a rich variety of hiking opportunities.

Both ranges are quite unique in the fact that the drier (desert-like) side is on the western slope are wetter (more wooded) side is on the eastern slope — completely opposite of most all mountains ranges in the Northern Hemisphere. Generally for hikers, this means you scale the western slopes in the cooler months of the year and eastern slopes in the warmer ones. The amount of snowfall on the eastern slopes is considerably higher on the western slopes.

What I truly love most about the 30 mile long Manzano Mountain Range is their remoteness and lack of crowds, especially compared to the Sandias. This allows you to take in their rugged beauty without being bothered by the noise and actions of others. It also gives a better chance for observing the subtleties of nature in all its glory.

Three trails in particular are personal favorites of mine in the Manzanos:

Manzano Crest Trail – splendid vistas in literally every direction — east towards the High Plains, west towards the Rio Grande Valley, and north and south along the spine of the mountain range. The main trail is 20.1 miles long, all of which is within or abutting the border of the Manzano Wilderness Area, with an optional 5.9 mile Pine Shadow spur. Can’t wait to trek the trail’s entire length beyond the segments near Capilla Peak, and Red and New Canyons hiked to date.

Red (Colorado) Canyon Trail – in the spring or after monsoon season rains, this steep, 2.4 mile long trail has you crossing a small spring fed stream multiple (nine) times and reveals two lovely waterfalls. Several rugged rock outcroppings also adorn this route.

New (Nuevo) Canyon Trail – a more gradual 2.0 mile long climb than Red Canyon that provides stunning views across varied ecosystems along the way.

If you have the opportunity, be sure to check out one or more of the scenic hiking trails traversing the Manzano Mountains. While the 4th of July Trail is the best known, there are others with outstanding scenery and wonderful solitude.

Peace!

#CapillaPeak #environment #fun #geography #hiking #history #landUse #ManzanoCrest #ManzanoMountains #nature #NewCanyon #NewMexico #RedCanyon #SandiaMountains #trails #travel #walking

I’d love to run a series of routers and repeaters up through all of the land grant communities (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_grants_in_New_Mexico_and_Colorado) leading north to ABQ. #ManzanoMountains #Meshtastic

Well, I’m not sure if it’s operating correctly, but the #ManzanoMountains have their first #Meshtastic router. I’ve been playing with Meshtastic a bit while studying for the HAM exam (I’m a lawyer, not an electrical engineer, so it’s been a lot of the physics I should have had in high school or college but somehow missed).

Mountainair Fire, EMS, and Public Works conduct rescue of two intoxicated individuals who were riding an ATV while armed during a flood https://www.mountainairdispatch.com/mtn-rescue-20240629/

#mountainairdispatch #mountainairnm #mountainair #nm #newmexico #ems #rescue #manzanomountains #flooding #monsoon

Mountainair Fire, EMS, and Public Works conduct rescue of two intoxicated individuals who were riding an ATV while armed during a flood https://www.mountainairdispatch.com/mtn-rescue-20240629/

#mountainairdispatch #mountainairnm #mountainair #nm #newmexico #ems #rescue #manzanomountains #flooding #monsoon

𝗪𝗜𝗞𝗜𝗣𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗔 𝗣𝗜𝗖𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗬

✧ Lake Estancia ✧

Lake Estancia was a prehistoric body of water in the Estancia Valley, in the center of the U.S. state of New Mexico. Mostly fed by creek and groundwater from the Manzano Mountains, the lake had diverse fauna, including cutthroat trout. It appears to have formed when a river system broke up. It reached a m...

#EstanciaValley #LakeEstancia #ManzanoMountains #LaurentideIceSheet #NorthAmerica #Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Estancia

𝗪𝗜𝗞𝗜𝗣𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗔 𝗣𝗜𝗖𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗬

✧ Lake Estancia ✧

Lake Estancia was a prehistoric body of water in the Estancia Valley, in the center of the U.S. state of New Mexico. Mostly fed by creek and groundwater from the Manzano Mountains, the lake had diverse fauna, including cutthroat trout. It appears to have formed when a river system broke up. It reached a m...

#EstanciaValley #LakeEstancia #ManzanoMountains #LaurentideIceSheet #NorthAmerica #Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Estancia

Despite eight hours of freezing temps and rain, volunteers rescued a lost hiker in the Manzano Mountains of New Mexico.

This was a fun one to photograph. Out in low light conditions, it’s harder to capture people without blurriness, so I mixed shooting at slower speeds with shooting while bumped up a few stops.

https://www.mountainairdispatch.com/dispatch-art-re-20230424-sar-efforts/

#nm #NewMexico #Journalism #news #sar #searchandrescue #CibolaNationalForest #ManzanoMountains #mountainairnm #photography

Despite eight hours of freezing temps and rain, volunteers rescued a lost hiker in the Manzano Mountains of New Mexico.

This was a fun one to photograph. Out in low light conditions, it’s harder to capture people without blurriness, so I mixed shooting at slower speeds with shooting while bumped up a few stops.

https://www.mountainairdispatch.com/dispatch-art-re-20230424-sar-efforts/

#nm #NewMexico #Journalism #news #sar #searchandrescue #CibolaNationalForest #ManzanoMountains #mountainairnm #photography

Got to cover a successful (thankfully) search and rescue mission last night in the #ManzanoMountains and #CibolaNationalForest. It was a heck of a thing to see a lot of the technology we used in Iraq - cell phone-related tech and drones - being used to pinpoint and rescue the lost hiker. Here, a drone operator launches a drone with FLIR and a $35 radio that was used as a repeater to create a radio network with rescuers in mountains and draws. #photography #journalism #NewMexico #NM

Got to cover a successful (thankfully) search and rescue mission last night in the #ManzanoMountains and #CibolaNationalForest. It was a heck of a thing to see a lot of the technology we used in Iraq - cell phone-related tech and drones - being used to pinpoint and rescue the lost hiker. Here, a drone operator launches a drone with FLIR and a $35 radio that was used as a repeater to create a radio network with rescuers in mountains and draws. #photography #journalism #NewMexico #NM