need route, SantaFe - Abq. and environs (bike camping, Nov.)

by JFS_PGH on Sep 3, 2010 3:26 PM EDT

I'm hoping for a bit more than what i can glean from Mapmyride.

Given the wide open spaces and the not-a-lot-of-water landscape, knowing where there's an open grocery, water, or BLM/camping-allowed land would be a big help, as well as routes to search out or avoid.

We'll probably be on a couple of folders plus a trailer, unless we decide to ship the tandem. Pavement or good quality hard pack dirt is fine, gravel or singletrack isn't. Prefer gradients 4% or less (uphills) and 6% or less (downhills) given camping gear, technical limitations, and general laziness.

Starting point is Santa Fe, end point Albuquerque. Alternatively, we could just start and end around Albuquerque, instead of starting in Santa Fe...but I'll take some free downhill where I can get it [grin]. Side meanders to rivers, canyons, rock formations, hot springs, etc. all a fine thing. Yes, we expect to carry a lot of water.

Willing to walk / push bikes up any gradient for brief stretches as needed, or a bit longer for truly excellent views or cool stuff. We've already seen Soda Dam, tent rocks, a couple of hot springs and Bandolier by car. (They were all excellent, BTW.)

This is what we've concocted as a backbone on Mapmyride. Comments and alternatives welcome. We're thinking 3 to 4 days, 30-50 miles a day, with time for sightseeing. We're not planning to cook (i.e. cold meals or restaurants--suggestions on actual open restaurants of any sort very welcome).

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forgot to mention--

the route above ends at a train connection that goes to Albuquerque.

by JFS_PGH on Sep 3, 2010 3:28 PM EDT reply actions

I live out here

but unfortunately haven’t biked much in the area you’re looking at. My wife doesn’t camp (so I don’t camp), but I don’t think there is many (if any) campsites along that route. At the southern end you are touching on Cibola Nat. Forest area, so I think there are probably some places to stay there.

I haven’t been up/down Highway 41, but just to the west is the Turquoise Trail which definitely has some stuff to see (and places to get water/food) along the way. Madrid is a little artists “village” (kind of touristy – they filmed Wild Hogs there), and the Tinkertown Museum is near the base of Sandia Peak. We drove back there earlier this year and there was a couple of hills (nothing too big) where the road was pretty narrow so you’d want to be careful about that.

Once you get to the East Mountains (the area east of Albuquerque) things are a bit more developed. There are a fair number of routes through there, but you need to be careful to avoid some of the big hills (Heartbreak Hill on NM344 immediately comes to mind). The New Mexico Touring Society has a fair number of routes in the area. This one lists some pueblo ruins to see.

Other than that, I don’t have much else. I can tell you a bunch about riding in Albuquerque, if you want. As for sights, most of my knowledge is more to the south (Roswell, Hatch) and west (El Morro, the VLA). I can ask around to see if anybody has any more advice. Let me know if you have any more specific questions.

by rawls on Sep 3, 2010 5:42 PM EDT reply actions

Turquoise trail looks like a winner.

I tend to think that drivers who take a scenic byway on purpose are somewhat more likely to be kind to bikes, too (so long as they see them, that is).

To cut back to Abq from Tijeras, is current route 333 / historic route 66 a) doable, b) actually sort of cool c) kind of miserable or d) avoid at all costs?

by JFS_PGH on Sep 4, 2010 12:31 PM EDT up reply actions

Tijeras to Albuquerque

Isn’t too bad. There are actually pretty good shoulders, has some mild rollers (on average you lose altitude in that direction) and the surface isn’t too bad (you parallel the freeway) – just be careful for some big manholes that sit a couple of inches below the ground (the shoulder is quite wide at that point, so avoiding them isn’t dangerous). The route itself isn’t super interesting, but it is only a few miles long, so that shouldn’t matter much.

I will say that I haven’t been south of Tijeras to Mountainair, but some of that area does seem kind of neat.

by rawls on Sep 4, 2010 5:21 PM EDT up reply actions

Sounds like fun.

Try this for NM campgrounds

by flying dog on Sep 3, 2010 10:17 PM EDT reply actions

you have to hit the “no thanks …”, the site plays games with links.

by flying dog on Sep 3, 2010 10:23 PM EDT up reply actions

It is Saturday morning,

so don’t forget to take a left in Albuquerque.

by flying dog on Sep 4, 2010 7:22 AM EDT up reply actions

[grin]

and I say to you, " beep beep "!

by JFS_PGH on Sep 4, 2010 12:34 PM EDT up reply actions

wrong turn in albuquerque

my fav excuse for being late to work! meep meep!

it could be worse...it could be raining....

by sedagive on Sep 4, 2010 7:30 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

don't know that exact area

but i do remember the road from albuquerque going nw to cuba and then farmington is really pretty. Only ever took it by car on the way to durango, so no idea what it might be like on a bike.

by yeehoo on Sep 4, 2010 5:53 AM EDT reply actions

BLM lands are supposed to all be open for camping.

Meaning “legal to pitch a tent,” not “improved campground.” so if I can figure out what (if any) of all the area is BLM, that might simplify camping considerably.

by JFS_PGH on Sep 4, 2010 12:13 PM EDT reply actions

unfortunately the color code for BLM

here looks a lot like the color code for Dept. of Defense. It’s a good guess that those are not actually interchangeable, as far as camping regulations. ; )

by JFS_PGH on Sep 4, 2010 12:17 PM EDT up reply actions

Try this out

Map

Not much along your route, unfortunately.

by rawls on Sep 4, 2010 5:26 PM EDT up reply actions

new to alb

can rec. annapurna… veg indian cuisine
cafe trang… vietnamese cuisine
sandias are awesome compare to green mountains
tram in alb largest in world… so"they" say
petroglyphs in the valley
can tell you NM VERY bike friendly
a coworker is avid cyclist (i did not bring mine when I moved) she also hikes and camps… will ask her when I get back tuesday if you like. I live in the valley and there are many trails (hard pack) and bike lanes….

it could be worse...it could be raining....

by sedagive on Sep 4, 2010 7:21 PM EDT via mobile reply actions

someone get this helpful person a bike!

Seriously, thanks for the info, sedagive and rawls. It’s strikingly thorough coming from a current non-rider and a non-camper. And for the combined links and entertainment, flying dog. Yeehoo, I hope to someday have the legs to add in your suggested route, but right now I don’t (but we went that way in a car last year—about a third of it, anyway—and it was really pretty, but it’d be a longish distance on loaded folders).

by JFS_PGH on Sep 4, 2010 7:56 PM EDT up reply actions

someone get me a bike! a lynski please ...

have a pretty cannondale delta frame mb but it was left in VT..
honestly, I will call some santa fe peeps I know for you and call in favors in alb. for accoms (lovely casita guest house in valley… letting landlord use my place backeast) let me know… yeah I do not camp… was a councillor at a camp…never again!

it could be worse...it could be raining....

by sedagive on Sep 4, 2010 8:29 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

humbley...

meant to say “i do not camp either” dang word finishing feature :(

it could be worse...it could be raining....

by sedagive on Sep 4, 2010 8:56 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

we're fine in Abq proper---college roomie--

It’s the spaces in between that we wanted to nail down camping options, and little things like food and water ; )

looks like we’ll be fine along the turquoise trail…

Camp councillor is so very different from bike camping. Can’t imagine less sense of freedom than being in charge of a bunch of munchkins. And the “adventure” aspect is different, too. Kids are pretty good at creating the wrong sort of excitement.

by JFS_PGH on Sep 5, 2010 12:58 PM EDT up reply actions