Mountainair - Albuquerque Loop

Historic Quarai Ruins N of Mountainair The classic Albuquerque - Mountainair - Albuquerque Loop is a classic club overnight ride. The total mileage depends on where you start and stop in Albuquerque. The below description begins at the south end of the Riverside Bikepath and ends at Four Hills in Albuquerque. There are so many possible routes through Albuqerque that this portion of the loop is not documented. Distance: 144 miles (2 days). Tijeras - Mountainair, 54 miles, 3,030' elevation gain. Roadways: The east mountain roads are rural 2-lanes highways with light traffic without shoulders. US60 is two lanes without shoulders from Willard to Mountainair, shoulders from Mountainair west but with surprisingly light traffic. The leg from Albuquerque through Los Lunas has moderate to heavy traffic depending on the time of day. There are some shoulders on NM47 going south from Albuquerque. Options: Ride east on RT66 to Moriarty then south to Mountainair. ~160 miles. One-day Mountainair Meander: Estancia - Tajique - Torreon - Willard - Estancia, 60 Miles, or The 115 mile Moriarty Loop. South East Mountains Map. The Salinas National Monument's Gran Quivira ruins are 26 miles south of Mountainair on NM55. The Salinas National Monument's Abo Ruins are 9 miles west on US60 (towards I-25) and 1/2 mile north on NM513. The Salinas National Monument's Quarai Ruins are 8 miles north of Mountainair on NM55 in Punta del Agua, then 1 mile paved west. Notes: The Kowboy Kafe is located in the Shaffer Hotel south of the intersection of NM55 and US60 in Mountainair. There are a few motels and groceries in Mountainair. There is a grocery store in Tajique and the Morningside Grocery on NM337 and in Tijeras.

CueSheet

Albuquerque - Mountainair CueSheet // 144 miles Mileage Waypoint Leg Description Day 1 - Albuquerque - Mountainair, 77 Miles The loop begins by travelling through the scenic communities south of Albuquerque. 0 South End of the Riverside Bikepath & 2nd St. Any number of routes to get here. Go south on 2nd, jog east onto Broadway, NM47 and head south all the way to US60. 2.5 I-25 Pass under I-25 and continue south on NM47. Pass through the Isleta Indian Reservation past Isleta Lakes, through Bosque Farms, Peralta. There are some shoulders and moderate traffic. 13.3 NM6 & NM47, Los Lunas Left (east). Stay on NM47. Through Valencia, Tome. See El Tour de Valencia for an more scenic alternative to NM47 down to the Manzano Expressway. 36 NM309 (Manzano Expressway) & NM47 Continue straight (south) past NM309. There is a convienence store here just south of the intersection.. 55 NM47 & US60 NM47 Ends. Left (east) on US60. 74 Rest Stop on left side US60    77 Mountainair. US60 & NM55 The club has stayed at the Shaffer Hotel. Day 2 Mountainair - Albuquerque, 61 Miles NM55 heads north through ranch and farmlands with views of the nearby Manzano and Sandia Mountains. NM55 is a 2-lane road with no shoulders but light traffic. It can be windy in the spring. 0 Mountainair Head north on NM55. 7.7 Punta. NM55 is the obvious road. 13 Monzano Continue north on NM55. 19.2 Torreon Continue north on NM55. 22.5 Tajique Continue east on NM55. There is a small store here. 25.4 Intersection with NM337. (Old south NM14) Turn north (left) on NM14. NM14 has a few hills but nothing major. The pavement is real rough is places but mainly on the southbound side. (Your tax dollars at work). 35.5 Chilili Continue north on NM337. 40 Escobosa Continue north on NM337. 42.75 Jct NM217 on right Continue north on NM337. There are nice shoulders now and part way downhill. 45 Morning Side Store Continue north on NM337. The store is a favorite stopping place for cyclists. From here it is downhill to Tijeras. There are shoulders for part of the downhill. Be careful though as they change quality often. Not all the shoulders are rideable and there is always a lot of debris. You can hold 45mph downhill for quite a run. Nice views of the southern Sandia Mountains and the Manzanos. Pass the USFS ranger station at mile 54. 54.5 Tijeras. Junction with NM333 (Old RT66) at the traffic light. Turn left (west) towards Albuquerque through Tijeras Canyon. Mostly downhill. Some shoulders. Moderate traffic on weekends Watch for debris on the shoulders. See Tijeras Trot for more on the Tijeras Canyon. 61 Tramway & NM333. Albuquerque The route ends here depending on where you go from here. There is a Smith's grocery store and convience stores here.

Route Map

Elevation Profile

Albuquerque - NM333 - Tijeras - NM337 - Tajique - Mountainair - US60 - US47 -Belen - Albuquerque