A Walk In The Woods On The Faulty Loop

The main attraction along the lower SCT

Living in the desert is a wonderful thing, with so many of the elements, and their consequences, visible with almost every view. There are enough hidden jewels in various arroyos, behind boulders, and in the dry canyons to keep people like myself occupied and entertained for decades. There are times, though, when all we need is a nice walk in the woods. Options exist all over the place around Albuquerque for such walks, though most tend to have quite a few fellow hikers along their length. For this hike, I decided on the 5.5 mile Faulty Loop, which connects the South Crest Trail, Upper Faulty Trail, and Lower Faulty Trail.

One of the largest sandstone formations I've come across in the Sandias

To reach the trailhead from Albuquerque, you'll get on I-40 west and head to Tijeras. Take the Tijeras exit, staying in the lane for Tijeras and not Cedar Crest. You can turn left, go straight, or right from here...you are going to want to immediately go left under the interstate. Then, you will take a right and enter the Canyon Estates neighborhood, driving all the way to the back where the trailhead is located. Make sure to obey all speed limits and stop signs through the neighborhood, be respectful to those who live here. The trailhead here can be really full on the weekends, so if there is no parking at the trail area, go with a backup plan and hike elsewhere. Please do not park along the sides of the houses outside of the parking lot.

Early stretch on the SCT

Beautiful giant ponderosa pine off the trail

The only unfortunate (or perhaps fortunate depending on the kind of person you are) thing about this trail is that it can be packed, especially on the weekends. However, probably 75% of the traffic is here just to travel to the Travertine Falls about .75 miles up the trail.

Right around the corner from the trailhead, you'll come up to a large sandstone formation, which is the largest sandstone formation I know of in the Sandias. It's a good spot to catch some shade on hot days. From here onward, the trail maintains a consistent character of mostly juniper forest, scattered ponderosa pines, and rocky limestone paths. A little farther than a half mile in, you'll reach a sign post pointing the way to Travertine Falls. You can take the official crest trail up and around, or take the shortcut through to the falls. Either way, the crest trail travels above and past the falls, and you can climb to it easily if you take the shortcut. The "falls" are mostly a trickle most times of year, but can flow heavily after a good snow melt and can form some really cool ice formations in the winter.

Small stream that feeds the falls

From the falls, you keep hiking and the tree cover greatly increases for a short while. Be careful for poison ivy in this area. Passing this wonderful spot for some shade and snacks, the trail heads up farther into the mountain. As you leave the area of the spring, it gets drier and rockier. You'll pass the lower trailhead for the Faulty Trail roughly a third of a mile later. You can start your loop here, but I prefer to start the loop at the higher trailhead and work my way down. Keep following the SCT for another 1.2 miles to reach the junction with the Upper Faulty Trail. As you near the junction, the forest starts to transition from mostly piñon-juniper forest to ponderosa.

Good spot for a break above the falls

Lots of camping spots in the ponderosa forest

Large rock pile marking the junction of Upper Faulty, SCT, and the CCC Route

Some fur on a nearby branch

At the junction with Upper Faulty, follow the very well traveled trail north. Don't get it confused with the light trail that travels west, that is the exhaustingly steep CCC Route. The upper faulty trail travels about 1.25 miles north to it's junction with Lower Faulty, following a steady elevation, winding through the various drainages and canyons. There are no special attractions along this trail aside from the fact that you get to enjoy a nice hike through a relatively lightly traveled forest.

Clouds starting to spread across the sky

Very damaged tree along the trail...termites?

One of many geocaches along the loop!

It's a very pleasant hike once you start along Upper Faulty. All the uphill you just did to get to that trailhead is mostly done with. It's pretty steady winding very slowly downhill to the Lower Faulty Junction, passing through some beautiful Ponderosa forest. Once you reach the Lower Faulty trail, it goes for another 1.25 miles to meet back down lower on the Crest Trail.

Upper Faulty/Lower Faulty junction

Neat little mushrooms among the pine needles

Lower Faulty starts through the same Ponderosa forest, but it starts to mingle back with the Piñon-Juniper forest as you get closer to the crest trail. Once again, it's just a very pleasant, quiet, beautiful hike along this stretch too. When you near the junction with the SCT, the trail descends very steeply to meet with the South Crest Trail. There is a LOT of loose rock along this stretch, so be careful! After that, you just go south and follow the trail back down towards the falls and the trailhead.

Lower Faulty junction with the Crest Trail

Views looking south

More beautiful Ponderosa forest along Lower Faulty

Someone's rock art, has been here for a long time!

This isn't perhaps the most exciting hike on this blog, or in the Sandias, but it is an excellent way to get in a good workout and get some quiet time in the forest. There also exists the possibility of seeing some larger wildlife like deer and black bear. It's not too difficult, but it isn't a super easy stroll either. There is something about this hike that lures me out to this part of the mountain quite often, so I definitely would recommend it to anyone else looking for a nice moderate hike near town. As always, don't just take my word for it...go check it out for yourself! Happy trails, Albuquerque!

Small shelter caves in the travertine formation at Travertine Falls

Huffing And Puffing Up The Ojo Del Orno Route

There's a beautiful side of the Sandias with a character all its own. Not quite as shaded and green as much of the east side, and not nearly as rocky, dry, and open as the west side. More of a combination of many of the greater aspects of both sides can be found here, the area surrounding the quiet community of Placitas.
To reach this trailhead, take I-25 to exit 242 and head east toward Placitas. You'll travel roughly 5 miles down this road before reaching the Tunnel Springs/FR 231 road. Take a right onto this road and follow it for roughly two miles to the trailhead.

The view as you head toward Ojo Del Orno Canyon

With many rolling hills bearing rocky canyons, big limestone cliffs (some even with caves), seas of juniper, and soaring hawks that almost look like they're waiting for you to pass out, the hiking around Placitas is truly beautiful (and much less "crowded" than many of the east/west side trails).
This particular hike starts next to Agua Sarca Canyon (a post for another time) and the northern terminus for the Crest Trail, which is how I decided to descend this one. You begin on the Crest Trail, heading south until the trail turns east, heading away from the canyon you're facing. Follow the rough path you see heading into the canyon to get started on Ojo Del Orno. This trail has a short length of only 0.8 miles, but it makes you work for every step. It starts out deceivingly easy before it starts cutting up...and up....and up.

Distant mesas visible through thickening juniper

Albeit steep, this is a really beautiful trail that is almost guaranteed isolation, with hardly any vehicles at the trailhead. As you ascend, there are large limestone cliffs rising above to the east, home to what appeared to be peregrine falcons (though I could be mistaken). The trail continues up at a steep grade, which must be navigated carefully as there is a lot of loose rock along its entire length. A little over halfway up, the tree cover becomes a little thicker, providing spectacular views of the mesas and mountains to the north as you get to peek through every so often.

Amphitheater-esque limestone cliffs

I consider myself to be in pretty good physical shape, and I was hufffing and puffing up many stretches of this short trail, having to stop for breaks occasionally just to catch my breath. However, the solitude, the views up north, and the general feel of this area make the struggle more than worth it! This is a hike I'll likely be doing again for sure. And when you reach the top, you are deposited on the extreme northern end of the Crest Trail, which you can take east for a broad 3.3 mile hike around back to your car. My knees aren't so good going down really steep stuff, so I prefer the broad loop back to the car. Plus, you pass right up against some beautiful limestone cliffs (perfect for climbing I'd say), views of San Pedro Mountains out east, and if it's clear enough, you can get a decent view of Cabezon out west.

Unknown plant found all along the crest trail

Perfect limestone bands that the trail passes right under

The broad loop back is really pleasant, meandering around a lot of drainage areas, giving you great views of sprawling green, and eventually opening up to give you some views of the beginning of Las Huertas Canyon. It is a pretty open area, so it's best on a cool day or when it's cooler during the hot days like morning or evening. The loop comes back around northeast of the parking area, passing the Tunnel Springs climbing area about 10 minutes before reaching the end.

Tunnel Springs cliffs coming into view

While some do hike this area, there are far fewer to be found than many of the other areas on the mountain. So, if quiet and solitude is your thing, definitely get out and do this ~4.1 mile loop!