Get detailed maps, area weather, and more by becoming an Adventurer. Learn More.
Home › New Mexico › Albuquerque Loop via Fourth of July Spur and Fourth of July Trail
About the Trail
This hike is an excellent choice for fall colors. The hike is a loop style that uses the Fourth of July Spur Trail, the Fourth of July Trail and the Albuquerque Trail to return back to the Albuquerque Trailhead.
Map
View Larger Map
Directions
From Moriarty, NM take Hwy 41 south to the town of Estancia, NM. Then take a right onto Hwy 55 and drive 35 miles to the really small town of Tajique, NM. Just past the Old Tajique Cemetery, turn right on to the Torreon Tajique Loop Rd A013 and drive 6.5 miles to the Albuquerque Trailhead.
Description
From the Albuquerque Trailhead, hike down the wide trail. Almost immediately, take a left onto the 4th of July Spur Trail 172 (you could also hike the loop counterclockwise by staying straight). Now, the trail climbs moderately in a pine forest. There are a few colorful trees on this stretch. At about 1 mile, the 4th of July Spur Trail ends at a junction with the 4th of July Trail. Take a right unless you want to see more colorful trees on the early part of the 4th of July Trail. After the junction, there is an excellent part of trail that is full of color and bent trees. Soon the trail passes a grassy area with more colorful trees before narrowing and climbing past a spring at about 1.5 miles. Soon after, take right onto the Albuquerque Trail. This trail ascends up to a view that looks east at all the pines in area. Then it curves left and into a drainage. These drainages tend to have colorful trees. Now the trail ascends to a junction with the La Mosca Trail. Stay straight and descend into into a canyon that leads back to trailhead. This part of trail descends through pines and passes through a gate. After the gate the trail reaches a flat area where there are colorful trees. Finally, the trail ends up passing the junction that you were at earlier and ends at the Albuquerque Trailhead.
| Hike Facts | Trailhead Facts | Location | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥾 Trail Features: | Fall foliage, forests and a limited viewpoint | 🥾 Parking: | A medium size dirt lot | 🥾Nearest Services | The town of Estancia, NM has the closest services. |
| 🥾 Milage: | 4.3 mi/6.92 km loop | 🥾 Acccess Road: | Dirt and is rough in places | 🥾 Nearest Lodging: | The most lodging options are to north in the town of Moriarty, NM. The closest lodging options from the south are in Mountainair, NM. |
| 🥾 Elevation Gain: | 800 ft/243.8 m | 🥾 Trailhead Features: | Parking, a turn around, a vault toilet | 🥾 Nearest Camping: | 4th of July Campground is the nearest campground |
| 🥾 Trail Use/Surface: | 🥾 Trailhead Elevation: | 7500 ft/2286 m | |||
| 🥾 Pets: | Yes | 🥾 Park Hours: | 24 | ||
| 🥾 Crowds: | Yes, during the fall but mostly on the 4th of July Trail | 🥾 Fee: | Free but could change soon | ||
| 🥾 Bugs: | Not during the fall | 🥾 Best Season: | Spring, summer, fall |
Handicap Acccessibility
No, but those with disabilities could enjoy the colorful trees at the 4th of July Campground
Tips for a Great Hike
🥾 Carry water and wear proper footwear.
🥾 There are certain areas on the hike that have a lot of color. Other areas have many evergreens and less color.
🥾 Longer hikes are also possible, if you hike up to the Manzano Crest Trail where more color awaits. The trees on the Manzano Crest Trail tend to change earlier than the trees near the campground.
🥾 If you only have 1 day, then I recommend backtracking on the Fourth of July Trail to the campground for more colorful trees before continuing the loop.
🥾 Parking fills up on weekends during the fall and the trail is still quite busy during weekdays and the road to the trailhead can be rough.
Recommended Resources
100 Hikes in New Mexico by Craig Martin of The Mountaineers Books Publishing Group
nat forest hike page link