ABQ: Paseo del Bosque Bike Trail

ALBUQUERQUE

Paseo del Bosque Bike Trail

16 miles of uninterrupted paved trail runs from the northern end of Albuquerque to the southern end. The multi-use trail passed through Downtown on the western edge by the Biopark, Tingley Beach and the zoo.

The trail was named as one of the best in the western USA by Sunset magazine.


This trail is a beautiful ride along the Rio Grande through an area of trees known locally as a bosque. Native plants and animals can be spotted, including cranes in late fall and winter. It's a great way to watch hot air balloons at Balloon Fiesta on the northern end of the trail while avoiding the crowds.

The city is rather hot in the summer. Therefore, the best summer times to use the trail are in the mornings and early evenings. Albuquerque may not reach peak temperature for the day until 4 PM in the afternoon. Be advised to have plenty of water with you always. And thorn proof your tires if you are bringing your own bicycle instead of renting locally. The area is covered in goat head stickers--which are even worse on the connecting dirt paths. Trust me, you don't have enough patches in your repair kit. It's a long walk home if you get a flat. 


According to NMTS:

The bike path is used by children, recreational road cyclists, and experts (usually getting from one side of the city to another), not to mention walkers, inline skaters, joggers, and others. A gravel parallel road parallels the paved path on the northern portion. Be careful not to startle horses.

There is no water or bathrooms on the trail. There are porta-potties at the Alameda trail head and bathrooms at Tingley Beach. It crosses the diversion channel over several well maintained bridges and there are little benches along the way. The only negative is that there are several chicanes, or "mazes" south of Tingley beach where you have to dismount and walk your bike through. The are connections at Rio Bravo where you can find a convenience store nearby if you're getting hungry.