So a few weeks ago, I decided to explore some of the west side of ABQ with the dogs. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the coldest weekend of the season so far. Windy and pretty darn cold - but still, the sun was out. So I decided to venture out anyway.
On the west side of ABQ there are the Petroglyph mountains. There is actually a monument area with visitors center and trails to the Petroglyphs. I didn't go there. Because it is a heavily populated tourist destination, they don't let dogs in that area. So... I did a little research and found a day use area on the back side that is less populated and is dog friendly.
The day use area surrounds a group of three volcanic plugs, remnants of volcanic eruptions from 150,000 years ago. The resulting Basalt rock formed the volcanic plug. And there are 3 separate trails ranging from easy to moderate leading to each of them: the JA Volcano, Black Volcano and Vulcan Volcano. Basalt is the rock made from the cooling lava. It is generally grey or black in color, but with age weathers to brown or red-rust due to oxidation of mineral content.
It's a nice drive out the other side of the valley and up the outer rim of ABQ on the west side. After passing an industrial area, the road leads past flat desert pastures. I spotted a few cattle on the left side making their way through the pasture. The day use area has a paved parking lot, and thankfully, a bathroom as well! There is even a doggy poo bag station and trash cans at the entrance of the trail head, along with reminders to stay on the trail and not to take anything from the landscape (other than trash or doggy poo, of course!).
If you decide to use the trail during the warmer months, be forewarned. A popular resident of this area is the rattlesnake. Apparently they are quite proliferate. The website for the day use area gives tips for encountering/avoiding them. Fortunately, I was hiking in cold weather, during the time they tend to hibernate. I'm not ready to encounter that particular wildlife species here; and neither are the dogs.
The dogs seemed to be having a blast. There were very few people out in the cold. Doc loved the area! Maybe it was familiar to him? I did adopt him from a west side shelter. He was alert and excited and totally at home there. Jane did okay, until we got to the top of the first volcanic plug and the wind started whipping viciously. It was cold and windy and sandy, and Jane hated it. See photos below. I know it will appear that I am a terrible owner to be snapping her picture while she was so miserable. I can assure you that we headed back down the second after I snapped the picture. Actually I carried her a little way, poor thing. She's not very much of a hiker. After traipsing around the other two plugs a bit, we gave up on the cold and headed back home. But it was a nice outing anyway with some great views. It's always good to get out on a cold weekend instead of mewing up on the couch!
On the west side of ABQ there are the Petroglyph mountains. There is actually a monument area with visitors center and trails to the Petroglyphs. I didn't go there. Because it is a heavily populated tourist destination, they don't let dogs in that area. So... I did a little research and found a day use area on the back side that is less populated and is dog friendly.
The day use area surrounds a group of three volcanic plugs, remnants of volcanic eruptions from 150,000 years ago. The resulting Basalt rock formed the volcanic plug. And there are 3 separate trails ranging from easy to moderate leading to each of them: the JA Volcano, Black Volcano and Vulcan Volcano. Basalt is the rock made from the cooling lava. It is generally grey or black in color, but with age weathers to brown or red-rust due to oxidation of mineral content.
It's a nice drive out the other side of the valley and up the outer rim of ABQ on the west side. After passing an industrial area, the road leads past flat desert pastures. I spotted a few cattle on the left side making their way through the pasture. The day use area has a paved parking lot, and thankfully, a bathroom as well! There is even a doggy poo bag station and trash cans at the entrance of the trail head, along with reminders to stay on the trail and not to take anything from the landscape (other than trash or doggy poo, of course!).
If you decide to use the trail during the warmer months, be forewarned. A popular resident of this area is the rattlesnake. Apparently they are quite proliferate. The website for the day use area gives tips for encountering/avoiding them. Fortunately, I was hiking in cold weather, during the time they tend to hibernate. I'm not ready to encounter that particular wildlife species here; and neither are the dogs.
The dogs seemed to be having a blast. There were very few people out in the cold. Doc loved the area! Maybe it was familiar to him? I did adopt him from a west side shelter. He was alert and excited and totally at home there. Jane did okay, until we got to the top of the first volcanic plug and the wind started whipping viciously. It was cold and windy and sandy, and Jane hated it. See photos below. I know it will appear that I am a terrible owner to be snapping her picture while she was so miserable. I can assure you that we headed back down the second after I snapped the picture. Actually I carried her a little way, poor thing. She's not very much of a hiker. After traipsing around the other two plugs a bit, we gave up on the cold and headed back home. But it was a nice outing anyway with some great views. It's always good to get out on a cold weekend instead of mewing up on the couch!
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