Las Huertas Canyon

Great trail, no issue in 2WD. Great scenery

I did the trail in winter season on my FJ Cruiser 4 wheel drive and I didn't have any problems getting to the top, however I invite my family to do the trail with me 3 days ago and their cars are rear wheel drive so we ended up getting stuck for 6 hours and we didn't have more option but to turn around. I can't wait to run the trail on Summer

closed for the season

Only scouted in about half a mile from the southern trailhead because we had family in a 2 wheel drive vehicle with all-season tires. Decided the snow meant they shouldn’t attempt it but 4WD with AT should be fine.

Beautiful views. This trail can be very busy on weekends and Holidays, but it is generally not a problem if you are not in a rush. Lots of room for passing nearly everywhere on the trail. This trail changes a lot through the year, and it can get rough or muddy after rain/snow.

Nice drive up to the summit through the canyon. Aired-down to 20psi and that smoothed things out nicely.

Our family loves this little drive on the Sandias. We take the kids up there for a picnic and get the cars tires dusty. We approach it from Placitas, and travel to the crest. It is rocky so know it will be hard on street tires. The drive is peaceful, and the dirt road runs along the Las Huertas creek. It has a couple of picnic areas and a cave to explore- "Sandia Man Cave". It is not hard or technical, just rocky. It is a good beginner trail for those getting into offroading. When you reach the top of the mountain you get great views of the surrounding area.

Great trail/forest road takes you to other connections. Best part of this road is it leads you up to the Sandia Cave hike. Simple hike for anyone that can climb stairs and go half a miles. Overall easy 2wd use. Passenger car doable if you go slow and keep an eye out for the several rocks and dips.

Pretty even trail. It does have a few picnic areas along the way. They did close it to camping. There is a parking lot at the beginning of the path to the cave. The picture is of the cave entrance, taken from the road.

Closed for the season! See you in 2022!

Overall its a great trail with some really good views to the east and north to access Sandia Cave and the peak. The road has definitely degraded over the last year. There are some sharp rocks exposed in the road as well as some medium sized shelves near the bridges to the north end of the trail. Nothing that a small SUV couldn't handle. Cars may not have enough clearance given current conditions. Another important thing to watch for is above you. I noticed that some trees have fallen and have not hit the ground yet. They appear to be held in the tree canopy by neighboring trees. Be mindful of not only below but above you. I followed an adventure bike up the trail and he didn't appear to have many issues either. Still an awesome super easy trail that you cannot get lost on. Stuck maybe(not likely if you pay attention to the road) but there is enough traffic that someone will see you if you are stuck. I have not travelled this trail at night. I only drive this during mornings so there is less tourist traffic. The one time I drove this during an afternoon was a pleasant experience. Do not travel on this trail in snow/ice without recovery gear.

Great quick trail if you are going to the crest or the Sandia man cave anyway. I had a friend that did the trail in a AWD AUDI sedan, so it's pretty straight forward, I was in 2WD the whole time. Lots of access to hiking and fun get away from ABQ

Nice easy drive with scenic views and quick escape from the city.

Lots of traffic, mostly full size vehicles, only saw one other ATV/UTV. It didn’t have any off-shoots to explore. Only 7 miles one-way so in a UTV it doesn’t take long. Simple ride and better than nothing but if you have another 40-60 minutes to travel it would be better to get farther north

Great beginner trail and option to get to Sandia Crest. Coming from Florida, the scenic views and elevation change from this trail were fantastic. It was dry with a couple rutted areas, but passible for most 2wd/AWD with moderate clearance (crossover SUV/Wagon). I highly recommend stopping for the short hike to to the Sandia Man Cave. This is definitely a great option for accessing Sandia Crest.

Very easy drive with scenic views all around. Mostly dirt and gravel with some rocks in the road. Best suited for trucks and SUVs, but passable when dry by a careful car driver. It is worth taking this route instead of the highways because of the views and proximity to nature.

Nice alternative way to get to Sandia Crest and a fairly easy drive. This road is really busy in the summer months.