To register for an outing, you will need to give your contact information and sign a participant waiver completion online in advance of every outing.

October 2022

Saturday, October 1: Bike to the Balloon Fiesta. 5:45 a.m.-10:00 a.m. Want to experience the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta morning mass ascension but don’t want the hassle of fighting traffic? Join us for your own dawn patrol bike ride to Balloon Fiesta Park. We’ll meetup near Rio Grande Nature Center State Park and ride along the bosque to the park. When we arrive at the park, we’ll leave our bikes with the bike valet and enjoy the show. We’ll then return via the bosque on both paved and single-track trails. Multispeed mountain or gravel bikes, or e-bikes with wider tires and tire sealant are highly recommended. Helmet, gloves, headlamp and/or bike light are required. Add lots of lights and colors to you and your bike to increase the fun and visibility quotient. Riders must have the ability to average 10-12 mph and stay up with the group. Children 14 and over with parent or legal guardian are welcome. Ten miles round trip and 50 feet of elevation change. Appropriate Covid-19 protocols will be observed. Sponsored by the Sierra Club Military Outdoors Program and everyone is welcome.
Trip leader: Terry Owen
Level: Easy-Moderate
Location: Albuquerque
Register no later than September 27.

Friday, October 7: Las Conchas Trail Hike along the Jemez River East Fork. 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Meet at 9:00 a.m. at Home Depot in Bernalillo, 7700 Highway 550 at the Northwest corner of the parking lot. Carpooling encouraged as there is limited parking at the trail head on Highway 4. Recommended carpool driver donation is $15. This outing includes one hour of driving each way from departure point, along the lovely winding mountain Highway 4 with a photo stop at the Gilman tunnels and waterfall. Then we will lunch together after the hike at Los Ojos in Jemez Springs. This easy pine forest hike alongside the mountain stream is approximately 3 miles round trip with 50 feet of elevation gain. Join us for a dose of nature and camaraderie. Bring your own water, and wear outer layers as the mountain air may be chilly. This hike is appropriate for children over 12 accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. No dogs. Appropriate Covid-19 precautions will be taken.
Trip leader: June Parsons
Level: Easy
Location: Jemez Mountains, North of Jemez Springs
Register no later than October 1.

Saturday, October 15: Shopping and Lunch Bike Ride thru the Heights. Experience how fun and easy it is to ride your bike to run errands and meet friends for lunch in the Northeast Heights of Albuquerque. We’ll take an easy nine and one-half mile loop and stop at grocery and hardware stores and cap it off with lunch, while avoiding heavily trafficked roads and the nightmare of parking. Any multi-speed bike capable of sustained speeds of 10 mph, including road, gravel, mountain, commuter or E-bike is appropriate. Injection of tire sealant in all tires is strongly recommended. Meet at Flying Star 4501 Juan Tabo Blvd NE at 10:00 a.m. for this two-hour outing followed by lunch at Flying Star. Appropriate for children over 14 with parent or legal guardian. Register no later than October 11th at the link below. Participants will get tips on safe bike commuting and a free bike map of the city. A recommended gear list and additional information will be provided to registrants on October 12th.
Trip leaders: Terry Owen and Patrick Burton
Level: Easy
Location: Albuquerque
Register for this even

Wednesday, October 19: Zero Waste Tour of Soilutions Compost and Soil Yard. 10 a.m. -11:30 a.m. Come tour this facility that makes regular and organic compost and soil in Albuquerque’s south valley. Walter will be our extremely knowledgeable and engaging tour guide so be ready with your questions. Tour is outdoors so dress appropriately. Comfortable closed-toed shoes recommended as we will be standing the whole time. Masks are optional. Limited parking along side of facility. No dogs. Deadline to register is October 15th.
Trip leader: Laurie Zunner
Level: Easy
Location: 9008 Bates Rd. SE, Albuquerque
Register for this event. Limited to 12 participants.

November 2022

Friday, November 25: Escape from Black Friday Hike. Skip the mall and go to the mountains instead and burn off that holiday meal. Hosted by the Military Outdoors Program and we welcome everyone. This hike is a 3.7 mile out and back and 944 feet of elevation gain. One of the classic hikes in the Sandia Mountains with a scenic view at the top. This is a steady incline, smooth packed trail and easy rocky areas. We will meet at the Tree Springs Trailhead Parking lot at 9:00 a.m. Appropriate Covid-19 precautions will be taken. Appropriate for children 12 and up. Good dogs on leash are welcome.
Trip leader: Terry Owen
Level: Moderate
Location: East of Albuquerque
Register no later than November 22nd. Contact the leader if you have questions.

December 2022

Saturday, December 3: Outings Leader Training. Interested in becoming a certified Sierra Club outings leader? The first step in that journey is to successfully complete Outings Leader Training. This seven hour course will provide you with the foundational information you need to lead safe, fun and inspiring outings such as hikes, bike rides and ambles. You don’t have to be a super outdoors person or an expert in ecology, either. If you’re a currently certified outings leader and have not yet received the new curriculum or it’s been approximately four years since you last attended this course, please join us. This course will be conducted virtually and all persons that register will be required to download the instruction packet which includes the training materials, handouts and reference materials and those will be available along with a Zoom link, about one week before the course.
Leader: Terry Owen
Level: Easy
Location: Virtual
Register no later than November 28th.

Saturday, December 3 thru Sunday December 4: Lightweight Backpacking Outing. If you’ve mastered basic skills traveling in the backcountry lightweight style, this trip is right for you. Participants will meet at Winsor Trailhead and travel to Puerto Nambe area where we are going to spend the night. The next day we are going to do an Alpine style ascent to Santa Fe Baldy so that we can see the sunrise from the summit. We will plan to return to the trailhead soon after we refuel and pack our packs. Please sign up for this outing only if you feel comfortable and fit to carry a backpack for more than four miles with elevation gain, summit the mountain and backpack back to the trailhead comfortably. This is not an outing for beginners. The route is 13.5 miles roundtrip with 3,500 feet of elevation gain. On this outing we are going to go over map and compass navigation, gear selection, Leave No Trace principles, self-care, off trail hiking, outdoor cooking and a few basic mountaineering skills. Leader will email a gear list ahead of time. Participants must be prepared for varying weather conditions and feel comfortable sleeping under the stars or in a tent. Meet at 10:00 a.m. at Winsor Trailhead, adjacent to the public bathrooms and picnic table at the Santa Fe Ski Basin. No dogs please. Children 14 and over with parent or legal guardian are welcome. Appropriate Covid-19 protocols will be observed. Outing size is limited to six, so register early.
Trip leader: Sandra Corso
Level: Moderate-strenuous
Location: Santa Fe
Register no later than November 22.

Saturday, December 31: New Years Eve Snowshoe on the Crest. If you can walk, you can snowshoe! Meet at 9 a.m. at Hobby Lobby on Juan Tabo to carpool or at Sandia Crest at 9:45 a.m. This high altitude, three-hour long outing is approximately 2.5 miles round trip with 150 feet of elevation gain. We’ll depart from the Sandia crest parking lot and proceed along the crest trail with several stops to enjoy stunning views all the way to the continental divide. We’ll cover tips for safely traversing on snowshoes and winter hiking and this is a great outing for those who’ve never snowshoed before. Sponsored by the Military Outdoors Program and everyone is welcome. Appropriate for children over 14 with parent or legal guardian. No dogs, please. Recommended gear list and additional information will be provided no later than December 24th.
Trip leader: Terry Owen
Level: Moderate
Location: East of Albuquerque
Register no later than December 22.

January 2023

Sunday, January 15: To the River and Through the Woods Hike. We will start at the Rio Grande Nature Center parking lot at 10:00 am for this approximately one-hour, easy 2-mile hike. Eyes wide open, cheek bones to the breeze, a trek through the winter wonders of the Bosque. No dogs please. Children over 12 accompanied by parent or legal guardian are welcome. Wear comfortable shoes or boots, dress in layers, consider a warm hat. Bring water, snack, walking stick if needed.
Trip leader: Candice Stanford
Level: easy
Location: Albuquerque
Register no later than January 12th.