Hawk Watch Trail

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Save

View all 10 photos

All 10 photos

Save Review Directions Add Photo

Details

Distance

4.61 miles

Elevation Gain

2267 ft

Route Type

Out-and-Back

Description

Added by Korey Taylor

This short, steep hike offers fantastic views of the valley below and it's only 20 minutes from Albuquerque.

The trail starts out at the Three Guns Trailhead and has great signage as you drive to it. You'll start the hike on the Three Guns Trail for about 0.5 mile before you'll officially cross into Cibola National Forest. Once you enter there will almost immediately be a spur to the Hawk Watch Trail to the right. After traveling briefly on this trail you're going to come to a large washed out area that looks like there could be a trail to the right and left, continue heading straight. Once you head straight the trail is easy to follow, but will gain elevation quickly. It's a short but rewarding hike with fantastic views! The trail officially ends at the top of the plateau. According to the Sandia Trails Map there is no connection trail from this point, so it's just a out and back from the Three Gun Trail. I definitely recommend going for a sunset hike!

Download the Outbound mobile app

Find adventures and camping on the go, share photos, use GPX tracks, and download maps for offline use.

Get the app

Download GPX File

Features

Photography

Hiking

Dog Friendly

Easy Parking

Family Friendly

Forest

Groups

Scenic

Wildlife

Reviews

Have you done this adventure? Be the first to leave a review!

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

Nearby

Summit South Sandia Peak

*This is a loop hike so you can go either direction. I like going counterclockwise to hike the steepest part up instead of down at the end of a long hike.* You'll start out on the Three Gun Trail for about half a mile until you reach a spur to take Hawk Watch Trail. After traveling briefly on this trail you're going to come to a large washed out area that looks like you could go either left or ...

Hike the Upper Faulty Loop

Loop: South Crest Trail > Lower Faulty Trail > Upper Faulty Trail > South Crest Trail The trail starts at the Canyon Estates Trailhead along the South Crest Trail. You'll follow this trail for 0.8 miles before you reach the junction for the Lower Faulty Trail. This is the steepest part of the trail but it levels off rather quickly and offers beautiful views of the valley below.. You'll...

Sandia Crest Trail

This point-to-point hike took me about 11.5 hours to complete, however I consider myself to be in decent hiking shape and was moving at about 2.5 miles per hour for the majority of the hike. I would give yourself ample time if you want to complete this in 1 day or you can back country primitive camp if you want to break up the hike into 2 days. If you decide to break the hike up I recommend cam...

Hike Embudito Canyon

This is a hiking area in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains. This route is a 3.9 mile heavily trafficked loop up Oso Ridge and down Embudito Canyon. There is plenty of room to park at the Embudito Trail Trail head, on the eastern side of Albuquerque. From the parking lot, take the center trail that heads directly east. After 0.1 miles, this will crossover another path running north to south...

Sulphur Canyon #281 and Cienega Horse Bypass #266 Loop

Sandia Peak

Start at the Sandia Mountain base terminal where you can purchase your tickets to ride the tram (Tip: If you make reservations at the peaks restaurant, High Finance, you can get a discount on your ticket). Enjoy the 15 minute ride to the peak while taking in beautiful city views of Albuquerque as well as the valley directly below the tram. Prepare yourself for the "Dip & Swing" as you cross...