East Mountain Trails & Bikeways Master Plan - Bernalillo County

Chapter III. Existing Conditions & Analysis
The East Mountain Area is one of the last
remaining predominantly rural areas in Bernalillo
County. Nearly half the acreage in the Project
Area is public open space land, and typical rural
extractive land uses do occur. Much of the area
remains wooded and is used for grazing. The
Project Area has a long history of agrarian
settlement dating back to Native American
Pueblo and Hispano communities in the Tijeras
Canyon, San Antonio Arroyo, and San Pedro
Creek.
Today, however, the Project Area is undergoing
rapid change in the form of residential
development. The Sandia, Manzanita, and
Manzano Mountain chains have traditionally
separated communities on the east side of the
mountains from Albuquerque and other
communities in the Rio Grande Valley, and
thereby fostered an independent and rural
lifestyle in the area. Increasing scarcity of
developable land on the east side of
Albuquerque, dependency on automobiles and
accompanying modern road networks, and
recent trends in residential development that
value proximity to open space areas have
brought considerable change. A landscape of
rural living is in the process of being changed by
urban commuters and second homes.
Trails have long functioned in the East Mountains
as important connections in the rural landscape
for transportation, communication and recreation.
As the population has increased, many of these
trails have been converted into roads or private
access easements.
Section A. Natural Environment
The geology, topography, soils and natural
.
systems are typical of the east side of the Rio
Grande rift. The creation of the rift resulted in
formation of both the Sandia and Manzano
Mountains. The abrupt change in elevation has
benefited the Project Area with higher rates of
precipitation than nearby Albuquerque.
1. Topography
There is considerable topographical variation in
the Project Area, with the elevation and slopes of
the Sandia, Manzanita and Manzano Mountains
on the western edge, the flatness of the high
plains on the eastern edge, and the smaller
chains of mountains and foothills, including
Cedro Peak, San Antonio and Monte Largo
areas. Canyons and arroyos cut by seasonal
runoff and perennial streams have added even
more variation to the land forms. Elevation
ranges from over 10,500 feet above sea level
along Sandia Crest to approximately 6,500 feet
at the eastern County boundary. Topographic
diversity provides the potential for different trail
experiences and interpretive opportunities, but
presents a challenge to functional trail
construction.
2. Slopes
Although the eastern slopes of the Sandias are
much gentler than the western face, there are still
a number of areas with steep slopes, especially
along canyons. Slopes greater than 30 percent
are problematic for trail construction for any use
because of the potential for trail erosion and
deterioration. Areas with 15 percent or greater
slopes are problematic for trails for motorized
use. Areas with problematic slopes are shown in
Figure 2.
EAST MOUNTAIN TRAILS AND BIKEWAYS MASTER PLAN Page 15