Ah, Grandaddy Paseo del Bosque, that 16-mile behemoth that stretches all the way from Alameda in the north to Rio Bravo in the south. The best, most perfectly car-free artery in the entire city. The trail so epic that we’re only going to talk about half of it this week.Join the Paseo del Bosque path at Mountain and head south, behind the Albuquerque Aquarium. This stretch belongs to training wheels, to power-walkin’ moms, to puppies on leashes, to the ultraslow inter-Biopark train system, to grannies on Rollerblades. My bespandexed brethren, thou shalt slow your roll until you get past Tingley Beach and its attendant crowds. Once that happens, go ahead and burn rubber. Don’t forget to crane your neck as you ride past the backside of the zoo: surplus pygmy horses and camels can be seen chillaxing in outdoor pens. Ha! Free zoo enjoyment! Take that, The Man. On the left, you’ll pass the National Hispanic Cultural Center, a series of weird industrial backyards, mysterious pumps and conveyor belts, fenced-in fields of empty Porta-Johns, and a couple of South Valley chateaux. On the right, you’ll be able to enjoy a wall of cottonwood trees, just as leafed out and deeply green as you’d expect in Appalachia. Chlorophyllicious.This portion of the Paseo del Bosque is my favorite segment of trail in the entire city. If you only go on one bike ride this summer, I exhort you to make it this one. Peep the map at easytomiss.org/trail_map, sunscreen up and pedal out, comrades.
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author. Betty Sprocket, professor emeritus of the Skinny Tires Department of the University of New Bikexico, is here to lecture you about Albuquerque's many magnificent bike trails. You'll learn about a new one each week, so please take notes and do remember to do your homework: Get out there and ride.
