The Manzano Mountains: The Apple of My Hiking Eye

When you visit or move to Albuquerque, generally one of the first things you hear about is how wonderful the Sandia Mountains are to hike, climb, trek, scale, etc. The La Luz Trail is regularly listed among the top trails to trek both locally and statewide. And there is no doubt the Sandias are beautiful, especially when seen near dusk, when snow-covered, or when towering storms grumble atop them.

That being said,to this peak-climber and hiker, the lesser-known and more laid-back Manzano (Apple) Mountains located just to the south of the Sandia Mountains and southeast of Albuquerque are equally magnificent and frankly provide outdoor enthusiasts with a more enjoyable and varied hike. Probably best known to locals for the 4th of July Trail due to the litany of fall colors that can been seen on this trek, the Manzano Mountains offer a rich variety of hiking opportunities.

Both ranges are quite unique in the fact that the drier (desert-like) side is on the western slope are wetter (more wooded) side is on the eastern slope — completely opposite of most all mountains ranges in the Northern Hemisphere. Generally for hikers, this means you scale the western slopes in the cooler months of the year and eastern slopes in the warmer ones. The amount of snowfall on the eastern slopes is considerably higher on the western slopes.

What I truly love most about the 30 mile long Manzano Mountain Range is their remoteness and lack of crowds, especially compared to the Sandias. This allows you to take in their rugged beauty without being bothered by the noise and actions of others. It also gives a better chance for observing the subtleties of nature in all its glory.

Three trails in particular are personal favorites of mine in the Manzanos:

Manzano Crest Trail – splendid vistas in literally every direction — east towards the High Plains, west towards the Rio Grande Valley, and north and south along the spine of the mountain range. The main trail is 20.1 miles long, all of which is within or abutting the border of the Manzano Wilderness Area, with an optional 5.9 mile Pine Shadow spur. Can’t wait to trek the trail’s entire length beyond the segments near Capilla Peak, and Red and New Canyons hiked to date.

Red (Colorado) Canyon Trail – in the spring or after monsoon season rains, this steep, 2.4 mile long trail has you crossing a small spring fed stream multiple (nine) times and reveals two lovely waterfalls. Several rugged rock outcroppings also adorn this route.

New (Nuevo) Canyon Trail – a more gradual 2.0 mile long climb than Red Canyon that provides stunning views across varied ecosystems along the way.

If you have the opportunity, be sure to check out one or more of the scenic hiking trails traversing the Manzano Mountains. While the 4th of July Trail is the best known, there are others with outstanding scenery and wonderful solitude.

Peace!

#CapillaPeak #environment #fun #geography #hiking #history #landUse #ManzanoCrest #ManzanoMountains #nature #NewCanyon #NewMexico #RedCanyon #SandiaMountains #trails #travel #walking

🏠 Xây nhà 100m² trên 200m² đất nông nghiệp cần chuyển mục đích sử dụng đất từ trồng cây lâu năm sang đất ở. Việc này phải được cơ quan nhà nước có thẩm quyền cho phép để tránh vi phạm pháp luật.

#BatDongSan #NhaO #DangO #PhapLuat #LandUse #RealEstate #Building #VietnamHousing #Property #LegalAdvice

https://vietnamnet.vn/xay-nha-o-100m2-tren-200m2-dat-nong-nghiep-can-lam-gi-de-khong-pham-luat-2456716.html

🌤️ There’s far less land available for reforestation than we think, study finds

https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/theres-far-less-land-available-for-reforestation-than-we-think-study-finds/

#forests #climatechange #carboncapture #reforestation #landuse #environment #ecology

China's 'Great Green Wall' brings hope but also hardship

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/03/asia-pacific/china-great-green-wall/

🆓 https://archive.ph/vG6U5

#china #development #conservation #environment #landuse #humanrights

About Manchester’s Local Plan and how to respond to the consultation.
#Manchester #planning #LandUse

https://steadystatemanchester.net/2025/10/27/manchesters-local-plan-responding-to-the-consultation/

My pick for “Best Planning Book” published in 2025

Now and then one comes across a book that sets new standards for excellence in print. It may be due to its content, the context, the impact of the publication on society, or a defining aspect of the book that sets it apart from others. In this particular case, Chicago Homes: A Portrait of the City’s Everyday Architecture solidly achieves at least three of the aforementioned pinnacles, with its rich and defining illustrations being beyond exemplary.

Chicago Homes by Carla Bruni and Phil Thompson succeeds in telling the history of one of America’s greatest and most-beloved cities through its housing heritage — specifically the styles and trends in housing that shaped Chicago’s residential development from a lonely outpost at the forks of the Chicago River through World War II. This contextual relationship between Chicago’s housing biography and the city’s overall urban history is tremendously informative and is filled with many interesting tidbits and anecdotes.

Too often as planners, we get tied up in the scale of scope of large projects, whether they be towering skyscrapers, enormous transportation projects, placid and serene parks, or large commercial and industrial developments. Meanwhile, it is the individual house, the home, a dwelling unit, or an apartment that in unison form the largest proportion of the communities we serve. As a result, it is their relationship to the overall city that can largely shape one’s sense of place.

” Chicago was built on change. we’re still culturally the same old city, and our homes are still extensions of who were are, individually and collectively. Architecture is politics. Architecture is whimsy. Architecture is people.”

Source: “Chicago Homes,” page 298.

The icing on the cake to Chicago Homes is the stunningly detailed and gorgeous illustrations provided throughout the book showing the progression of architectural trends, styles, and decorative features that developed over time for residential dwellings throughout the city. The amazing illustrations prepared by Mr. Thompson’s Wonder City Studio alone could be framed and sold in galleries across the country they are so beautiful.

As the book addresses Chicago’s housing history up to and including World War II, more recent trends (both good and bad) are not incorporated in the book except with brief references in the epilogue and elsewhere. This aspect in no way detracts from the book and would make for a fascinating sequel publication in the future.

This retired planner strongly recommends this book, and not only to existing, former, or wannabe Chicagoans and architecture geeks. For Chicago Homes transcends both geography and genre in a manner that should captivate most any reader with its fascinating content, its broadly appealing context, and its truly defining illustrations.

Peace!

#apartments #art #CarlaBruni #Chicago #ChicagoHomes #cities #dwellings #geography #historicPreservation #history #homes #housing #illustrations #landUse #neighborhoods #PhilThompson #planning #residences #travel #WonderCityStudio

🌞 Solar farms could double bumblebee populations through wildflower management

https://phys.org/news/2025-10-solar-farms-bumblebee-populations-wildflower.html

#solar #energy #renewables #bees #bumblebees #pollinators #flowers #wildfowers #ecology #landuse