Cienega Trail

Facts

Distance - 2.7 miles (one-way)
Trailhead Elevation - 7560'
Summit Elevation - 9579'
Gain - 2000'

Approach

See the "Getting There" section for the Cienega Route on the Point 9579 main page.

Route Description

This trail begins as a well defined, well maintained trail. Continue up the trail where it will intersect with the Faulty Trail. Head west straight across the Faulty trail. At times this trail can become rather steep and rocky but never really gets beyond a Class 1 trail. After 2.3 miles you will reach the Crest Trail which sits at about 9,280ft so at this point there is not much further to go. Head south on the Crest Trail for about 0.3 miles. Here is where you will leave the trail and head directly west for the summit with only 0.1 miles to go. The brush and trees are not too dense so bushwhacking and route finding are not difficult. At this point having a GPS with the summit coordinates entered would be helpful.

Essential Gear

Typical gear for a short hike. A GPS would be helpful for the final section of route finding.

External Links

Local weather: Albuquerque
Cibola National Forest - Sandia Ranger District
Local Search and Resuce Team: Cibola SAR

Images

View Cienega Trail Image Gallery - 2 Images