Gutierrez Canyon now open to hikers

Karl F. Moffatt | For The New Mexican

2/20/2008 - 2/21/08

Outdoor enthusiasts have a new area to explore in the Sandia Mountains south of Santa Fe with the recent addition of 700 acres of Gutierrez Canyon to the inventory of public, open space.

Just south of the Cedar Crest post office, about 50 miles south of Santa Fe on N.M. 14, is a dirt lot that leads to the newly acquired public land.

"It's owned by the people now and they can go use it," said Jay Hart, director of the City of Albuquerque's Division of Parks and Recreation whose Open Space Division will manage the property.

Visitors will find rudimentary trails laced through the piñon- and juniper- studded foothills, deep canyons harboring towering ponderosa pines and plenty of wildlife, said John Peterson, a retired U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service field supervisor who lives nearby and was instrumental in the acquisition of the property.

Peterson said hikers can expect to find signs of wildlife including bears, bobcats, coyotes and the occasional mountain lion or ringtail cat. Hawks, buzzards and eagles can be seen soaring above the hills as well, he said.

Peterson, a longtime Cedar Crest resident, says the former ranchland has always been used by locals for hiking and horseback riding, and the potential threat of development prompted him to work for public purchase of the $2.3 million property owned by the Milne family of Albuquerque.

In his efforts., Peterson found an ally in the Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit organization that works to conserve land for public use. He was able to secure $1.25 million for the area from the state Legislature last year,

The state's Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department kicked in another $450,000 and the City of Albuquerque added a final $500,000 to the pot.

The city became involved because they already owned an adjacent 300-acre piece of land within Gutierrez Canyon that it had acquired from the Bureau of Land Management back in the 1960s.

The city's Open Space Division oversees 30,000 acres of public property scattered throughout the metropolitan area and surrounding counties and ranks first in the nation in open space, per capita.

The state's funding was contingent upon finding a public entity with appropriate resources and experience to manage the property, Hart said.

So when Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez committed the city to taking on the new parcel of land, a deal was offered to the Milne family, Hart said.

Although the state was $100,000 shy of the appraised $2.3 value, the family accepted the offer and turned the property over to the public.

The new open space area will be named after John Milne, the former longtime superintendent of the Albuquerque Public School District.

"I think he would be delighted," said Milne's granddaughter Ruth Schifani, an Albuquerque lawyer who, along with her four brothers, helped to approve the purchase.

Schifani said her grandfather purchased the property from the State Land Office for
10 cents an acre back in the 1930s. The land was never developed and family members used it sporadically for an occasional hiking or camping trip.

"When we wanted to go up to the mountains, that's where we'd go," she said

For several years, the family generously allowed locals to use the land for recreational purposes and was more than willing to sell it to the public when an offer was tendered.

"We're delighted it will continue to be enjoyed by the neighbors and the public," Schifani said.

Peterson, the longtime, volunteer steward of the city's original Gutierrez Canyon open space, said the new parcel opens up the entire canyon area to greater public use.

In the past, those who wanted to use the open space in Gutierrez Canyon would first have to know how to get to the area through a maze of local neighborhoods.

But now with access to the entire property available right off N.M. 14, it will be much easier for out-of-towners to find it.

Curtis Johnson, owner of the Turquoise Trail Center strip mall next to the post office, said he is excited about the new open space. He added that he envisions the eventual development of a parking area, trailhead and restrooms on the property and expects future developments to be good for businesses.

"Maybe we'll bring in a coffee shop and bike shop to serve them," he said.

Johnson lives across the highway from the space and is pleased it will remain undeveloped.

Hart said rules governing the open space area include prohibitions against the use of motorized vehicles such as all-terrain vehicles and dirt bikes. Also, no hunting or shooting will be allowed and no camping, open fires or woodcutting will be permitted.

"We want to maintain it in its natural state as much as possible" he said.

Dogs on leashes, mountain bikers and those riding horses are more than welcome to enjoy the space, he said.

Signs marking the open-space area have yet to be installed, but they should be in place by this summer, Hart said.

In the meantime, hikers need only look for the open dirt lot next to the post office. Head down into the gully and the surrounding countryside, and trails and property boundaries are readily apparent.

The new hiking area provides a great day trip for those living in Santa Fe, with stops in the funky old mining towns of Cerrillos and Madrid or perhaps a side trip up to Sandia Crest overlooking Albuquerque along the way.

If you go

Take N.M. 14 out of Santa Fe past the State Penitentiary and through Cerrillos and Madrid. Continue on to Cedar Crest and stop at the post office next to Turquoise Trail Center. Park in the dirt lot adjacent to the post office, hike down into the gully and follow trails north and east. No trail signs or other services are currently available. Trip is about 55 miles, one-way.

An alternative return trip involves following N.M. 14 to its end, crossing under Interstate 40 and heading west into Albuquerque along the frontage road, which emerges, on the top end of Central Avenue. Follow the road into town and get on Interstate 25 North. This adds about 25 miles to the return trip.

Contact Karl Moffatt through his blog at www.outdoorsnewmexico.com.