Getting Started Biking in Albuquerque
Bicycling is an essential form of transportation and recreation. Whether you’re riding for exercise, to the grocery store, library, neighborhood park, or just getting some fresh air in our beautiful city, get out there and ride! Check out the digital resources below from the comfort of your own home to help get you started and keep you riding smoothly and safely throughout Albuquerque
Where to Bike in Albuquerque
Albuquerque features more than 400 miles of on-street bicycle facilities and multi-use trails.
Albuquerque’s premiere multi-use trail, the Paseo del Bosque Trail, goes from the north to the south edges of the metro area through the Rio Grande’s cottonwood bosque (forest). Find more information about the Paseo del bosque Trail including trail amenities and access points by clicking the button below.
Trailheads provide access to the Foothills trails as well as the Sandia Mountain Wilderness Area, managed by the US Forest Service. Recreational opportunities include hiking, horseback riding and mountain biking. A map of the Foothills trail system is available. Picnic shelters are located at the Elena Gallegos Picnic Area, Menaul, and Embudo Canyon.
The 50-Mile Activity Loop is a series of multi-use trails and on-street bikeways that connects varies parts of the city. The Loop starts in Downtown Albuquerque and travels through the Old Town and museum district, crosses the Rio Grande and touches the edge of Petroglyph National Monument. It travels along the Riverside Trail up to the Paseo Del Norte Trail, and on to Balloon Fiesta Park. It takes trail-goers along the northern edge of the city and along the Sandia Mountains. On their way back to Downtown, there are shopping and eating opportunities to enjoy.
Learn about Albuquerque’s biking trails!
Information includes available parking, directional assistance, and length in miles for each trail.
Check out New Mexico Touring Society’s ride library for more ideas on where to ride in Albuquerque!
Check out the bike rides recommended by fellow Bike Thru Burque participants, or propose your own ride here.
Vision Zero
Vision Zero is a commitment to create safer streets for all, whether walking, biking, driving, or taking transit, and regardless of age or ability. It is used around the world to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries, while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all.
In May 2021, the City of Albuquerque released its Vision Zero Action, which lays out steps that the City, working with agency and community partners, will take to reduce traffic fatalities and make our streets safer.
Bike to Wherever Day increases awareness of people biking, which can help drivers understand how to safely share the road with other road users. Each year as part of Bike to Work/Wherever Day, we work with the Mid-Region Council of Governments to conduct a survey about biking in Albuquerque, as well as counting people that bike near stations in different parts of the Albuquerque area. The data we collect as part of this event is used in planning for safe and accessible transportation facilities, which supports our Vision Zero goals. Read the Vision Zero Action Plan here.
Trail Etiquette
Be Courteous – Trails are for the enjoyment of all visitors. Please be courteous and respectful when encountering fellow trail users and wildlife habitat.
Yield – All users must slow and stop for horses. Cyclists must also yield to hikers.
Share the Trail – Keep to the right of the trail and allow faster users enough room to pass on the left.
Pack it in – Pack it out – Keep your impact to a minimum when on the trail – take your trash out and wildlife habitat.
Announce Yourself – Let people know when you are approaching from behind and that you are passing on the left.
Keep Dogs Leashed – Promote wildlife preservation, enhance the wilderness experience for other users, keep your pet safe and avoid hefty fines by keeping your dog properly leashed. Use Mutt Mitts to clean up after pets
Stay on Established Trails – Well-built trails are designed to protect the land from erosion and promote preservation. When users cut their own trails they promote degradation of the fragile landscape and wildlife habitat.
Pass on the Left – Always pass to the left on bike trails, and make sure to call out “on your left” to let the bike riders ahead know you are going to pass.
Clean Up after Your Dog – Not only does dog excrement stink, but it also spreads disease to other dogs and pollutes groundwater. Some trailheads provide “Mutt Mitts” to clean up after pets.
Albuquerque City Policies
Complete Streets
This Ordinance requires streets that are designed and built to efficiently serve all users, including pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders and motorists.
