Located next to the gorgeous Sandia Mountains, lies the largest city in New Mexico, Albuquerque. It is a place filled with captivating culture, beautiful architecture and rich history. Known for it’s very popular International Balloon Festival and the hit TV show ‘Breaking Bad,’ there is a lot more to Albuquerque and New Mexico than meets the eye. Even with strict COVID regulations there was always someplace to go and something to do. Even if that meant ordering dinner at 5:.30pm MST when I was still on a client call.

My AirBnB was perfectly located near Old Town Albuquerque, I could visit the little shops during work breaks, go for walks around the parks, or go running along the Rio Grande River. Albuquerque was the perfect place to kick-off my road trip heading east.

I will advise late January - mid February is not the ideal time to visit Albuquerque if you’re looking to soak up desert beauty. It was nice because not a lot of people were around and things were never sold out, but the winter beauty fails in comparison the the spring beauty. Case in point, my visit to the famous Botanical Garden, where not one flower and I mean not one flower was in bloom. Everything was brown and dead. It looks like what would happen if I tried to raise my own garden. I didn’t really get to encounter the entire experience.

But some of the more memorable places include:

Old Town Albuquerque
Albuquerque Routes Bike Ride
Sandia Peak Tramway
Anderson Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum
Petroglyph National Monument
Botanical Garden
Hot Air Balloon Ride

Old Town Albuquerque

Founded in 1706, Old Town Albuquerque is home to museums, guided tours, shops and galleries for unique gifts from the Southwest and around the world. Due to COVID, many of the shops had limited hours during the week but during the weekend the hustle and bustle included people visiting from all over wandering in and out of the shops. I loved being able to walk around at anytime throughout the day and visit the cute Blackbird Coffee House and the Old Tea Barrel Company for an afternoon pick me up.

Albuquerque Routes Bike Ride

One of the best ways to slow down and see the city, Albuquerque is home to over 400-miles of bike trails and path. Considered a bike-city, you will see specific streets dedicated to bikers and their right of way. Take the day and cruise along the Paseo del Bosque Trail next to the Rio Grande River and see where the current takes you.

I headed South on the Bosque Trail, U-Turned before the start of the industrial area and made my way to Los Poblanos for a delicious lunch and walkaround the grounds. From there I took the less scenic route and cruised through the middle of the City to the University of New Mexico and the popular Nob Hill district. 16 miles in total. I was exhausted afterwards. Luckily I had a baked god waiting for me at the end.

Routes Bikes is located in Old Town and provides a variety of bikes for all levels. One of the perks of wintertime, I made my online reservation the night before I wanted to ride and they had a bike waiting for me in the morning. Maybe don’t try that during the busy season.

Sandia Peak Tramway

Highly recommend!! Sandia Peak Tramway is one of Albuquerque’s unique and popular attractions. It will take you on the ride of a lifetime while introducing you to some of the Southwest’s most spectacular views. Going right after a snowstorm provided beautiful views and freezing temperatures. It’s a hikers paradise with over 100 trails to explore. You can even travel to the Sandia Peak on foot and take the tram down, or take the tram to the top then hike down the mountain. I hiked the two miles to Kiwanis Cabin, the highest peak on the mountain, overlooking the Southwest for miles.

Anderson Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum

The Balloon Museum is dedicated to the worldwide history, science, and art of all types of ballooning and lighter-than-air flight. You can learn about the instruments and equipment needed to fly these colorful crafts, as well as how the weather, atmosphere, and altitude plays a key role in their flight. The museum usually has many interactive exhibits, but they were closed due to COVVID.

Petroglyph National Monument

One of the largest petroglyph sites in North America, the Petroglyph National Monument features over 28,000 designs and symbols carved onto volcanic rocks by Native Americans and Spanish settlers 400 to 700 years ago There are 4 parts of the national monument: Boca Negra, Rinconada Canyon, Piedras Marcadas Canyon and Volcanoes. Please note none of these locations start at the visitor’s center.

Ancestors of today’s Pueblo people carved these ancient drawings onto rock surfaces by using tools such as chisels and hammers. Historians believe these drawings primarily represent their sacred beliefs and religion, and certain tribe messages. However, some of these symbols are still unrecognized by historians and remain a mystery.

During my visit, I hiked the 4-miles around the barren, expansive Volcanoes area and the 2.5-miles around Rinconada Canyon, filled with over 300 different petroglyphs.

Botanical Garden

The death of the Botanical Garden. I do love a beautiful garden, but alas everything was dead and it was freezing outside. It was a short trip to the Botanical Garden. Put it on the list for my next visit.

Hot Air Balloon Ride

My final adventure in Albuquerque was an amazing one! My 5am wake up call to watch the 7:30am sunrise was one I was very happy for.

Riding in the large basket is so comfortable that after the initial excitement wears off and you’re enjoying your surroundings, I could’ve easily been taken a nap in the basket. Balloons will climb and descend to catch specific wind directions. Our pilot was a longtime flyer with Rainbow Ryders and knew how to course the balloon in the right wind current to move us along from our take off spot. We had some balloons fly above us past 3,000 feet, while others cruised along the Rio Grande below us.

Hot Air Balloon Clothing Recommendations:

Beanie & Gloves
Comfortable Shoes and Warm Socks – like sneakers or boots (I wore boots with wool socks)
Dress in layers – as many layers as you can (especially if you’re flying the wintertime)

Check that off the bucket list :)

Discovering Albuquerque