Hiking in La Cuentista, the MetroABQ's Newest West Side Open Space
Always great to hear that the city is setting aside more public Open Space acres each year. The newest addition on the West Side--60 acres of Open Space just south of Paseo del Norte & west of Golf Course Blvd along the volcanic escarpment--is called La Cuentista, & the ABQ Journal provided a great map to its general location. The fun begins finding it in real time.
The map is somewhat vague, so half the fun was finding my way into the area behind the homes in the Calle Norteña neighborhood. Finally, at the end of Calle Norteña NW, the trail begins & heads NW into the new Open Space area. The obvious draw is the rusted steel footbridge in the distance. Created from steel beams at transverse Gaudí angles, the bridge cuts an interesting-looking swath across the scrub-land.
By the time you come to the footbridge across Paseo del Norte, you are back in the Petroglyph National Monument. Continuing along the trail heading north, you find yourself in the fantastic Piedras Marcadas Canyon...a great place to check out if you have a few hours to enjoy.
Scenes below are from & around the footbridge...
The last image is a new home being built on top of the volcanic escarpment above the new 60 acre La Cuentista Open Space. The fence-line in front is the boundary...
