Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico... the City at the End of the World.
Posts: 248
Albuquerque Ditch Directory
NOTE: In the interest of keeping these skate spots COP-FREE, it's asked that all skaters using this guide please bear in mind the "DL" (Discretion Level) posted alongside each set of directions.
The Albuquerque Police Department is famously laid-back and tolerant of skaters, but don't forget, skating in the arroyo is illegal. The cops would rather not stub out their spliffs and get out of their cars, but if you act like a punk, they will.And an angry New Mexico cop is not something you want to find out about. Seriously.
So for the love of God, please be mellow, don't annoy the folks who live alongside the ditches, and take your empties and litter with you. This way, we can all keep skating the ditches without getting busted.
Life is short. Don't be a dick.
Discretion Levels ("DL"): !!!!Be quiet, you're in someone's back yard !!!High roadside visibility, take it under the bridge !! Low roadside visibility, just keep moving ! Middle of nowhere, relax
ALBUQUERQUE DITCH DIRECTORY
East Side and Northeast Heights Ditches
"INDIAN SCHOOL" Ditch is the most famous Albuquerque arroyo, and also the one where you can be seen the most. If you ride up onto the bike path and drop back in (good way to get rid of speed), keep an eye out for little kids, moms with baby carriages, etc. You can take the #6 bus to the top of the ditch (there's a stop on Rover). Upper section is worth a walk/drive, lower section is faster, the first drop is a killer, you will accelerate to Warp 7 instantly, DUCK and look out for bums under the very low second bridge! Hazards: inflow pipes and ladders, occasional rocks. There is almost always thick sand beneath the Juan Tabo bridge, you'll wipe out if you go under it. (After Juan Tabo, the Indian School ditch gets slow and dirty, but you can use it to travel crosstown.) Juan Tabo is a good place to park several cars and do relays to top of ditch; on weekends there are entire parking lots free, behind dental clinics which are closed on Sat./Sun. Try not to poach parking spaces in front of apartments, there's lots of parking on the side streets.
Take Indian School Rd. to Tramway, north on Tramway under the big wooden bridge (the ditch runs right under it and there's a nice little grassy park on the west side of the road) one block to Rover, turn east (right) on Rover. At T intersection, turn right, the ditch starts right there behind the barrier. Lots of parking, lots of shade, very little traffic. DL is !!!!
"THREE MILE DITCH" has a dozen different transitions and sick thrills for all comers. Park one car on the SE corner of Montgomery and Tramway, in the Park&Ride lot, after having left other cars at the park east of Morris. Follow bike path alongside Tramway Blvd. to the first bridge, go under it. Beware low bridges, and be ready to slalom through rocks and ditch junk. Session spot at the top has parking blocks, etc. Large grassy park east of Morris is a good place to leave several cars, so you can relay skaters back to top of the run. DL at session spot (top of ditch) is !!!!, but everyplace downstream the DL is ! so relax and enjoy.
"THE BEAR" or "ARROYO DEL OSO" Take I-25 North to the Osuna exit, then turn left (west) on Osuna Blvd. Go past Calvary Chapel (which has an amazing vert park, btw). Look for Chappell Drive, and turn left onto it, then left again into a parking lot w/blue-and-brown building. Take the bike path bridge, hang out in the bottom of the ditch, not the top. The Bear has a deadly fast drop-in. It's a big, scary ride, and totally awesome. DL is !!
"MORRIS" Ditch is actually just the easternmost section of the Arroyo del Oso (Bear) Ditch. It's got big walls and a fast grade. Take Montgomery Blvd. to Morris (a side road between Juan Tabo and Eubank). Turn north (left) on Morris, go four blocks, turn right at the ditch and park. Walls get bigger downstream from the bridge. DL is !!
"LOS ALTOS SKATE PARK" is a good spot to warm up, cool down, chill out, make lunch and have a beer. There is also a really nice indoor public swimming pool, a dog park, lots of grass and shade. Welcome to New Mexico!
Alcohol is permitted on the east side of Los Altos Park (but not in the skate park) until 10 p.m. Skate park parking is on west side (hotter than hell), but shaded parking and the back gate into the skate park are on the other side, through the main Los Altos Park entrance...just bear right and park anywhere. There are public barbeques and tables back there, as well. The public swimming pool area has clean toilets, hot showers, and sinks where you can wash up and change clothes (but the skate park itself has two hot, nasty port-a-johns and no water). Cops do roll through here regularly, so be cool. DL is !
"LAYTON" is a winding residential street between Paseo del Norte and Montgomery Blvd. (to the north and south), and between Wyoming and Juan Tabo (to the west and east). As it goes north, Layton becomes Ventura. From Layton St., take Concordia just north of the ditch into a neighborhood where you'll turn right, then right again to park alongside the road next to the grass. Follow the sidewalk back to the drop-in. Check out the extreme roll-ins. DL is !!!!
"HARPER" is between I-25 and Wyoming, running alongside San Antonio. Find someplace discreet to park (behind the dental clinic when they're closed for the day, for example) and beware ollie gaps under the bridges, hug the banks if you can't ollie a longboard! DL is !!
"KATE'S NIPS" is at the edge of the Sandia Indian Reservation, across from the casino. Take I-25 north to Tramway (God's country) exit, then turn left at the bottom of the ramp and double back under the highway. Immediately turn left onto the frontage road. Go past the ditch, turn right on Balloon Fiesta Parkway, go 1/4 mile then right at San Mateo, across the dirt to the ditch. Park in the dirt, anywhere you like. Unless you see an official-looking vehicle that says "Open Space Ranger" on the side, in which case, bail and come back in half an hour (the Open Space rangers are jerks, they will definitely hassle you...the regular Albuquerque cops won't bother you, unless you act like an ass. DL is !
"CALVARY CHAPEL SKATE PARK" This is a seriously awesome, one-push flowing vert park operated by a small Baptist church. Free entry, but they're serious about "no offensive logos or messages", no cussing, and a helmet (lots of kids here, play nice). This place is totally worth a side trip. Soda machines. Closed on Sunday.
Calvary Chapel is on Osuna Blvd., 1/2 mile west of I-25 on the right-hand side. Lots of parking on side street or parking lot. Both the Bear Ditch and Lower Harper Ditch are close by. DL is !!!!
West Side Ditches
"528" Go west (away from the mountains) on Alameda Boulevard AKA State Highway 528 and follow it over the Rio Grande and up the hill. Take a left on Ellison, then a right on Cibola Loop. Turn right at the Apartments at 10600 and follow road around to your left, into the back. Get on the dirt and follow the sidewalk up the hill, park behind the hills...the ditch is on the other side of the barbed-wire fence. Fast but rough, be careful. (Also: you're on the mesa, watch out for rattlesnakes. They're not aggressive, just don't step on one.) Or you can get your friend to drop you off quickly at the top of Highway 528 on a tiny dirt pull-over...don't park there, though. DL is !
"GOLF COURSE" Take Paseo del Norte west over the Rio Grande to Golf Course Road. Turn left (south) onto Golf Course Road and look for the Subway sandwich shop...turn right into the strip mall parking lot, go all the way back to the Smith's grocery store. Park here, follow the ditch downstream, under the bridge a couple minutes' walk to where it gets good and big. DL is !
"NEW WEST SIDE SKATE PARK" Three big old bowls feeding in to an eighteen-foot 3/4 pipe. Yeah, that's right. There's a half-pipe as well. Big, big fun. Take I-40 west to Coors Blvd. exit, where you'll turn left (south) past Central Ave. about three blocks to Gonzalez St., now turn left and go 1/4 mile, then turn right on Bataan, two blocks farther on is the park. DL is !
"RIO BRAVO BOULEVARD AND DITCH" Rio Bravo is what the Rio Grande is called once it crosses into Mexico...'cause "only a very brave river would try to cross the Mexican desert." And if you're feeling really ballsy, this is the ride for you...it's FAST. Also seriously dangerous. Prevailing winds in Albuquerque usually come from the west (off the desert), so there are good odds you'll get a nice tailwind, especially in March/April.
Take I-25 south to the Rio Bravo exit and turn west, over the Rio Grande on State Road 500. Follow SR 500 past Coors Blvd. to the top of the long, long hill. There's good visibility for two miles behind you at the top. Don't obstruct traffic, stay in your lane, and remember that us New Mexicans are not the most careful (or sober) drivers. We don't mean any harm, just please don't assume we see you...we probably don't. Especially in the late afternoon; in the desert, if the sun's behind you, NO ONE CAN SEE YOU, all they can see is the sun.
Anyhow, bombing the road is NOT illegal out here on Rio Bravo! 50 MPH with no wind, 50+ MPH with a tailwind. Watch for Cat (bulldozer) tracks near side road at the bottom, it feels like a big zipper going over 40 mph. Ditch is alongside the roadway, park in the dirt, anywhere. DL is !!
Last edited by Severian_Sidewalk_Surfer; 05-30-2008 at 07:06 PM.
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico... the City at the End of the World.
Posts: 248
Re: Albuquerque Ditch Directory
Quote:
Originally Posted by brovarnm
How do you get to the Ventura Ditch? You know, the one that starts in the little park area and ends up behind the Loews. That one is amazing!
And how 'bout Cueva, I think it's called? The cheese grater one.
Ventura, I don't know...but I'm pretty sure my friend does, I'll ask him and get back to you.
The La Cueva (High School) ditch got repaved last summer with this heavily-textured, ribbed surface that's meant to slow down/break up flood water...and which makes it kinda unskatable. It's really, really slow and rough, now. It had some texture, before, but now it just sucks.
Sorry, I was really pissed off at work when I made that last post.
But seriously, I don't really want a ton of people in the ditches this summer. I think "longboarding" is getting a bit more trendy here in Abq and maybe other places, so I can picture 20 kids skating Harper everyday and ruining alot of fun ditches. If one kid cracks his head open, then the cops will start coming down on us. (Wear a Helmet!)
Maybe I'm being selfish, but I want to keep skating the ditches of Albuquerque for years to come without fear of being busted, or having to deal with parking blocks or "skate stops".
Last edited by skatingkeepsmesane; 06-05-2008 at 06:26 AM.
Sorry, I was really pissed off at work when I made that last post.
But seriously, I don't really want a ton of people in the ditches this summer. I think "longboarding" is getting a bit more trendy here in Abq and maybe other places, so I can picture 20 kids skating Harper everyday and ruining alot of fun ditches. If one kid cracks his head open, then the cops will start coming down on us. (Wear a Helmet!)
Maybe I'm being selfish, but I want to keep skating the ditches of Albuquerque for years to come without fear of being busted, or having to deal with parking blocks or "skate stops".
Agreed!
I went to indian school the other day, there were like 20 kickflippers out there. They would go down the ditch half way, then stop and try to do some tricks in the inlet thingys, glowering at me when I tried to skate ALL THE WAY DOWN THE FRIGGIN DITCH!!!! What they don't realize is that when you have a board made for doing more than 5mph it is really hard to stop in a ditch! (no speed checks, foot braking is wonky, and jumping out of the ditch is the only way to do it- not fun at 15-20mph!!!)
its actually more like ten of us in harper, thank you. the cops are usually really cool though. at the harper race at ditchslap, there was a security guard, and all he did was hang around and talk with us. all he had to do was call a real cop, but he was cool. and the popsicle stick riders in indian school really do piss me off. at the slap, we had a sesh goin there, and they showed up, and we almost ###### killed them, since almost all of us almost hit them. if you wanna go back and forth in a ditch, just to do tricks, then go ride a skatepark, er somthin. i love ranting.
its actually more like ten of us in harper, thank you. the cops are usually really cool though. at the harper race at ditchslap, there was a security guard, and all he did was hang around and talk with us. all he had to do was call a real cop, but he was cool. and the popsicle stick riders in indian school really do piss me off. at the slap, we had a sesh goin there, and they showed up, and we almost ###### killed them, since almost all of us almost hit them. if you wanna go back and forth in a ditch, just to do tricks, then go ride a skatepark, er somthin. i love ranting.
I dunno, i've never had a problem with the "kickflippers". Just tell them your bombing and to not drop in when you bombing the ditch, they are usually stoked to see me going so fast...
Sorry, I was really pissed off at work when I made that last post.
But seriously, I don't really want a ton of people in the ditches this summer. I think "longboarding" is getting a bit more trendy here in Abq and maybe other places, so I can picture 20 kids skating Harper everyday and ruining alot of fun ditches. If one kid cracks his head open, then the cops will start coming down on us. (Wear a Helmet!)
Maybe I'm being selfish, but I want to keep skating the ditches of Albuquerque for years to come without fear of being busted, or having to deal with parking blocks or "skate stops".
You're not being too selfish, in my opinion.
It only takes so many negative medical events to ruin ................a great thing.
Looking to hit them myself..........not soon enough.
I ride like a ditch racer.....you could say.
Just never been to ABQ as a skater.
Picked up the perfect topmount board for "the Bear".
Hopefully the hardhead punks won't get you into longterm trouble.
You're not being too selfish, in my opinion.
It only takes so many negative medical events to ruin ................a great thing.
Looking to hit them myself..........not soon enough.
I ride like a ditch racer.....you could say.
Just never been to ABQ as a skater.
Picked up the perfect topmount board for "the Bear".
Hopefully the hardhead punks won't get you into longterm trouble.
do you really think you can ride the bear? it is more intense then most of the hills i've ridden, and just hitting the second wall can be suicidal if you go at the wrong angle.
Albuquerque Ditch Directory
Re: Albuquerque Ditch Directory
Re: Albuquerque Ditch Directory
