The Junkyard Loop is one of Albuquerque’s great bike rides. It takes you past the city’s sewage treatment plant (the largest tributary on the Middle Rio Grande), and along the Tijeras Arroyo concrete diversion channel.
One of its great highlights, the old Duke City Raceway, sadly is no more. But the best part of the ride is the featured that bestowed on it its fabulous name. Along the Tijeras Channel, the paved bicycle trail runs up the back fences of the city’s junkyard neighborhoods, including this priceless collection of old VW vans.
You can park at the little picnic area where Rio Bravo crosses the Rio Grande (see map). But the Junkyard Loop is best ridden as part of a longer ride along the Rio Grande bicycle trail.
Distance: 5 miles, largely level except for the climb (or descent, depending on your direction of travel) along Rio Bravo Boulevard.
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