United States John Phelan · CC BY 3.0
The cut
445 metres, to scale.
A slice through Tijeras Canyon where it is deepest and narrowest, measured on the Copernicus relief model every 30 m. Same scale as the landmark standing on the floor.
Standing on the floor, to scale: Big Ben · 96 m · Eiffel Tower · 330 m
Depth is measured to the lower rim; the width is from rim to rim. A 30 m relief model smooths the narrowest walls, so a slot canyon reads shallower than it is.
445m
Depth
measured on the 30 m relief model
6.4km
Rim to rim
measured on the 30 m relief model
25°
Steepest wall
average over 300 m, from the relief
1,843m
Floor altitude
Rim to floor
3 °C warmer at the bottom.
In June the afternoon reaches 32 °C on the floor, against 29 °C on the rim. The best months to hike are in April and in October. The rim freezes at night from November to March. The wettest months are from July to August.
- 7°4°Jan
- 10°7°Feb
- 15°12°Mar
- 20°17°Apr
- 26°23°May
- 32°29°Jun
- 32°29°Jul
- 30°28°Aug
- 27°24°Sep
- 20°17°Oct
- 13°10°Nov
- 6°4°Dec
Afternoon highs, 1991–2020 averages (NASA POWER) brought to the altitude of the rim and of the floor with the standard lapse rate (6.5 °C per 1 000 m). Shade, wind and rock change this on the day. Not a forecast.
Mountain pass in New Mexico east of Albuquerque
Tijeras Canyon is a canyon in United States, cut by the Cedro Creek. The relief model measures 445 m from the floor to the lower rim. Rim to rim it is 6.4 km wide where the cut was taken.
Getting there.
- Carnuelnearest town · 6.7 km in a straight line
- Parking 970 m awaynearest car park in OpenStreetMap, straight line
- Viewpointsnearest viewpoint · 2.4 km from the floor
- Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 21 km in a straight lineCar hire at ABQ airport (Albuquerque)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
- In April and in Octoberbest months to hike (estimate)
Plan the visit
Guided hikes, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
The river
The Cedro Creek runs highest from July to October.
The Cedro Creek carries about 0.12 m³/s on average here. It runs highest from July to October. It is lowest in June and in December.
- 0.1 m³/sJan
- 0.2 m³/sFeb
- 0.3 m³/sMar
- 0.2 m³/sApr
- 0.1 m³/sMay
- 0.0 m³/sJun
- 0.3 m³/sJul
- 0.4 m³/sAug
- 0.4 m³/sSep
- 0.3 m³/sOct
- 0.1 m³/sNov
- 0.0 m³/sDec
From about 0.04 m³/s in the lowest month to 0.40 m³/s in the highest. Its basin above this point covers 214 km².
Estimate: long-term flow from the HydroATLAS model (WaterGAP, 1971–2000) shaped by the monthly rain, snow and temperature of the area (NASA POWER). Dams change it. Not a forecast.
From the sky.
The canyon from above, with the relief shaded, the line of the cut, the river and what people have mapped around it.
N
4 km
Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 14 × 14 km, north up. The line is the cut above. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Around the canyon.
- 4viewpoints within 5 kmLightning Scarred Tree, Flat Rock Overlook, Bet's Rock and 1 more
- 40marked hiking routes within 4 kmGrand Enchantment Trail, Faulty Trail, South Crest Trail and 37 more
- 1climbing crags within 3 kmRanger Rock Trail
- 9footbridges and suspension bridges within 3 kmTijeras Pueblo Trail, Carlito Springs Loop Trail, Grand Enchantment Trail and 6 more
- 1named waterfalls within 4 kmTravertine Falls
- 1caves within 3 km
- 46car parks within 3 km
- 11information boards and visitor centres within 4 km
- 7campsites within 8 kmCedro Peak Group Campground, Cedro Group Campground, Turquoise Trail Campground and 4 more
- 1hotels and guesthouses within 8 kmCedar Crest Inn & Hostel
- 1restaurants and cafés within 4 km
- via ferrata routes within 4 km
- rafting, canoe, kayak or canyoning spots within 4 km
- swimming spots within 3 km
- bus stops within 2 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, around the floor of the canyon. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Towns nearby
- Carnuel6.7 km in a straight line
- Sandia Knolls12 km in a straight line
- Ponderosa Pine13 km in a straight line
- Sandia Heights14 km in a straight line
- Edgewood18 km in a straight line
- North Valley24 km in a straight line
- Albuquerque24 km in a straight line
- Lee Acres25 km in a straight line
In our other atlases
What else is around Tijeras Canyon.
The river that carved it, the waterfalls inside it, the mountains on the rim, the lakes, beaches and island nearby — from our six sister atlases, each with its own figures.
Peakyas7 mountains within 15 kmFigures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, NOAA, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Month by month
The weather, at the floor and at the rim.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon · floor | 7 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 26 | 32 | 32 | 30 | 27 | 20 | 13 | 6 |
| Afternoon · rim | 4 | 7 | 12 | 17 | 23 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 24 | 17 | 10 | 4 |
| Night · rim | -8 | -7 | -3 | 0 | 6 | 12 | 15 | 13 | 9 | 2 | -4 | -8 |
| Rain (mm) | 15 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 60 | 46 | 38 | 28 | 15 | 19 |
| Rainy days | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 14 | 13 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Sun hours/day | 7.7 | 8.4 | 9.9 | 11.2 | 12.2 | 13.0 | 11.0 | 10.5 | 10.1 | 9.5 | 8.3 | 7.1 |
| Snow on the ground (cm) | 10 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 11 |
| Afternoon · floor | Afternoon · rim | Night · rim | Rain (mm) | Sun hours/day | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | 4 | -8 | 15 | 7.7 |
| Feb | 10 | 7 | -7 | 13 | 8.4 |
| Mar | 15 | 12 | -3 | 14 | 9.9 |
| Apr | 20 | 17 | 0 | 16 | 11.2 |
| May | 26 | 23 | 6 | 17 | 12.2 |
| Jun | 32 | 29 | 12 | 19 | 13.0 |
| Jul | 32 | 29 | 15 | 60 | 11.0 |
| Aug | 30 | 28 | 13 | 46 | 10.5 |
| Sep | 27 | 24 | 9 | 38 | 10.1 |
| Oct | 20 | 17 | 2 | 28 | 9.5 |
| Nov | 13 | 10 | -4 | 15 | 8.3 |
| Dec | 6 | 4 | -8 | 19 | 7.1 |
Averages 1991–2020 (NASA POWER) for a cell about 55 km wide, brought to the floor (1,843 m) and the rim (2,300 m) with the standard lapse rate. Not a forecast.
Photographs
Seen from the trail.
Recent years
Wet years, dry years.
Rain of each month as a share of the 1991–2020 average. A dry year means a lower river and hotter rock; a wet one, more water in the gorge.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 74% | 138% | 132% | 56% | 23% | 106% | 69% | 28% | 54% | 34% | 29% | 50% |
| 2021 | 83% | 71% | 43% | 42% | 87% | 126% | 106% | 76% | 70% | 19% | 16% | 70% |
| 2022 | 40% | 86% | 141% | 2% | 2% | 419% | 54% | 135% | 65% | 253% | 27% | 97% |
| 2023 | 89% | 80% | 174% | 8% | 128% | 53% | 17% | 60% | 69% | 14% | 157% | 153% |
| 2024 | 74% | 69% | 171% | 54% | 91% | 155% | 77% | 68% | 32% | 73% | 243% | 2% |
| 2025 | 17% | 11% | 29% | 94% | 171% | 234% | 78% | 68% | 134% | 82% | 131% | 27% |
130% or more: wet month 70% or less: dry month
Compare with the neighbours.
Tijeras Canyon
United States
- 445 mDepth
- 6.4 kmRim to rim
- —Length
- 25°Steepest wall
McKittrick Canyon
United States · 377 km
- 182 mDepth
- 18 kmRim to rim
- —Length
- 30°Steepest wall
Where these figures come from
| Name, type, published depth and length | Wikidata (Q7801823) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| The cut: depth, width, wall and 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| River flow and basin | HydroATLAS / RiverATLAS v1.0 (Linke et al. 2019) · CC BY 4.0 |
| Climate | NASA POWER, 1991–2020 |
| Viewpoints, trails, bridges and the river line | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Rivers, waterfalls, mountains, lakes, beaches and islands nearby | Coastya, Lakeyas, Peakyas, Cascadyas, Islandyas, Riveryas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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