The Placitas Area Trail System encompasses a number of designated National Forest System trails as well as a number of user-created, unofficial trails.

From Albuquerque, drive north on I-25 to Exit 242 Bernalillo/NM-165, stay to your right as you exit the ramp. Proceed east on NM-165 and drive about 3 miles, to the second entry point to Forest Road 445 (aka Forest Loop Road). Turn on to FR-445 and drive about 0.1 mile to Strip Mine Trailhead parking area.

Cibola National Forest covers more than 1.6 million acres and includes mountains, grasslands, wilderness, and forests. The name Cibola comes from the Zuni word for their tribal lands, which the Spanish later translated as "buffalo". The forest is home black bears, cougars, elk, and pronghorn. Cibola National Forest offers many recreational opportunities including hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, and skiing. It also has cultural and historical significance, as it contains ancient Native American sites and historic trails.

The National Forest has four ranger districts: Sandia, Mountainair, Magdalena, and Mount Taylor. In addition, the Cibola has four wilderness areas: Sandia Mountain, Manzano Mountain, Withington, and Apache Kid.

The AllTrails website has a description and map of a hike using the Strip Mine Trail.