The Sandia Mountains rise dramatically above Albuquerque on its east, an uplifted block with sheer west-facing cliffs and gentle forested east-facing slopes. The effect is particularly interesting as seen from an airplane while circling the airport. The Sandias are a magnet for hikers and tourists, with options ranging from a paved road up the east side to the top to miles of excellent hiking trails, and even a tramway! The hiking option up La Luz Trail is long but nothing impossible. However, it is a long day hike and I haven't yet allotted a full day for this particular option. Thus, in my two visits to Sandia Crest, I have opted once for the tram and another time for the road. Some day, La Luz.

First Visit, March 2000: For Spring Break 2000, I decided to visit New Mexico, explore the area and hike a few peaks. I left my home in Chandler at 4 a.m., and sped up Interstates-17 and 40 across into New Mexico, arriving in Albuquerque around noon. First on my agenda was Sandia Crest. There are three options to achieve the top. The first is a highway that leads up the east side of the mountain to a parking area within 50 feet of the summit area (which is built up with benches and overlooks). The second option is a 15 mile hike along La Luz trail from the Albuquerque side, and the third option is a tram ride to the ridge, followed by a 1.75 mile hike to the true summit. Like Goldilocks, the first was too easy, the second too hard (I didn't have the time), while the third was just right. Besides, trams are cool. So I took the tram.

The tram ride costs $14, and rises just under 4,000 vertical feet to the terminus at 10,300 feet. It's an incredible ride, looking down upon a very rugged terrain of cliffs and undergrowth. The ride takes about 15 minutes. At the top a series of trails leads from the tram station. I followed the Sandia Crest trail northward to Sandia Crest. There was still snow up high, and the trail alternated between slushy snow, portions of ice, and mud. After about a half-hour I was at the Crest. There were about a dozen people already there, having driven up the highway. From the crest area I hiked along the cliff's edge toward the Kiwanis Cabin, about 3/4 mile south of the summit (and visible from the tram as the little stone structure out on the promontory). The Kiwanis Cabin sits inside a contour of 10,640+ ft, but it's a few feet lower than the true summit. Nevertheless it is a pleasant hike.

After a few minutes I returned to the upper tram terminal for the ride down to my truck. Total, I spent about 2 hours goofing around up top. There is a restaurant at the top but I didn't eat there; I had my lunch in my car. Afterwards, I spent the rest of the day heading up Interstate-25, spending the night in Las Vegas (the New Mexico version), before undertaking a series of eastern New Mexico county highpoints the next day, starting with Harding county.

Second Visit, September 2003: My wife Beth and I were spending the weekend in New Mexico, and had just succeeded on two highpoints: Little Costilla Peak in Colfax county the day before, and Elk Mountain in San Miguel county earlier in the day. Once off of Elk Mountain we visited some more in downtown Santa Fe, then took a scenic back by-way, NM state highway 14, back toward Albuquerque. NM-14 is called the Turquoise Trail. It runs through a few small settlements that came into being during the mining booms of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Turquoise was mined here, as was gold (pre-dating the California Gold Rush) and coal. Nowadays the towns are in a state of arrested decay, and many of them, especially Madrid, have become artist's colonies. Tourism is quite heavy. In any case, we drove south through these towns, spending a few minutes in Madrid, and eventually found our way to the east side of the Sandia Mountains. Highway NM-536 winds 14 miles up the forested slopes to top out at the visitor's center and very near the summit. We strolled to the top and snapped some photos. The highpoint rocks are within feet of the viewing platform. On this crystal clear day, we could see miles in all directions. It was quite beautiful. After we drove down, we headed into Albuquerque for a dinner then flew home that night.