Route 66 Road Trips by Lonely Planet

Author:Lonely Planet
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781743607183
Publisher: Lonely Planet
Published: 2015-05-27T16:00:00+00:00

ALBUQUERQUE’S MOUNTAIN: SANDIA CREST

Albuquerqueans always know which way is east thanks to 10,378ft Sandia Crest, sacred to Sandia Pueblo and well named for both its wavelike silhouette and the glorious pink (sandia is Spanish for ‘watermelon’) its granite cliffs glow at sunset. There are three ways to the top.

» Beautiful 8-mile (one-way) La Luz Trail (FR 444; parking $3) is the most rewarding, rising 3800ft from the desert, past a small waterfall to pine forests and spectacular views. It gets hot, so start early. Take Tramway Blvd east from I-25, then turn left on FR 333 to the trailhead.

» Sandia Peak Tramway (505-856-7325; www.sandiapeak.com; 30 Tramway Rd NE; parking $1, adult/youth 13-20yr/child $20/17/12; 9am-0pm Jun-Aug, 9am-8pm Wed-Mon, from 5pm Tue Sep-May) is the most extravagant route to the summit; ride round-trip or take the tram up and then hike down La Luz, walking 2 miles more on Tramway Trail to your car.

» Finally you can drive, via Hwy 14, making a left onto Sandia Crest Rd (Hwy 165). The road is lined with trailheads and picnic spots (a daily $3 parking fee covers all of them), and low-impact camping ($3) is allowed by permit throughout Cibola National Forest. The choices are endless, but don’t skip the easy mile round-trip to Sandia Man Cave, where one of the earliest known human encampments in North America was discovered in 1936; bring a flashlight. The trailhead is along Hwy 165, north of the spur road to Sandia Crest.

At the top, the Sandia Crest Visitor Center (505-248-0190; Hwy 165; 10am-sunset in winter, to 7pm in summer) offers nature programs daily; Sandia Crest House (505-243-0605; www.sandiacresthouse.com; dishes $4-9; 10am-5pm), in the same building, serves burgers and snacks. This is the jumping-off point for the exquisite Sandia Crest Trail. With incredible views either way you go, paths lead north along the ridgeline for 11 miles and south along the ridge for 16 miles.

Take the trail 2 miles south, past Kiwanis Cabin rock house, to the tram terminal and High Finance (505-243-9742; www.sandiapeakrestaurants.com; lunch mains $7-15, dinner mains $20-38; 11am-3pm Wed-Sun, 4:30-9pm daily), where the food is nothing special but the views are fabulous.

This is also the site of Sandia Peak Ski Park (505-242-9052; www.sandiapeak.com; lift tickets adult/child $50/40; 9am-4pm Dec-Mar & Jun-Sep), a smallish but scenic ski area. In summer, the park has a bike-and-lift combo for $58 (with $650 deposit) – you get a bike and lift pass to blaze those downhill runs all day long (note that bikes aren’t allowed on the tram).

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