Turquoise Trail - Sandia Crest (10,678 ft)

The Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway. click for large jpg

The high point on the Turquois Trail is the magnificent summit of the Sandia Mountains, Sandia Crest, at 10,678 ft. The view from the summit observation deck is awesome! From here you can venture into Sandia Mountain Wilderness while hiking through aspen glades and across flowering meadows, coming upon one spectacular view after another. The visitor's center and snack bar are open daily. In the winter, cross country ski rentals are available. (243-0605)

To get to the Crest, you take a 13 mile detour from North NM-14 up scenic NM-536. Also known as The Sandia Crest National Scenic Byway, NM-536 winds up the Sandia Mountains to the sub-alpine zone on Sandia Crest, the highest point in the Sandia Mountains at 10,678ft elevation.

Sandia is Spanish for "Watermelon". The origin of this name is evident to anyone who has witnessed the setting sun in late fall or early spring paint the mountains a brilliant pink. To help with this visualization, from the Albuquerque valley and west mesa the the Sandias project a half-elliptical, watermelon profile.

From Sandia Crest, hiking trails lead throughout the Sandias. It is an easy and beautiful hike to Sandia Peak, the head of the Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway, which ferries visitors to and from the Albuquerque valley to the top of the Sandias and the Sandia Ski Area. In the summer, alpine wildflowers are abundant along the trails. The Ranger Station at Sandia Peak provides guides for identifying the abundant wildflowers.

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