(Albuquerque NM)
The Sandía Peak Tramway is one of the longest spans in the world. It goes up to the Sandía Crest at 10,378ft. At the top was a restaurant, a ski area, trails, and an old stone cabin. Great views of the valleys to the west, south and east could be seen. The ticket for seniors was $17 round-trip.
Sandía Peak Tram
There was a restaurant near both ends of the tramway. The one at the top will close at the end of this season for two years to be renovated. Also, a gift shop and a deli-grill were at the Crest viewpoint, where I had lunch on the deck overlooking Albuquerque.
Cliff from tram going up
Stone cabin near Sandía Crest
I met Steve and Jen on the way up, and we hiked to the Crest House together. The overlook there had grand views of the valley and mountains. On the way back, we saw mountain goats grazing near the trail. The hike was an easy 3 1/2 miles round-trip with little elevation gain.
Mountain goat by the trail
Fall colors atop Sandía
It was a fun time with beautiful scenery, new friends, good food, and mountain goats. Hard to beat that combination. I’m glad I finally went. By the way, if you don’t like the tram, there is a road that goes up on the east side from San Antonito. Pretty steep with lots of tight switchbacks though.
View across valley from Sandía Crest
Parked overnight for free at Sandía Casino in the special section for RVs. They allow two nights in a 30-day period, provide security, and a shuttle to the casino. The food in the casino is inexpensive and pretty good, with non-alcoholic drinks free. A very large screen TV shows sporting events and music videos. I’ve stayed before and always enjoyed it.
Camp: Sandía Casino Resort – overnight
Scene: Mountains, trails, valley, tram, goats
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