Sandia Crest - Unexpected Mountain Oaisis - Albuquerque, New Mexico




Plainly discernible climate zones looking east from the Sandia Crest, NM
Took a trip up on to the Sandia Crest while I was in Albuquerque, New Mexico. When you are down in town and you look to the East at the intimidating wall of the Sandia Mountains, they look like barren, arid cliffs but once you get elevated, you realize that there are completely different climate zones on the mountain that offer an incredible and close escape from the desert heat and monotony. As I sit here writing, James Taylor is singing "Fire & Rain" through my sound system and I replaced the end of one of his lines with the words "And I always hope I will see the Sandia.......Again" If you ever visit the crest you will understand why. Music makes everything better I think.  Each time I go out exploring I usually stop for a spell and write down some notes and capture my observations and feelings. In this age of connectivity, I can usually query some information on the internet and immediately add some relevant facts that could be interesting to others, in the case of this blog post, the Sandia District Ranger Station contact information is an example. I also learn a lot from interpretive signs and panels that might be along the trails. The following are my notes from my Sandia Crest exploration. " March 2013 - Up here on the Sandia Crest at 10,678 feet. It is 21 degrees in the bright sun. I am very favorably impressed with the Sandia Mountains. They have a long ridge over 10,000 feet and go from the scrubby un inviting barrenness of Albuquerque all the way up to lush mixed conifer forest. There is a great parking area there with an interpretive nature trail at the top. Only drawback I could see was the forest of TV and Radio Towers but you can walk away from them so its not too much of an issue. The Sandia Crest is gradual and forested thickly on the east slope with the type of trees present depending on the climate zone you are in. The west face consists of giant granite cliffs and bold escarpments. There are Douglas Fir and Ponderosa Pine in the shadowy rocky places. On top of the crest the timber is permanently bent by the force of the wind. Good amount of snow on top here today. I walked the short nature trail and in places, while breaking snow drifts, I sank up to my waist in snow. Pretty walk through the Engelman Spruce, Aspen and Limber Pine with wind timber on the cliff ledges. The edge of the cliffs was a beautiful place in the clear morning. I could see downtown Albuquerque and far away to the west, the 11,306 foot snow cap of Mount Taylor. Arrived here at around 8:30 am and it was an easy drive from Albuquerque. To get there from town take I-40 east to the "Tourquoise Highway" NM State Highway 14 then head North on NM 14 to NM State Highway 536 - the Sandia Crest Highway. Turn left and head west up to the top of the crest on NM 536. At this junction of NM Highways 14 and 536 there is a gas station / convenience store. It is a good idea to stock up on any supplies you may need there.Totally different world up here - pines, cliffs, fresh air, in short - the mountains. My toes are frozen! It was so cold I could hardly snap pictures on my camera. There was a pretty good little breeze coming up the west escarpment and over the cliff tops so I imagine the wind chill was hovering around 0F. There is a $3,00 fee per car (always check to make sure fees have not changed) but this small price is well worth it" For more information and road conditions, contact the Sandia Ranger District:

Sandia Ranger District - Cibola Nationa Forest
11776 Highway 337
Tijeras, New Mexico, 87059
505-281-3304
Looking down from a cliff perch on the Sandia Crest. These forests are not visible from below

Looking west over Albuquerque, a city of 558,000 at an elevation of 5,312 feet  
Edge of the Cliffs elevation is roughly 10,400 feet (difference of 5,187 feet)
Sandia Crest, New Mexico
Mixed conifer forest is a pleasant surprise when you find it on the east side of the
Sandia Mountains, New Mexico
Winter walk on the Sandia Crest, New Mexico




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Brattleboro Retreat Tower - Haunted Asylum lookout in the Vermont Woods.

Image
Brattleboro Retreat Tower Since I arrived in New England I have been fascinated by a structure that caught my attention while I was looking for interesting sites to see. The structure I was curious about is called the “Brattleboro Retreat Tower” and it is located in Brattleboro, Vermont. The town of Brattleboro is about an hour drive north of where I live in Belchertown, Massachusetts so one Sunday afternoon I took a drive up to that place to check it out. On approach to Brattleboro I crossed the Connecticut River on a large green bow type steel bridge and then rounded a large frozen pond where people were fishing through holes out on the ice.  I made my way into the town and around the city park and then descended a hill and passed by some epic old Victorian looking structures on a campus, the entrance of which was marked by a decorative metal arch with a lamp hanging from it and the top of the arch read “Brattleboro Retreat”. The Brattleboro Retreat – which is an Asylum for ...
Read more

MONTANA - Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway

Image
10,127 foot Sawtooth Mountain as seen from the west and Grasshopper valley.  The Pioneer Mountains National Forest Scenic Byway is a road that passes through some beautiful mountain terrain in the south west corner of Montana. This road, Forest Route 73, takes the traveler on a 43-mile journey through the Beaverhead / Deerlodge National Forest from Wise River in the north to Polaris in the south. All along this route you will have stunning views of the west face and crest of the Pioneer Mountain range.  Torrey Mountain 11,147 Feet as seen from Scenic Byway The route follows the Wise river for a stretch and there are several waysides that have interpretive panels on topics such as geology, flora, fauna, glaciation, homesteads etc. Near the Wise River you can stop at a wayside and follow a short footpath past a pond full of lilies down to the riverside. Along this trail there are several benches that make great places to set for a spell and contemplate Gods beautiful ...
Read more

Alden House & Myles Standish Burial Ground: Duxbury, Massachusetts

Image
The Alden House in Duxbury, Massachusetts is a National Historic Landmark that commemorates the place where Mayflower passengers John Alden and Priscilla Mullens Alden lived and built their home in 1627.  The "Alden Kindred of America" organization operates the National Historic Landmark and their mission is to Preserve, Educate and exhibit the history and heritage of Pilgrims John Alden and Priscilla Mullens Alden. You can visit their website at www.alden.org to find out more information about genealogy and history of the site.  I visited this site in the fall of 2016 and the woods around the house and in Duxbury in general are beautiful as they exibit the typical color show that is autumn in New England.  John Alden was hired as part of the crew for the Mayflower. While the ship was anchored off of Cape Cod, John, along with others signed the Mayflower compact. Rather than return with the Mayflower to England, John chose to stay on with the Plymouth Co...
Read more