Of the three mountain ranges that converge near Santa Fe, I’ve only begun to explore two. To remedy that I get a nice early start on a clear day at the north end of the Sandia Range. A cold wind keeps me moving upward to views of ever more majestic cliff bands. The views are stunning in all directions – unfortunately the pictures just don’t do them justice. A hundred jaggy cliffs rise to the south, Cabezon Peak juts up in the West, the snow-capped Sangre de Cristos loom over the Cerrillos Hills to the northeast, and southwest the great plains stretch away to infinity. On the way down I discover the trail is full of ripe piñon, which keeps me snacking for most of the descent.
Map:
2 responses to “North Sandia Peak”
Were you by the place where the tram goes? We were lazy when we were down there last and rode that. and then had irish coffee at the restaurant at the top.
I think the tram goes to the southern peak – the one with all the radio towers maybe? It looked a little over a mile away, but I haven’t been there yet. Maybe the next variant of this hike is obtain irish coffee…