I believe you have to purchase the tram ticket the day before. At least that's how it was a few weeks ago.huffy13 wrote: ↑Thu May 13, 2021 11:36 am Sandia Crest via the La Paz Trail, on the east side of Albuquerque, is a really fun hike. Take plenty of fluids though as there isn't really a good water source until you get to the summit visitor center. If you don't feel like descending after making the summit, there is a great trail to the tram that has some more great views and you can purchase a one way ticket back down and either hike the 2-2 1/2 miles back to the La Paz trailhead or, do what my brother-in-law and I did.....get an Uber back for a few bucks. I have posted a trip report for it here on the site.
Santa Fe recommendations
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- NM_Hiker
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Re: Santa Fe recommendations
Re: Santa Fe recommendations
Bandelier National Monument is super cool. Visitors are (or used to be) allowed to climb tall ladders and explore many of the ruins in Frijoles Canyon (the main area of the park). It's a real gem of a park.
The Bandelier backcountry and neighboring Dome Wilderness are very beautiful. The extensive burn areas open up views of canyons and impressive terrain.
Southern Sangre snow conditions can be assessed using the Taos Ski and Santa Fe Ski resort webcams. All Trails .com is also a good resource for current reports.
https://www.skitaos.com/mountain/cams-conditions
https://skisantafe.com/webcams/
For getting high but keeping close to town, I recommend Lake Peak and Deception Peak from the Winsor TH near the Santa Fe Ski lodge. The most recent All Trails update was May 2. Someone wrote: "Beautiful day for a hike. Up to the 1st Overlook it was the usual hike with some packed ice along the barbed fence. After that the trail disappears under 6 inches to 3 foot snow drifts. Pushed another mile and turned around bc my 260lbs ass kept breaking through the snow every other step. Spikes helped but I really wished I had taken snow shoes. Then it would have been easy enough. Apparently it snowed up there a few days ago."
So that might not be in your cards but Lake and Deception is a fine pairing for future. Lake Peak on right, Santa Fe Baldy in distance on left.
And lowest but not least, Atalaya Mountain is on the edge of Santa Fe. It's a popular "neighborhood peak" with a trail to the top.
The Bandelier backcountry and neighboring Dome Wilderness are very beautiful. The extensive burn areas open up views of canyons and impressive terrain.
Southern Sangre snow conditions can be assessed using the Taos Ski and Santa Fe Ski resort webcams. All Trails .com is also a good resource for current reports.
https://www.skitaos.com/mountain/cams-conditions
https://skisantafe.com/webcams/
For getting high but keeping close to town, I recommend Lake Peak and Deception Peak from the Winsor TH near the Santa Fe Ski lodge. The most recent All Trails update was May 2. Someone wrote: "Beautiful day for a hike. Up to the 1st Overlook it was the usual hike with some packed ice along the barbed fence. After that the trail disappears under 6 inches to 3 foot snow drifts. Pushed another mile and turned around bc my 260lbs ass kept breaking through the snow every other step. Spikes helped but I really wished I had taken snow shoes. Then it would have been easy enough. Apparently it snowed up there a few days ago."
So that might not be in your cards but Lake and Deception is a fine pairing for future. Lake Peak on right, Santa Fe Baldy in distance on left.
And lowest but not least, Atalaya Mountain is on the edge of Santa Fe. It's a popular "neighborhood peak" with a trail to the top.
- madbuck
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Re: Santa Fe recommendations
Nice photos as usual, kimo!
I suggest the views from Picacho Peak, and ideally a Picacho/Atalaya loop, for that close-to-town option.
- huffy13
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Re: Santa Fe recommendations
That is a possibility, we hiked Sandia in the middle of the week, in less-than-great conditions, and long before the covid stuff was a thing. We did not see another soul on the hike until we reached the tram station and purchasing tickets that day was easy. The only three other people we saw all day took the tram back down with us.NM_Hiker wrote: ↑Thu May 13, 2021 1:54 pmI believe you have to purchase the tram ticket the day before. At least that's how it was a few weeks ago.huffy13 wrote: ↑Thu May 13, 2021 11:36 am Sandia Crest via the La Paz Trail, on the east side of Albuquerque, is a really fun hike. Take plenty of fluids though as there isn't really a good water source until you get to the summit visitor center. If you don't feel like descending after making the summit, there is a great trail to the tram that has some more great views and you can purchase a one way ticket back down and either hike the 2-2 1/2 miles back to the La Paz trailhead or, do what my brother-in-law and I did.....get an Uber back for a few bucks. I have posted a trip report for it here on the site.
Seems like the times that I need a mountain the most are the times that I can not get to them.
Re: Santa Fe recommendations
Thanks! We hiked up Monte Luna one afternoon and then crossed the valley and started up Atalaya. About half way up Atalaya we decided to beeline for Maria's Kitchen before the dinner crowd hit. The trail was crowded and after encountering no one on Monte Luna it was a bummer to be dodging people and dogs. We'll go back at a better time for Picacho and Atalaya. It's a fine suggestion, and if the OP wants a local peak with local flavor buried at the back of a Santa Fe neighborhood, this is a good one to hit at the right time.
La Luz, not La Paz. We enjoyed the best cup of hot chocolate ever at the summit visitor center. It was a late November day - cold and breezy. We had hiked up La Luz from the bottom to the crest. The lone worker at the visitor center was astonished to see us. We encountered no one on the hike up or down and walked out in the dark. It's a long trail but one of the best. The NM sunsets linger forever and on a cold late autumn day the air was crisp and felt electrified. It was sublime.huffy13 wrote: ↑Thu May 13, 2021 3:22 pmThat is a possibility, we hiked Sandia in the middle of the week, in less-than-great conditions, and long before the covid stuff was a thing. We did not see another soul on the hike until we reached the tram station and purchasing tickets that day was easy. The only three other people we saw all day took the tram back down with us.NM_Hiker wrote: ↑Thu May 13, 2021 1:54 pmI believe you have to purchase the tram ticket the day before. At least that's how it was a few weeks ago.huffy13 wrote: ↑Thu May 13, 2021 11:36 am Sandia Crest via the La Paz Trail, on the east side of Albuquerque, is a really fun hike. Take plenty of fluids though as there isn't really a good water source until you get to the summit visitor center. If you don't feel like descending after making the summit, there is a great trail to the tram that has some more great views and you can purchase a one way ticket back down and either hike the 2-2 1/2 miles back to the La Paz trailhead or, do what my brother-in-law and I did.....get an Uber back for a few bucks. I have posted a trip report for it here on the site.
All this New Mexico talk is making me hungry.
- huffy13
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Re: Santa Fe recommendations
kimo wrote: ↑Thu May 13, 2021 4:28 pmThanks! We hiked up Monte Luna one afternoon and then crossed the valley and started up Atalaya. About half way up Atalaya we decided to beeline for Maria's Kitchen before the dinner crowd hit. The trail was crowded and after encountering no one on Monte Luna it was a bummer to be dodging people and dogs. We'll go back at a better time for Picacho and Atalaya. It's a fine suggestion, and if the OP wants a local peak with local flavor buried at the back of a Santa Fe neighborhood, this is a good one to hit at the right time.
La Luz, not La Paz. We enjoyed the best cup of hot chocolate ever at the summit visitor center. It was a late November day - cold and breezy. We had hiked up La Luz from the bottom to the crest. The lone worker at the visitor center was astonished to see us. We encountered no one on the hike up or down and walked out in the dark. It's a long trail but one of the best. The NM sunsets linger forever and on a cold late autumn day the air was crisp and felt electrified. It was sublime.huffy13 wrote: ↑Thu May 13, 2021 3:22 pmThat is a possibility, we hiked Sandia in the middle of the week, in less-than-great conditions, and long before the covid stuff was a thing. We did not see another soul on the hike until we reached the tram station and purchasing tickets that day was easy. The only three other people we saw all day took the tram back down with us.
All this New Mexico talk is making me hungry.
You are correct La Luz Trail, my mistake. Should have looked at my own trip report for that. LOL
Seems like the times that I need a mountain the most are the times that I can not get to them.