This is a fabulous early morning hike, with good amounts of shade and plenty of elevation gain. Trail is well maintained, if narrow. This trail is at approximately 7000 feet and is an Ecotone, the biological transition zone between two different zones, so there’s much more diversity. Great to see all sorts of different cactus varieties and pine varieties, lots of birds, plenty of wildflowers. you’re transitioning from:
• Lower-elevation desert/scrub (piñon-juniper)
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• Higher-elevation ponderosa pine forest
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Difficult because it was a “shortcut”. Was a fast path and hairy at times. Also wonderful microclimates on the way up.
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Consider revising the end part of hike to come back before the towers and touristy part of N. Crest trail. Took 5 hours, trailhead was 10,300 fr.
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Almost no-one on entire hike area. Went off-trail some. Blooms all over.
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Part of La Luz trail, trailhead to an arbitrary stopping point (started late, needed to beat the dark).
Very exposed, especially at the start. Great views. Well worn trail that is easy to spot & follow. Lots of others on trail, including trail runners with just the clothes on their backs and hikers with full packs and trekking poles. Some steep sections with super dusty sand, very fine gravel - trekking poles would probably make the descent in those parts a little easier, or at least less hairy. Good hike, definitely recommend
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It’s a quick, steep climb of about 40 min. The views at the top are nice, and there were falcons. Quicker descent down. Ground is very gravelly, take it carefully and slow. Double check every fork in the road, Three Guns Spring trail is right next to it, and it’s east to get off trail, which can add a lot of time and distance. You can get this hike done in an hour and a half roughly.
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First time here took us 2 hrs. Didn’t see to much but nice hike for us
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This was a nice loop. The trails were easy to see. There was a lot of up-and-down and areas with loose gravel and or exposed roots. It’s in the trees mostly, but there are a few places that you can go off trail and see the view of the city. Cool, shady and beautiful.
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Apache plume in full bloom in early June. Steep going up at times and levels out near Three Gun Springs intersection. Whitewash is shaded and level for about 3/4 mile. Massive boulders to climb up on to get a beauty 360° view. From then on it's an unGodly steep decent in parts on a scree covered trail. Go early in the morning.
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This is part of the trail that goes around three pistols. Jokingly calling it a holster
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Wow! Kudos to whoever does trail maintenance on this gorgeous trail. Path is very clear, branches and Cactus are well managed along the way. Thank you! In mid April, trail head parking was full by 9 AM. Very popular trail. Steady grade, and this year there’s more water than usual so the streams are a little trickles and it’s completely fabulous. Enjoy the wildflowers!
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A fairly steep elevation gain (~1117 ft) up to South Crest. Cuts some time off the switchbacks.
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The main part of the hike is a loop high in the north Sandias. The bushwhack down to the arch and back was very challenging as was the route finding. We did it during height of color so the Aspens were spectacular.
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Beautiful hidden valley in the Sandia Foothills. The first part is fairly flat but it steepens further up and involves scrambling
and some bushwhacking. Great views .
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Annual can’t miss hike to see the largest Aspen stand in the Sandia Mountains
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Majestic closeup views of the Sandia mountain that you can reach within a two mile hike!
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Oso Ridge Trail. Probably the most vertical feet elevation gain so close to a parking lot.
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North Sandia Peak is the second highest point in the Sandia Mountains.
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Getting to the Ridge is a task, but once there it is one of the most scenic hikes I have done. Love it!
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Epic but def be prepared in downhill xcD skis or AT setup. Skinny boys might be tough!!
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A great hike through high desert, but very steep and slippery in places. The view is worth it if you can handle the terrain.
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Such an amazing run - see it all!! Running up at elevation is tough though. Amazing views.
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This is a difficult but rewarding hike along the North Crest area of Sandia mountain. The main objective was a visit to a small arch. Along the way to and from the arch you pass through some amazing terrain with many views of northern New Mexico, including the Albuquerque area.
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Woo doggy! Beautiful on the way up then killer steep downhill runs on the way out. No clear lookout but great views regardless. Brilliant multi-climate zone hike!
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Difficult as a trail run. Close to 2k vertical elevation. I also just ran/walked it 2 weeks out from some cracked ribs so take that with a grain of salt.
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A great hike with variety, some steep & rocky sections. Possible to continue all the way up to South Peak, and beyond.
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This was my first mountain hike in New Mexico. It was winter with fresh snowfall over a dense snowpack so I lost the trail a couple of times, but it was easy to find again. Lots of wildlife, very relaxing hike!
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The trail is popular and well maintained. Great views! Very crowded later in the day though.
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Beautiful views, great hike when covered in snow. My dog was in heaven. Definitely on the moderate strenuous inbound.
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Great afternoon hike with great views. A definite must hike in the Sandia’s.
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Truly one of our favorite hikes, especially in the fall when pinions are at their best. Sometimes excessive, unleashed dogs on the trail can be quite distracting. We have found that hiking mid-week is best to avoid the crowds and unruly dogs. A great location for a decent workout close to town.
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I went early and there was only one other person on the trail. It was crisp at 26 degrees when I began but warmed up to 50 by my return. Its a beautiful, well-traveled trail with some rock jumping as you get higher. I did not complete the trail as I had a work appointment. I highly recommend to anyone to try at least a portion of La Luz.
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This is an interesting hike that’s best done in the cooler season. It has a mix of very easy stretches punctuated with scrambles over rocks and a long switchback out of the steep walls of the embudo canyon. The top of the hike, which meets two other popular trails, greets you with a collection of very different and all exquisite views. You get a rock face to the east, a seemingly endless series of mountains to the south, and a view of the city and beyond to the west. I can’t think of anywhere else in the Sandias that gives you so much variety to look at.
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La Luz is the most popular hike in the Sandias. It’s quite beautiful and interesting. Best hiked spring and fall.
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Climbed it on a day without much wind, which was phenomenal. Fuel up and this trail is stunning!!
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This out and back hike is a good workout. The first 2.5 miles are pretty exposed and hot in the summer, but there’s nice tree cover once you reach the intersection with Embudo, and there are great views West and South as you make your way toward Oso Pass. You can continue another 1.5 miles up Embudito from Oso Pass to reach South Peak, and there are lots of options for extending this hike or making loops if you’d like.
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This was a very nice hike through misty shaded pine forest. It’s a pretty easy trail and a good hike for families. I’d even recommend this trail for smaller children, even if they just go a little way.
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The views 100 miles out are stunning. The trail has soft footing with some challenges. There were lots of fallen trees to go around and over. Sandia Crest was our lunch spot before we descended through a confusing mix of trails to get back to the 10k TH. GPS is a must to get through the multiple trail crossovers on the descent. One of my favorite hikes!!!!
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Great hike though challenging! Once you top mostly on whitewash, there are wonderful piñon trees, oak and juniper. Wildflowers, birds and some ladybugs were abundant. Dry conditions, moisture is needed per usual. Recommend this hike!
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Nice easy hike. Most of the ground is soft pack dirt, not a lot of rocks if you stick to the trail. Great view of Sandia south peak. A bit of confusion on finding the spring. Maps show it off the east branch but as I came across the north edge found marker post pointing west for 1.4 miles. Found a non marker trail near the top of the west side of the trail, had potential of being where the spring would be.
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Starting at trailhead for 3-Gun springs, this loop takes a tour of two separate routes to South Sandia Peak. In this hike you get amazing views of the Sandia Mountains in all directions and from every elevation. As soon as you cross into the national forest, you bear right (East) to follow Hawk Watch Trail. Hawk Watch is a typical Sandia lower elevation trail for 2/3 of its length; it is exposed to lots of sun and takes you through a scenic desert environment. Easy and moderate climbing, until you reach the upper third of its length. There is about 3/4-mile at the top of Hawk Watch where your legs get a tough workout. Switchbacks are gone and you plow straight up the mountain on a very steep grade. Very strenuous for a bit. Just ahead of joining the Creat Trail, piñon trees begin to provide some occasional shade. You follow the Crest for a mile or two, and the grade feels downright easy after the top of Hawk Watch. On the crest, you peek a brilliant western view of the city and the volcanic wonderland beyond, then you cut to see some eastern views. When you hit the easy turn for Embudito, you are taking an easy stroll through a ton of those Oak Shrubs which cover this mountain. Embudito will lead you west over the top of the mountain and serving up one of the best views on the mountain, looking down the Embudito valley. A clear sign on that top ridge points to a trail leading north to the South Peak. The South Peak trail is almost flat with a couple sections where you climb around on some boulders, but nothing technical or beyond the ability of a hiker that reaches it. South Peak is a brilliant view in all directions, with an especially breathtaking view looking north down the length of the Sandia Sierra. Head back to Embudito if you can pull yourself off the summit. Take Embudito west down the mountain and enjoy great city views and views to the south as well. You will hit 3-Gun about 1.5 or 2 miles west of the turn into Embudito. Hang a left to head south in 3-Gun (there is a gray signpost to show the path of Embudito and 3-Gun. The walk south on 3-Gun back to the car is another easy 4 miles or so. The top mile or two of 3-Gun are great with views west and south and lots of delightful things to see like a stream and several of the Sandia medallion trees.
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This is an out and back which increasingly gets steeper until you turn around. It also goes much further than where the app shows the turnaround to be. I turned around where the app indicated but would have gone on had my wife not thrown in the towel already. I wouldn’t do this one in summer. Bring food and snacks!
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This is the best area to cross country ski in the Sandia’s. The trails range from a Jeep road to back country hiking trails.
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Loop up whitewash and down embudo. Starts and ends at Indian school trailhead.
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