Field note

The Sandias do not come to a peak. The high ground is a long ridge, Sandia Crest, at 10,678 feet in Cibola National Forest. The Sandia Ranger District office is in Tijeras. Thick limestone holds the west rim. Crest Trail 130 follows that rim; from the crest lot a short stretch stays nearly level along the outcrops, then enters the woods. New Mexico 536, the Sandia Crest National Scenic Byway, climbs from Highway 14 and ends at the top. Albuquerque sits a mile below, in the Rio Grande valley. The Kiwanis Cabin is local limestone, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, a short walk from the lot. June through September is the wildflower window on the crest. Storms build in the afternoon, and lightning on the open ridge is the risk. Cedar Crest is the nearest town. This plate is Sandia Crest, not the tram terminal on the west face and not Fourth of July Canyon in the Manzanos.

Sandia Crest is the long ridge east of Albuquerque, 10,678 feet, limestone along Crest Trail 130. Cedar Crest is the town. New Mexico 536 ends at the top. This plate is the crest, not the tram terminal and not Fourth of July Canyon.