Top of the World

Towers for the 2 mile-plus tramway

As we headed south from Placitas for our next place to stay, we took the scenic route, stopping  to ride the Sandia Peak Tramway the 2.7 miles to the top of the Sandias (10,378 feet). The west side, overlooking Albuquerque, is steep and boulder-strewn; the east is gentler and has several ski runs. 

Instead of wind- and water-carved volcanic remains, these peaks are an uplifting of ancient seabed and made up of granite covered with fossil-carrying limestone. The peak provides a panoramic view of nearly 9% of the state, we were told. I find it fascinating that standing on this former seabed, now mountain top, I can look west and see the remnants of volcanoes. A vast span of geological history, glimpsed in this one moment in time.  

Tram car (45 passenger capacity)

Fossils in limestone

Looking out towards Albuquerque and the green bosque along the Rio Grande

Handy tool for pinpointing distant spots of interest, including ancient volcano cones in Petrogylphs National Monument.

The view from one of the ski runs on the eastern slope

Back down at the bottom, with three-story high boulders in the distance