To the east of Albuquerque, located in the Cibola National Forest, is Sandia Crest, the most visited mountain range in New Mexico. The fourteen mile scenic drive to the summit is the highest in the Southwest with an elevation of 10,678 feet. Sandia Crest also has the world’s longest aerial tramway that ascends over four thousand feet above the deep canyons. At the crest there is an 11,000 square mile panoramic view with Albuquerque and the Rio Grand to the west and to the north and east are the Sangre de Cristo, Jemez and Ortiz mountains. Sandia is Spanish for watermelon—it is believed that the mountains acquired the name due to the reddish color of the mountains at sunset. |
