Enjoy the Scenic Beauty of New Mexico Landscape on your Mountain Vacation
Explore the
Sandia Mountains for a one-of-a-kind
mountain vacation in Albuquerque, New Mexico. You’re sure to find that the
New Mexico landscape has beauty that is rivaled by no other. The city of Albuquerque lies a mile above sea level and has a high-desert climate that allows you to experience the contrast between desert and forest all under our vast bl
ue sky. You can
hike in the foothills among prickly-pear, cholla cactus and fragrant desert sage, or trek to the top of the mountain where pine and fir trees line the ridges and valleys. To the west, you can walk among ancient lava flows and see where Albuquerque's early residents carved drawings onto the rocks at the Petroglyph National Monument.
Sandia means "watermelon" in Spanish and when you see the setting sun splash pink light over the rocky 10,600-foot peaks of the Sandia Mountains, you'll know exactly how they earned the name. To get a closer view of these spectacular peaks, ride the Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway—the world's longest—to the crest, where you can look out over 11,000 square miles of magical New Mexico landscape. To the west, the majestic Rio Grande meanders through a cottonwood-lined valley, and dormant volcanoes are silhouetted against the brilliant sunset. As darkness blankets the city, thousands of lights below twinkle like diamonds, matching the stars scattered across the enormous sky.