| Sandia Mountains | |
|---|---|
 The Sandia Mountains and Rio Grande at sunset, looking southeast from Bernalillo | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Sandia Crest |
| Elevation | 10,678 ft (3,255 m) |
| Prominence | 4,201 ft (1,280 m) (crest) |
| Coordinates | 35°12′32″N106°26′49″W / 35.20889°N 106.44694°W /35.20889; -106.44694 |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 17 mi (27 km) N-S |
| Width | 8 mi (13 km) E-W |
| Naming | |
| Language of name | Dził Nááyisí (Navajo) |
| Geography | |
 Location of the Sandia Mountains within New Mexico | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Mexico |
| Parent range | Sandia–Manzano Mountains |
| Borders on | Albuquerque, NM |
TheSandia Mountains (Southern Tiwa:Posu gai hoo-oo,Keres:Tsepe,Navajo:Dził Nááyisí;Tewa:O:ku:p’į,Northern Tiwa:Kep’íanenemą;Towa:Kiutawe,Zuni:Chibiya Yalanne)[1] is amountain range located inBernalillo andSandoval counties, immediately to the east of the city ofAlbuquerque inNew Mexico in the southwestern United States. The mountain range is just due south of the southern terminus of theRocky Mountains, and is part of theSandia–Manzano Mountains. This is largely within theCibola National Forest and protected as theSandia Mountain Wilderness. The highest point isSandia Crest, 10,678 feet (3,255 m)AMSL.
Sandía meanswatermelon inSpanish,[2] and is popularly believed to be a reference to the reddish color of the mountains at sunset.[3] Also, when viewed from the west, the profile of the mountains is a long ridge, with a thin zone of greenconifers near the top, suggesting the "rind" of the watermelon. However, as Robert Julyan notes,[4] "the most likely explanation is the one believed by the Sandia Indians: the Spaniards, when they encountered the Pueblo in 1540, called it Sandia, because they thought the squashgourds growing there were watermelons, and the name Sandia soon was transferred to the mountains east of the pueblo."
In Southern Tiwa,Posu gai hoo-oo meanswhere water slides downarroyo.[5] Sandia Pueblo Indians, who are Tiwa speakers, sometimes call the mountainBien Mur, "big mountain". In Tewa,O:ku:p’į means turtle mountain(oku, turtle; p’į, mountain). The Sandias are mentioned in pueblo mythology as a sacred mountain of the South of the Tewa.[6]
The Sandia range is small and a part of theBasin and Range Province. It was created by a differentphenomenon known asrifting and consists of a single north–south ridge, that rises to two major summits:Sandia Crest andSouth Sandia Peak, 9,782 ft (2,982 m). The range measures approximately 17 miles (27 km) north-south, and the width in the east–west direction varies from 4 to 8 miles (6.4 to 12.9 km). The west side of the range is steep and rugged, with a number of sheer rock walls and towers near Sandia Crest. The east side has a gentler slope.[7]
The Sandias are part of a single larger geologic unit, theSandia–Manzano Mountains, which consists of two other parts: the Manzanita Mountains and theManzano Mountains (both of which lie to the south of the Sandias). The Sandia mountains are separated from the Manzano mountains by the Manzanitas. One of the notable features in the Sandia mountains isTijeras Canyon which leads to a historically important pass; the canyon is traversed byInterstate 40, following the route of historicU.S. Route 66.
The Sandias are the highest range in the immediate vicinity, and are well-separated from the higherSangre de Cristo Mountains. This gives Sandia Crest a relatively hightopographic prominence of 4,098 ft (1,249 m). Lying to the east and northeast of the Sandias are two smaller ranges, theOrtiz Mountains and the San Pedro Mountains.
The Sandia Mountains are home to the world's second longest tramway,Sandia Peak Tramway, which is 2.7 miles (4.3 km) long. Over this distance the tram cars ascend over 4,000 feet (1,200 m). The average speed of the tram car is 12 mph (19 km/h), and the length of the ride is approximately 15 minutes.[9]
| Climate data for Sandia Crest, New Mexico (elevation 10690 ft; 1953–1979) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 48 (9) | 49 (9) | 56 (13) | 60 (16) | 71 (22) | 82 (28) | 80 (27) | 79 (26) | 71 (22) | 62 (17) | 59 (15) | 50 (10) | 82 (28) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 26.8 (−2.9) | 28.3 (−2.1) | 32.6 (0.3) | 42.2 (5.7) | 53.2 (11.8) | 63.9 (17.7) | 66.3 (19.1) | 62.9 (17.2) | 57.1 (13.9) | 47.8 (8.8) | 36.6 (2.6) | 29.5 (−1.4) | 45.6 (7.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 13.1 (−10.5) | 14.1 (−9.9) | 17.3 (−8.2) | 24.7 (−4.1) | 33.9 (1.1) | 43.1 (6.2) | 47.4 (8.6) | 45.6 (7.6) | 40.7 (4.8) | 32.5 (0.3) | 22.2 (−5.4) | 15.5 (−9.2) | 29.2 (−1.6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −15 (−26) | −12 (−24) | −10 (−23) | −2 (−19) | 8 (−13) | 22 (−6) | 29 (−2) | 24 (−4) | 19 (−7) | −2 (−19) | −10 (−23) | −19 (−28) | −19 (−28) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 1.96 (50) | 1.91 (49) | 2.34 (59) | 1.26 (32) | 0.91 (23) | 0.95 (24) | 3.19 (81) | 3.38 (86) | 1.82 (46) | 1.83 (46) | 1.39 (35) | 2.01 (51) | 22.94 (583) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 19.3 (49) | 23 (58) | 23.3 (59) | 10.7 (27) | 3.8 (9.7) | 0.1 (0.25) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0.1 (0.25) | 5.3 (13) | 10 (25) | 20.7 (53) | 116.2 (295) |
| Source: Western Regional Climate Center[10] | |||||||||||||
The Sandia Mountains are afault block range, on the eastern edge of theRio Grande Rift Valley. The Sandias were uplifted in the last ten million years as part of the formation of the Rio Grande Rift. They form the eastern boundary of theAlbuquerque Basin. The core of the range consists of Sandiagranite, with aU-Pb age of 1453±12 million years. There is also somemetamorphic rock of age 1.60 billion years.[11] This is topped by a relatively thin layer (approximately 300 feet (91 meters) of sedimentary rock (mostlylimestone, and somesandstone) ofPennsylvanian age (circa 300 million years ago). The limestone contains marine fossils including crinoids, brachiopods, gastropods, horn corals, and bryozoans. However, most of the fossils are too small for the human eye to detect.[12]Potassium-feldspar (K-spar) crystals embedded within the Sandia granite give the mountains their distinct pink color.
Entirely located within theArizona/New Mexico Mountains ecoregion, per the Bailey's Ecoregions (US Forest Service) and the EPA Ecoregions systems, the Sandia Mountains vary much in land form, climate and species. Affinities with interior chaparral occur on lower elevations of the western slopes, while the crest and upper elevations of both slopes have affinities with the Rocky Mountains to the north.
The Sandia Mountains also encompass four different namedlife zones from the base to the top, due to the large changes in elevation, temperature, and precipitation. The desert grassland and savanna at the western base of the mountains (near the eastern edge of the City of Albuquerque, east of about Juan Tabo Boulevard) is part of theUpper Sonoran Zone. From 5,500 to 7,200 ft (1,700 to 2,200 m) on the milder climate western slopes of the Sandia Mountains on mostly granitic bedrock, the Upper Sonoran Zone is found. A juniper savanna mixes with desert grassland in lower elevations, while slightly higher a mixedPiñon-Juniper-Oak zone expands outward and upward from arroyos, including a thin cover of grasses such as black grama (Bouteloua eriopoda), sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula), and blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis). Broadleaf evergreen shrubs and dwarfed trees are common including shrub live oak (Quercus turbinella), gray oak (Quercus grisea), and hairy mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus breviflorus). Rosette succulents include beargrass (Nolina greenei), banana yucca (Yucca baccata), Navajo yucca (Yucca baileyi), and various cacti. Deciduous shrubs include threeleaf sumac (Rhus trilobata) and wafer ash (Ptelea trifoliata). Some plants ofChihuahuan Desert affinities are found in this area, including oreganillo (Aloysia wrightii), mariola (Parthenium incanum), desert marigold (Baileya spp.), and a few subspecies of the often-numerous Engelmann prickly pear (Opuntia engelmannii).
From 7,200 to 7,800 ft (2,200 to 2,400 m), in theTransition Zone,Ponderosa Pine dominates, and evergreen oaks change to more cold-tolerant deciduous oaks. From 7,800 to 9,800 ft (2,400 to 3,000 m), a mixture of conifers occurs in theCanadian Zone; Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii) is at its upper natural range in this zone. Finally, from 9,800 ft (3,000 m) to the Sandia Crest at 10,678 ft (3,255 m), mostly on the eastern slopes,Engelmann spruce andwhite fir dominate theHudsonian Zone.
On the eastern slopes of the Sandia Mountains, the life zones respond to a cooler climate than the western slopes, plus mostly limestone bedrock. Broadleaf evergreen plants, some succulents, and those with Chihuahuan Desert affinities are mostly absent, though other characteristics correspond to the same life zones on the western slope, except at slightly lower elevations. In the east slope's portion of the Upper Sonoran and Transition zones, alligator juniper (Juniperus deppeana) occurs, absent on the western slopes.
All zone boundary elevations are approximate, depending on microclimate or aspect of the land.
One can reach the top of the Sandias via two easy ways. TheSandia Peak Tramway ascends from the west side to a point on the crestline about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south of Sandia Crest, at the top of theSandia Peak Ski Area, which is located on the east side of the mountains. A road (NM 536) from the east provides access to the bottom of the ski area and also to the Sandia Crest itself, where there is a gift shop, restaurant, scenic overlook, and a large electronic communication site with numerous towers and antennas.
TheSandia Crest Scenic Byway is also a popular path for motorcycle riders with its miles of winding road to the summit.[13]
The Sandia Mountains are the most visited range in New Mexico. Numeroushiking trails exist on both sides of the range, such as the popularLa Luz Trail and Crest Trail. Much of the west side of the range is included in theSandia Mountain Wilderness; the trails on that side are steeper, and water is very scarce. Numerous picnic and recreation sites can be found on NM 536. These sites, along with some sites on the west face of the Sandias, require a $5 daily use/parking permit as part of theNational Fee Program. No developed campgrounds currently exist in the Sandias.
The rock walls and pinnacles on the west side of the range provide abundantrock climbing opportunities, frombouldering and top-roping to multi-day big wall climbs on the Shield, the largest rock feature on the mountain. However, the long hikes (often off-trail) required to reach many of the climbs, and the variable quality of rock (often poor), prevent the Sandias from being a major climbing destination.
Both Sandia Peak and Sandia Crest are popular launching sites for recreationalhang gliding due to the sheer drop-offs to the west. Launches at the Peak occur throughout the summer.
Walking the entire spine of the Sandia Mountains is possible, a 26-mile hike with over 4,000 feet in elevation gain.[14]
Hikers and climbers are urged to use caution when visiting the Sandias, where fatal accidents are not unknown[15] and search and rescue operations are commonplace.[16]
The Sandias contain a location notable for prehistoric archaeology: theSandia Cave was believed by some in the 1930s to the 1950s[26] to have been inhabited 10000 to 12000 years ago by the "Sandia Man," a cultural classification that is no longer used.[27] The cave can be accessed via a 1/2 mile trail in Las Huertas Canyon, on the northeast side of the range, nearPlacitas, New Mexico.
Ancestral and earlyPueblo peoples have lived in the Sandia Mountains area for thousands of years.[citation needed] Examples of previous Pueblo settlements, now unoccupied, include Tijeras Pueblo and Pa'ako Pueblo, both founded around 700 years ago.Sandia Pueblo is a modern pueblo, abutting the Sandia Mountains on the northwest side of the range. Some of the foothills of the range are on Sandia Pueblo land; there have been disputes in the past between the Pueblo, the Forest Service, and private landowners over rights to various parts of the range. The people of Sandia Pueblo consider the mountains a sacred place.
In 1970,[28] the hippie community ofTawapa was established near the Sandia Mountains.[29][30] However, in the 1990s Tawapa ceased to exist.[29][31]
Notes
Bibliography
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