Product Code Database
The Sandia Mountains (Tiwa language: Posu gai hoo-oo, Keres language: Tsepe , Navajo language: Dził Nááyisí ; Tewa language: O:ku:p’į , Taos language: Kep’íanenemą ; Jemez language: Kiutawe , Zuni language: Chibiya Yalanne) is a mountain range located in Bernalillo and Sandoval counties, immediately to the east of the city of Albuquerque in New Mexico in the southwestern United States. The mountain range is just due south of the southern terminus of the Rocky Mountains, and is part of the Sandia–Manzano Mountains. This is largely within the Cibola National Forest and protected as the Sandia Mountain Wilderness. The highest point is Sandia Crest, AMSL.
In Southern Tiwa, Posu gai hoo-oo means where water slides down arroyo.Pearce, T. M. (1965) "Sandia" New Mexico place names; a geographical dictionary University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, NM, p. 143, OCLC 420847 Sandia Pueblo Indians, who are Tiwa speakers, sometimes call the mountain Bien 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 .
The Sandias are part of a single larger geologic unit, the Sandia–Manzano Mountains, which consists of two other parts: the Manzanita Mountains and the Manzano 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 is Tijeras Canyon which leads to a historically important pass; the canyon is traversed by Interstate 40, following the route of historic U.S. Route 66.
The Sandias are the highest range in the immediate vicinity, and are well-separated from the higher Sangre de Cristo Mountains. This gives Sandia Crest a relatively high topographic prominence of . Lying to the east and northeast of the Sandias are two smaller ranges, the Ortiz Mountains and the San Pedro Mountains.
The Sandia Mountains are home to the world's second longest tramway, Sandia Peak Tramway, which is long. Over this distance the tram cars ascend over . The average speed of the tram car is , and the length of the ride is approximately 15 minutes.
The Sandia Mountains also encompass four different named 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 the Upper Sonoran Zone. From 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 mixed Pinus edulis-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 of Chihuahuan 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 , in the Transition Zone, Pinus ponderosa dominates, and evergreen oaks change to more cold-tolerant deciduous oaks. From , a mixture of conifers occurs in the Canadian Zone; Gambel oak ( Quercus gambelii) is at its upper natural range in this zone. Finally, from to the Sandia Crest at , mostly on the eastern slopes, Engelmann spruce and white fir dominate the Hudsonian 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.
The Sandia Crest Scenic Byway is also a popular path for motorcycle riders with its miles of winding road to the summit.
The Sandia Mountains are the most visited range in New Mexico. Numerous hiking trails exist on both sides of the range, such as the popular La Luz Trail and Crest Trail. Much of the west side of the range is included in the Sandia 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 the National Fee Program. No developed campgrounds currently exist in the Sandias.
The rock walls and pinnacles on the west side of the range provide abundant rock climbing opportunities, from bouldering 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 recreational hang 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.
Ancestral and early Puebloans peoples have lived in the Sandia Mountains area for thousands of years. 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, the hippie community of Tawapa was established near the Sandia Mountains. However, in the 1990s Tawapa ceased to exist.
Notes
Bibliography
|
|
