Hike to Sandia Crest from the East side. Great views of Albuquerque.
Near: Cedar Crest, NM
Distance: 6.58 miles round trip
Elevation Gain: 1410 ft
Hike Time: 3.5 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Trail Condition: Well maintained trail
Hike Type: Loop
A good hike on the East side of the Sandia Mountains. The trail is named 10K because it roughly follows the 10K line. Most of the trail is well shaded under pine trees and big aspen. The views from the ridge are beautiful and worth the hike. The trail takes you past all of the radio towers on the top of the mountain and to the Crest. The only downside of this hike is that the last 2 miles you have to hike on NM 563 back to your car. If you don’t want to hike on the road it is possible to take the 10K South trail back to your car but this makes the hike considerably longer.
Trailhead
From Albuquerque, go east on I-40 to Cedar Crest on NM 14. Go left on NM 14 for 6 miles to Sandia Crest turnoff on NM 536. Go 11.6 miles to the 10 K trailhead sign. There are signs and parking lots on both sides of the road. Go into the parking lot on the right. There is a sign for 10K North trail at the end of the parking lot. (Lat:35.20935 Lon:-106.43572)
