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Sandia Peak Tramway
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32 reviews for Sandia Peak Tramway
I agree... this is a must if you have even one day in ABQ. This gives you a beautiful view of the area... and the ride up and down is fun (aside from feeling a bit crammed in).
I went after the Balloon Fiesta on Sunday, and only had to wait about 20 mins to go up and 10 mins to go down. Do not go down right after coming up... even if you walk around a little bit.. do it.
FYI--there is no transportation to the tram. If you don't have a car you have to take a cab (about $40-50 from uptown). But... if you are able you can walk 6 miles down tramway to a bus stop... it is a beautiful walk.
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We only had to wait for about 20 mins or so to go up, but once you were up there it was a HUGE line to go back down. So, right when we got up, my mom got in line and my brother and I wandered around and took pictures and explored, after our turn was done I got in line and my mom went and looked around. I can't be for certain how long we were in line, but I'd say at least an hour and we got on the tram went down about 3 feet....then it reversed back up and they told us we had to get off because it was too windy to go back down at that time. They gave everyone on the tram a blue pass, so that we could go back inside and wait but not have to be in line. Anybody with the blue pass was able to get back on the tram once we were able to go back down. It was probably about 30 minutes extra we had to wait, and we got to see the beautiful sunset on our way down.
It's so beautiful up top of the mountain. And there's trails to go exploring and wandering around in, so that was excellent. There was also a restaurant, which I didn't go to...but talked to a couple who went in and 1/2 the restaurant was open and they didn't want to let the couple in because they were "all booked up" for the night. The couple was able to convince them to let them eat, as there were tons of tables still open. So, that seemed a bit odd.
This was a great thing to do, definitely try going on a day when it's not too windy so you don't get stuck up top, and make sure you don't have anything going on shortly after, one girl had a plane to catch...and I hope she made it after we got down!
Awesome. That's all you have to know about the Sandia Peak Aerial Tram. Oh, and that you need to fork over the $17.50 for your tram ticket. It is SO worth it.
From the "base" (the lodge/restaurant area where you buy your tram tickets), it doesn't look like you are really going to essentially be scaling the side of the mountain in a suspended cable car. The views from the peak are absolutely breathtaking - amazing scenery and you will see all of Albuquerque like you've never seen it before.
If you're absolutely afraid of heights, this may not be the sightseeing stop for you. But if you make it up there...wow.
5 shakas!! :)
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WOOOOO!!! I am Jack's persistent sense or vertigo. Best (only?) thing to do in Albuquerque.
Out of everything there is to do in Albuquerque this is a MUST!!! It really is not that expensive either. You can ride up to the 10k plus summit and then on the backside ride the ski lifts and see more amazing beauty and wildlife. You can even hike up to some more amazing things up on Sandia peak like the rock house. They even have a place to eat up there.
The tram is a little nerve racking at first, but even my little 2 year old said "I wanna do it again Daddy" when we got off.
Just look at the pictures I posted and you will see why this is a must if you are in the area. So glad we did it!
Do not visit Sandia Peak on Balloon Fest weekend in October unless you don't mind crowds or waiting in long lines. If you are cool with that, go for it, its well worth the effort. Just allow yourself a lot of time.
We visited the Sandia Peak Tram on the first weekend of October. Access to the gondola building was very easy from Tramway Road and there is plenty of parking. On this particular day, the wait for tickets to ride the tram was at least an hour. And that was just to GET the tickets. After we got the tickets the actual wait to ride the tram was probably another half hour. Each tram group is assigned a "Flight Number," so after you get your tickets you can browse the gift shop or relax and wait for your flight # to be called. As other writers have mentioned, they can fit upwards to 40 people in the tram. If you get claustrophobic or don't like crowds, I would recommend not visiting the tram on a holiday weekend or balloon fest weekend. The cost of the tram ride was 17.50 a person, and the ride on the actual tram is excellent. A tram operator gives you background on the area, and the scenery is breathtaking. Unfortunately, I was sandwiched in between many people but I could still see outside. Be advised the windows have a tint to them so if you want to take pictures you will need to keep that in mind. There are windows that open, but the window just tilts out. I actually saw one lady holding her camera outside the window and kept waiting for her to drop the camera. The ride up to the summit is about a 15 minute ride and it went by very fast. Everyone on the tram was very friendly and there was no pushing and shoving to get off once we got to the top. We got up to the summit in time for sunset, and it was wonderful. My recommendation is that if you go up to the summit in the evening, that you bring warm jacket and if possible gloves. In October the temperature at the summit was 40F (about 5C). There is a restaurant at the top called High Finance but we didn't eat there. I got some great shots of myself and my partner against the night sky with the setting sun, and others with a full moon in the background. It was fantastic. Going back down the mountain on a busy weekend can be time consuming as well. The process is well organized as you are assigned a group number. The waiting area is in a building that is well heated. This experience was great but would have been a lot better if it was less crowded. I would definitely try this again and have dinner at the restaurant at the summit the next time.
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This is really something to do if you are in the area. Soooooooooo beautiful! The view is absolutely amazing. I remember my parents bringing me on here when I was little, and it wasn't as scary as I find it now, ha ha, but after a few minutes you get used to the feeling of being in the air, and the view is so breathtaking that you forget about how high you are.
I examined the cables thoroughly prior to boarding the cable car, and could not figure out how those three skinny little wires were going to support a couple dozen people riding in a tram car weighing tons. But despite the fact that I left my anti-anxiety pills at home, I screwed my courage to the sticking place and boarded the cable car. Boy was it fun!! What a spectacular view. And as it happens to be the longest ride of its kind in the world, it goes on for quite some time. If you are visiting Albuquerque, the Sandia Peak Tramway is a must.
This is my first trip to Albuquerque, so a ride up the tramway was definitely on the list.
I called the 1-800 number that my cuzin and I found on our hotel's brochure. And, I actually got a live person! I found out that the tram ticket is $17.50, roundtrip. (if you are crazy enough, or super athletic, a hike going up or down the mountain is between 4-8 hours.) One way ticket ride is $9.
I was surprised that the lady over the phone didn't mention that they were closed that Tuesday. (normally, on Tuesdays they are open 5pm onwards) We got there around 6pm, and the park guy said they are closed due to strong winds. He advised us to call again the next day before we head out.
Thank God I don't have fear of heights or else I wouldn't have fully appreciated the view from the top. And the 2 mile ride up (and down!) was kinda unsettling on the nerves, we were still having 16 mph winds according to our tram guide. (but, the tram held up. Those Swedish engineers knew what they were doing when they built this!)
The prices at High Finance Restaurant wasn't bad either. (i.e. bottle of Cab from Napa was only $26. NY strip steak around $25) My cuzin and I didn't get to try it out, because they weren't open yet when we went there.
Maybe next time?
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OMG... This is easily the best mountain Tramway in the US. Wondeful views. Very Impressive. The staff is friendly and helpful. Hey...Grab a wheat beer up top at the restaurant/bar. If you go up in the evening you will have an awesome view of Albaq and its lights as you eat dinner. Daytime is a view to the Colorado River and beyond. Winter brings the snow and the beauty that comes along with it. You can even ski down Sandia on the other side.
The best is to hike between the tramway and the ranger station to get your "Nature On". Or if your more adventuresome hike the Tramway down to the floor of the Sandia Mts. Bring your camera.Your gonna need it. Step out and breathe this air, stop and look around...Enjoy this.
When you are stuck at your work place you will remember this experience, re-live it and enjoy...and go back.
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The views from the Sandia Tram are freakishly beautiful. If you are acrophobic, the dozens of screaming (for joy, I think) children crammed in the tram car with you will muffle your anxious gasps. Plus you can calm any panic attacks (and ringing in the head from the shrill of said children) at the High Finance bar-- yes, there's a freakin' restaurant and bar at the top of a 10,000+ ft. mountain.
We went around sunset- 6:30 ish for both day and night views. The tram closes at 8, but they gotta leave it open for all those drunks at the bar to get back...
The staff are friendly and knowledgeable. They also pretty much leave you to wander the mountainside, so honestly, be careful and take your pics before you down three bottles of wine.
I read there are hiking trails, but the entrance must be somewhere else, as tram visitors center provided little info. Buy your trinkets before you hop the tram (and down three bottles of wine) because the shop closes early. I totally wanted a keychain...
I hate high places! The view on the tram and from the top is amazing! You may want to bring a sweater or light jacket with you, or maybe more, it is colder at the top of the mountain that down below. My 11 year old daughter loved it! This is a must do! I still hate high places!!
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Definitely a sight to be seen! The views at the top are breathtaking. Bring a jacket though, the weather at the top was in the 40s during the day in June! We didn't have much of a tour guide on the way up, just tram operators. They didn't say much and only warned us of sways or bumps that were coming up in the ride. I have a fear of heights and although my stomach had butterflies the whole time I still found the ride bearable.
Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow.
I mean it, wow. This is supposed to be the longest aeriel tramway in the world. I say, who cares. It's the views that excite me. Wow. You glide above breath taking canyons, beautiful rock ledges and will be amazed by the vast expanse of this mountain. Incredible. Plus, the panoramic view of Albuquerque ain't half bad, either. I highly recommend a trip out of your way for this. A mere $17.50 gets you an adventure of a life time.
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I try to ride the Tram every time I visit ABQ...every time it has been good. The views are magnificent all around the city and beyond and well worth the ride itself and price of the ticket. The tour guide is usually knowledgeable, friendly, and sympathetic with the people who are afraid of heights but took the chance anyway. It's about 15min each way...and they run every hour I believe. There is a restaurant at the top...but I have found other places in the city that I would rather eat now. It's a must see if you ever visit ABQ.
Good to do once, but it is kind of expensive. ($17.50 round trip) The operator gave us a narration the whole time, which was informative, but we were told that the operator doesn't always talk. If the operator didn't talk, then it totally would not have been worth it. In a way, it does seem like a big ski lift to me, marketed correctly. The activities at the top of the mountain were fun, but I wish I drove up the 14 around the back side of the mountain and saved my $35 (for both of us). The tram smelled really bad when we got it because of all the people crammed in, but once we started moving, the odor was radiated away. If you go, try to be one of the first people to board and board either near the front or back, so you can see stuff as you're traveling up or down the mountain.
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If they only sold shirts that said "We Get High -- Two Miles High" or something like that this place would be better. Though save for that icing on the peaked cake, Sandia is no joke. It's a ride you'll not soon forget. Beauty beauty beauty.
_C$
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This is one of those you gotta do if you are ever in ABQ. The trip is breath taking and takes you up almost 13,000 to the top of the Sandia Mountains. The mountains are dotted with wildlife, so if your not afraid of heights look out the window.
This is a must do for every visitor to ABQ. It's worth every penny.
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If you're ever in New Mexico (even if you're just driving through) PLEASE do yourself a favor and take a quick detour off the Interstate and ride up the Sandia Peak Tramway near sunset.
It's like $20 bucks or so for the ride, but the views, the alpine mountain-air up top, and the sheer exhilaration of being bunched up with strangers in the cable-car pod thingy as you cascade over canyons and rocky abysses is worth it.
A summertime monsoon-season sunset tram ride is particularly spectacular. A lightning strike delay is even possible. I live on the edge. That's how I roll.
If you're not in shape, prepare to huff and puff up at the 10,000 foot summit. And if you must, (which I usually must) there's a restaurant and cocktail lounge with monstrous waits that ebb and flow with each arrival/departure.
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Every visitor to Albuquerque needs to ride the Sandia Peak Tramway! From the top of the peak, you'll get the most breathtaking view of Albuquerque and the surrounding landscape. You ride a cable car up to the peak, so you can look out in all directions during the ride for a great panorama. You can also look below to see the interesting rocky mountainside. Spectacular views in every direction! A must for all visitors!
There's a restaurant at the peak, so you can dine at 10,000 feet. But there's also a restaurant at the base of the peak, where you board the cable car. There's also a ski lift on the other side of the mountain, which operates only during the winter.
Best time to go? Soon before sunset. A friend of mine was on the peak when a storm hit Albuquerque. From the peak, he got some incredible photos of the lightning over downtown.
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* Tower Two of the Sandia Peak Tramway is at 8,750 feet elevation.
* The top of the Tram is at 10,278'.
* Helicopters made 5,000 trips during the construction of Tower Two & the cable.
* The Tram itself was manufactured in Switzerland in the mid 1960's.
* Cost = $2M.
I know these FACTS because I have tried for years to understand why anyone in their right mind would get in a LITTLE GLASS BOX DANGLING ON A CABLE and ascend 1.5 miles clear span and over 3,800' in elevation . . . . . rather than just drive up the road on the backside of Sandia Crest. And even more to the point, why would you pay to do it?
If you've ever lived in Albuquerque, you know that it is one of the windest places west of MARS! And up against the cliffs of Sandia Crest it is even worse. Hang Gliders take off from the Crest. Occasionally that wind gets them . . . . slammed against 3,800' of solid rock. So . . . . why would you want to be in a LITTLE BOX DANGLING OVER SURE DEATH?
THE VIEW, THAT'S WHY!
Riding the Tram up Sandia to watch one of the most glorious sunsets anywhere - - the SUNSET OFF OF SANDIA CREST.
Of course, there is also the International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta each October . . . . watching 800+ balloons from up here could be a ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME EXPERIENCE.
The Tram is open every day (not sure when they do maintenance, but I've often wondered).
Once you get your heart back in your chest when you get down, you can have dinner in one of Albuquerque's best - the HIGH FINANCE RESTAURANT at the foot of the Tram (6,559').
Am I the only one with a fear of heights? Probably, but maybe you will want to drink with me? "Two Margaritas to start, PLEASE!"
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Sandia Peak Tramway was the highlight of my visit to Albuquerque. Do not go up on the tram if you have fear of heights since this tramride is not for the fainthearted. Halfway over the forested mountain, there was a lurch and a lunge with a horrific grinding noise. We stopped moving and began swaying back and forth in the strong wind.
Can you say "Holy Sh*t!!" Sure you can. I did. Scared the freakin' bejesus out of me.
Good thing it was just a little glitch. Or so they said. What could we do about it, anyhow? You're at their mercy when you're up there. Once on the mountain, we drank in the amazing view. We stopped off on the mountainside eatery and had a few margeritas. Beautiful.
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This is a great place to take out-of-town visitors. It really gives them a taste of the openness of the southwest. The ride up is really something, if you're not accustomed to the terrain, and it reveals just how substantial the Sandias are: if you're only accustomed to seeing them as a backdrop to the city, you'll discover that there's much more detail to them upon ascending over two miles of tram cable.
If you go near sunset, you'll have a stunning view of the horizon, and the city one mile below as the lights come up. The downside is that there's not much to do up there unless you're riding up in the winter to ski at the Sandia ski area, or you're planning on hiking along the crest, or are otherwise prepared to make your own fun. The only other option, really, is the High Finance restaurant, which offers a tremendous view, but nothing really outstanding as far a dining experience is concerned.
My parents took my brother and I up this when we were kids, I don't remember much beyond pressing my nose into the glass and looking down, down, down.
Years later I took my boyfriend on the tram, a typical take-your-out-of-town-friends on something touristy. We came back down the mountain engaged.
I think this is a must-see if you're in the area. Not the 8th wonder of the world, but it is the world's longest tramway (last I heard anyway!). Plus it's a cool place to pop the question!
Definitely a four star experience, you don't want to miss the tram. It's not a thrillseeker's journey, the tram takes its time getting up the hill. Well, it's a big hill.
There are some spectacular cliffs to see on the way up on the north side of the cable car. I was showing off like I was a rock climber and showing which pitch I might take were I to do some free climbing. I think I impressed one 13 year old girl.
You want to get in front of the line so that you don't end up in the middle but at the windows. They can squeeze fifty people into one of those puppies and you don't want to be under somebody's armpit. Pick one side for on the way up and another angle for the downstroke. The tram has an operator and he or she will tell you the name of some big rocks on the way up as well as recite some numbers they probably can't get out of their heads by now.
At the top there's a maze of decking that runs between some observation points, picnic tables and ski lifts on the other side of the ridge. I highly recommend the hotdog at the outdoor grill bbq stand.
I hear that every year some dimwit tries to fly his hot air balloon over the peak. Nobody has ever made it. They can get around the world but the wind and weather at the top of Sandia is no joke. It's usually about 20 degrees colder up top than down below, but you can check the wind and the temperature at base camp just to make sure.
There are interesting bushes to see and some breed of giant squirrel, but during the summer you'll pay more attention to the flying pests. Eat your hotdog quick.
Yes the view is stupendous. On a clear day you can see mountains that are 65 miles away to the west. The weather changed quickly on us but it was a great ride. Do it.
Longest Tram in the world. I wish I could have gone during sunset, but it was closed secondary to high winds. This is common so call ahead of time. It's about 20 degrees cooler at the top compared to the bottom so bring a coat. 15 minute ride each way. Student, senior, and military discounts all available, although military price at Kitland ITT is cheaper. Excellent views on either side of the mountain. You're packed like sardines on the Tram itself. The Tram attendant who took us up was pretty knowledgeable and funny. Stand at the back left portion on the way up. Most people seem to want the front but end up missing the views of the city. Also, there were more things she pointed out on the left side than the right.
This is an amazing ride to the top of Sandia Peak. The journey is breathtaking and the views on top are spectacular. You feel like you have ascended to the top of the world. Once on top hike around the stunning aspens and experience a cooler temp from above the desert floor. The pink granite where the Sandias get their name is incredible. I love this quietude and sanctity of this place.
This was definitely cool to do if you have never done this. What an amazing view from so far up.
Of course it's very touristy, but I like mountains, and I like looking down from the tops of mountains even better. At the base of the mountain, it's 6,000-something feet in altitude - at the top, you're over 10,000 feet above sea level! Luckily, on the way up, I got to stand against the side of the tram and looked down and around me the entire trip up. You get to see crazy natural rock formations and just an overall breathtaking scenic landscape. It is a little pricey at $17.50 per person, but I think it's well worth it to experience something so natural and so beautiful. Definitely bring a coat of sorts since it is quite windy even at the base of the mountain and there was a 30-degree difference in temperature between the base and the top of the mountain.
2 for the ski area
4 for the tram ride
The tram ride is something that should be done if you are visiting Albuquerque. I think their slogan is "it's not a ride, it's a flight" and appropriately so. I don't get squeamish with heights, but my stomach did turn a little bit. The tram ride will provide you with the best views of the Albuquerque and the mountains, especially during sunsets. It's also a great way to get up to the crest to do some hiking.
However, the ski area leaves a lot more to be desired. The runs are decently long, but not very challenging (the blacks are blues at most other resorts). But the major problem is that the ski area fully opens only once every several years because of lack of snow. The chair lifts are also old school and slooooow.. With the chairlift, it took me 2-3 times longer to get up than down. The day that I boarded here was after a massive storm so everyone and their dogs were at the mountain because of the proximity to Albuquerque. The wait for the rentals (my friends were waiting for their board bags for our colorado trip so we tried to make the best out of the days waiting) was more than 1 hour, and holy crap, I think they are renting out equipment circa 1995. Can't say I would recommend this place unless there's 2 feet of pow on the ground...
The Tram ride is definitely worth doing if you are in Albuquerque, and even if you are afraid of heights. My wife hates heights, trams, and other things of that nature and she even love the trip.
The tram ride takes about 15 minutes and is sometimes a tad bumpy, but the view from the tram would take away any jitters that one might have. The little "museum" at the top is okay too. A couple must do's while on the "tram trip"...1) take time to take in the view. They have a viewing platform that has tubes that you can look through to see different cities and destinations that are on the horizon. 2) Go eat at the High Finance Restraint. The food is pretty good, but the view is amazing.
The Bottom Line: If you live in Albuquerque and have never been there...Shame on you. If you visit Albuquerque and don't take time to visit...also, shame on you.
An Albuquerque must do.
