Friends of the Sandia Mountains (FOSM)

Supporting Sandia Ranger District Since 1997

Whether you are a hiker, mountain biker, cross-country skier, trail runner, or you just enjoy being in the Sandias, you know that our mountains are one of nature’s special gifts.

Have you ever wondered what you could do to help protect our mountains? Do you want to learn more about the animals and plants you find there? Do you like to meet people who share your concern for the Sandia and Manzanita Mountains?

Welcome! Please explore our website to learn more about the goals and many activities of the Friends of the Sandia Mountains (FOSM). We likely have volunteer opportunities that match your interests and abilities.

Click image to check out this great video about the uniqueness of the Sandias (“…young mountains formed of old rock”) created by our friends at the Sandia Mountain Natural History Center.

*Technically, it’s Sandia Mountain (singular), but we often use the plural to recognize the existence of northern and southern peaks.

New to Albuquerque or just new to the Sandias? Explore the many recreational opportunities our mountains offer. Please carefully read the Safety section.

Please check out our La Luz Trail webpage if you are planning to hike this iconic but too often dangerous trail.

An easy way to get involved is to join Cibola Trail Rangers, an email group consisting of hikers, bikers, XC skiers, horsemen, etc., who frequent the trails in the Sandia Ranger District and are interested in exchanging information on trail conditions on both an immediate and continuing basis. The group includes FOSM members trained to correct reported problems.

Please report corrective actions as well as problems so the FOSM trail maintenance crew doesn’t hike to fix a problem that no longer exists.

Click above to learn about this auto tour guide to the Sandias.
Click above to enjoy an entertaining and educational video about the Sandias⏤mountains created by the Rio Grande rift only 10 to 20 million years ago but made mostly of granite 1.4 billion years old⏤produced by NMPBS in conjunction with Albuquerque’s tricentennial in 2006.
Click above to learn about this educational guide to the Sandias.

Sandia Peak Tramway makes the top of the mountain easily accessible and one-way hikes of La Luz Trail possible, but be sure to check their website before starting your journey.

Click image to access website. Chick here for live view from webcams.

I hiked the La Luz with Jonathan Yales of Cibola SAR from lower trailhead up to the Crest Spur junction (approx. 6.5 miles in of the 7.5 mile trail), to match up with a recent trail condition report sent by another CSAR member. See my trail condition report below for your information in sharing with the public as they may ask – feel free to distribute to anyone who might find this information useful.

Click to enlarge image.
Click to read message as pdf document.

This week’s outlook: The weather in the coming days is forecasted to be relatively stable in the Sandia backcountry, with no precipitation predicted. Above-freezing daytime high temperatures over the next couple of days will allow for freeze/thaw of the snowpack, and therefore potential for surface crust development, which would make over-snow travel more difficult. This has the most potential to affect conditions on the Crest Spur Trail and the La Luz above the Crest Spur junction, both of which have reaches with direct sun exposure, whereas the rockslide area (between 4.5 and 6.5 miles) gets very little direct sunlight all winter. However, daytime temps will drop to at or below freezing on and following Thanksgiving Day, allowing for less change in snow & trail conditions.

Canyon Young
Trails and Wilderness Program Manager
US Forest Service
Sandia Ranger District
Cibola National Forest
11776 Hwy 337, Tijeras, NM 87059
505-546-7466
canyon.young@usda.gov


November 13, 2024 – The Cibola National Forest & National Grasslands is announcing the signing of a Decision Memo for the North Sandia Fuels Reduction Project, a significant step towards mitigating wildfire risk in the area. The project will restore, maintain, and improve forested conditions on approximately 2,965 acres on the Sandia Ranger District, Sandoval and Bernalillo Counties, Sandia Mountains, north of I-40 (see attached map for project area and treatment types that may be used). 

Objectives for the North Sandia Fuels Reduction Project include reducing the impacts of high severity fire, reducing wildfire risk to communities within the wildland urban interface (WUI), and restoring forest structure and composition within the planning area.

The Forest Service thanks the public for their input and active engagement in the development of this project and looks forward to continued engagement and collaboration throughout implementation. 

Click to access project website.

Individuals who commented on this project will be notified directly regarding the signing of the decision memo. 

To view the categorical exclusion and signed decision memo along with other helpful documents and information, please visit the project website at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/cibola/?project=65654

Click to read FAQs.

Print copies of the final documents will be available for viewing at the Sandia Ranger District office at 11776 Hwy. 337 Tijeras, NM 87059 and the Cibola National Forest & Grasslands Supervisor’s Office at 2113 Osuna Rd. NE Albuquerque, NM 87113. Copies of the documents will also be available for viewing at the Placitas Community Library. 

For additional information, please contact:
brittany.lewellen@usda.gov


From New Mexico Fire Information (emphasis added):

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – November 16, 2024 – Fire crews for the Cibola National Forest & National Grasslands (NF & NG) have successfully completed a total of 12 acres of pile burning with yesterday and today’s prescribe fire (Rx) ignitions within the 34 acres of the previously announced Sulphur Rx Fire Piles on the Sandia Ranger District. Fire personnel will continue to monitor the Sulphur Rx Fire Piles as a winter weather system is expected to come into the area tomorrow afternoon.

If in the coming weeks the Sulphur area receives more precipitation for additional snow cover creating optimal conditions for burning piled slash and woody debris from previous restoration work, fire managers may announce the possible continuation of ignitions on the remaining acres of the Sulphur Rx Fire Pile area.

The Sulphur Rx fire pile burn area is in the Sandia east mountains, north of I-40, west of NM-14 and south of NM-536. See map attached. Residual smoke may be visible in the surrounding areas of Albuquerque, Tijeras, Edgewood and Moriarty, NM.

The Cibola NF & NGs manages all prescribed fires in compliance with New Mexico state air quality and smoke management regulations. Information on air quality and protecting your health can be found online at the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) website.

Photo of firefighters on the Sulphur Rx Fire Piles area on the Sandia Ranger District
November 16, 2024 Photo of Sulphur Rx Fire Piles on the Sandia Ranger District

Implementation announcements and updates on prescribed fire projects will be posted on New Mexico Fire Information and on the Cibola NF & NGs websiteCibola Facebook and Cibola Twitter sites.

For more information on the Sulphur Canyon prescribed fire piles plan, contact the Sandia Ranger District Office: 505-281-3304 or Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands Supervisor’s Office: 505-346-3900.

ALBUQUERQUE, NM — November 8, 2024 — Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands fire crews are preparing to implement prescribed fire as early as November 13th on 34 acres of piles within the previously announced Sulphur unit of the Sandia Rx Fire Plan.

Fire managers are taking advantage of recent precipitation, snow covered ground, cooler temperatures, and relative humidity recoveries that creates suitable conditions for burning piled slash and woody debris from earlier forest restoration work.

The Sulphur pile burn area is in the Sandia east mountains, north of 1-40, west of NM-14 and south of NM-536. See map aftached. Smoke may be visible in the surrounding areas of Albuquerque, Tijeras, Edgewood and Moriarty, NM.

Click to read full announcement.

Click to enlarge map.


“Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!” Our mountain is covered in fresh powder. It’s not too early to make plans for the 21st Sandia Snowshoe Classic to be held on January 18, 2025.

Click to read announcement.

More details are available here.


Albuquerque, NM, September 27, 2024 – The Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands (NF&NGs) has issued an area closure order (Order 03-03-05-24-13) for the Cedro 4 Project Area north of Forest Road 462 on the Sandia Ranger District of the Cibola NF&NGs, described below and shown on the attached map.

This Order shall be in effect from October 7, 2024, at 0600 through May 3, 2025 at 0600, unless rescinded.

The purpose of this Order is for the protection of public health and safety during mechanized thinning work in the Cedro 4 project area north of Forest Road 462 as shown on attached map.

Click to read full order.
Click to enlarge map.

Welcome, New FOSM Members!

Karen Thorn – October 15
Glen Clement – October 15
Peter Rhyins – October 4
Scott Christenson – September 3
Janet Simon and Mark Weber – September 2
Eric Messerschmidt – August 16
Chuck Logan – August 12
Courtney and Svetlana Conte – August 12
Tom Spross – July 20
James Epps* – July 18
Lisa Blackford – July 14
Jeff and Jan Kokos – June 4
Neil Alessio – May 30
Tim Kirkpatrick – May 7

*Life sponsor

Volunteer Opportunity – Paint Crew Leader

Thanks, Anne Hickman for your years of faithful service as leader of the paint crew. Anne has stepped down due to other commitments. Please use the form on the referenced pages if you would be interested in assuming this leadership position.

Time to Report Volunteer Hours for November

We are starting a new Forest Service fiscal year, FY2025. Expect a monthly call for hours going forward. This is a call for your individual volunteer hours for November.

*The weekly crew leaders (Bob, Sam, Laura) have already provided their crew’s hours by individual into our FY2025 FOSM hours tracker, so if you signed an attendance sheet, your hours are already covered.

*Basically, report any and all individual time spent in a FOSM activity which pertains to the District.

Additional guidelines for reporting hours can be found here.