Recent reports of trail conditions from Cibola Trail Rangers (CTR) members and others will be posted on this page. Reports of snow conditions near the Crest and upper Tram terminal are included as a proxy for conditions on upper La Luz.
Be aware that conditions can change quickly particularly during winter. Know the trail conditions before you start. Call the Sandia Ranger Station at 505-281-3304 for current trail conditions. If returning via the Tram, check their website or call ahead at 505-856-1532 to make sure they are open. Cell phone coverage is not guaranteed along the trail.
Click here for winter photos.
Reports
March 20, 2026 – Jamey Browning reported: Today I rode up the Tram and hiked one of the La Luz/Crest loops. Temperatures ranged from 50 in the morning to 70 in the afternoon.
I saw two hazard trees, one previously reported on La Luz and a new one near the start of the Four Seasons Nature Trail. Otherwise, the trails were clear.
Upper La Luz is generally clear of snow aside from a few brief patches. Hikers I chatted with reported that the entire trail in generally clear of snow except for the shady stretches in the mid reaches. They reported seeing several trees down on La Luz which they either had to duck under or step over but didn’t have any additional details.
Crest Spur only had a few patches of snow.
I observed the reported broken rock slap just a short distance down La Luz. This degrades the trail a tad, but Canyon will have to see if it is practical to slide the slab back into place. The downhill slope below the trail is about 45 degrees and this does narrow the trail a little.
The tree reported about a quarter mile down La Luz (35.19923, -106.43755) is concerning. It is 20 something inches in diameter. The upper section broke off at about 12 feet and is suspended in the air, pinched by two trees and the vertical rocks next to the trail. The lower section is very rotten.
There are a couple of branches protruding into the trail narrowing it to a few inches adjacent to a steep drop-off. I think that the protruding branches could easily be cut with a Silke to make it easier to get past the trail. An expert would need to look and see if anything further can be safely done. It is a precarious area with cliffs above and below the trail.
The tree is nearly vertical, lying on the rock face and held in the air by the stump and the tree at right. The upper section is laying on the rock surface and pinched by the dead tree at left.
March 9, 2026 – Fred Hagstrom reported: There are 2 problems at the top of La Luz, fairly close to the trail head near the tram.
1- a flat rock that is in the trail, one large enough that most people walk on it- has become loose. It could. go over the edge, or rock enough to send someone over.
2- a tree has come down over the trail, partially blocking it.
Both things are potential hazards.
January 24, 2026 – Lauri Dodge reported: I went up to the crest at 8:15 this morning, gate was open and I followed 2 plows all the way to the top. I snowshoed the course and yes, it was snowing an inch an hour up there! About 4″ when I started and about 5″ when I finished. I was the only tracks in the new snow so my late Christmas present got here!
I saw DOT and BCSO heading up when I was coming down so I suspected they were closing the gate. By then, the road was a snow packed icy mess again. Down below it is really muddy in spots due to the sanding the plows area doing.
January 9, 2026 – Sandia Peak Ski Area reports 12 inches of snow in the past 48 hours.
December 24, 2025 – Pauline Ho reported: This afternoon we hiked up the La Luz trail for ~2.5 miles. We admired the trail repairs that we reported a few weeks ago. We turned around at the spot in Chimney Canyon where the trail on the North-facing slope, as usual, is snow-packed/icy. We haven’t been up this trail for a while and noticed that the old gray sign posts that used to be in this section of trail are not there now. Hopefully this is part of the signage plan, and not a result of them being stolen.
December 18, 2025 – Steve Roholt reported: I did upper Switchback and Buried Cable today. It would be nice to have more snow, but what has fallen so far has laid down a good base.
December 10, 2025 – Steve Roholt reported: I spent some time shoveling snow and packing with snowshoes with the goal to level out the Upper Switchback Trail...about 8-12 inches undisturbed snow.
December 6, 2025 – Kerry Jones reported: There’s about 30 cm (~12”) of snow depth at 10K using the snow stake. I estimated about 6” at my photo point near the Gravel Pit and South Crest junction. As usual, a lot of variability depending on wind loading. Overall, the trails were in good shape for snowshoeing. I broke trail on Double Eagle to KoM. Still several exposed rocks on Gravel Pit but not bad.
December 5, 2025 – Steve Roholt reported: General conditions for winter recreation — The Service Road, Klaus Trail, Lower Switchback trail and Kiwanis meadow trail have excellent early season coverage, Still a few obstacles to dodge but very skiable. The recent grooming has really helped and things are shaping up nicely.
I saw several skiers and snowshoers out enjoying these fine early season conditions. It was 23 F at Ellis Parking.Some wind and drifting happening. The recent fresh snow softened things up and it stayed cold enough so that waxing was easy. Saw several freestyle (skate) skiers, snowshoers and classic/ backcountry skiers.
I layered up clothing. It was fairly cold. The weather forecast calls for gradually warming temperatures, but still cold enough to preserve the snow base.
December 5, 2025 – Canyon Young reported: I haven’t been up the La Luz since the snows started, but Cliff’s info below is as solid as you’ll get. I’ll add that the new snow on Wednesday night fell on top of snow that was already on the ground up in the high country from previous storms that occured within the past couple weeks. So, I would suggest being prepared for small amounts of snow on shaded slopes in the lower reaches of the trail, and roughly 10-18 inches of total snowpack in the upper 2 miles of the 7.5-mile trail (in the rockslide area, as Cliff mentions below), with possible wind-blown drifts that are much deeper. It’s winter up there.
December 5, 2025 – Cliff Giles reported: The Sandia Peak Ski Area reports 4 inches of snow over Wednesday night. We received about 2 inches at my house located at 6,000 feet in the westside foothills, so I expect you’ll have snow all the way up the trail particularly in the shadowed (north-facing or forested) sections and especially on the rockslide area above the 5-mile point.
Seasonal information on hiking La Luz as well as recommended equipment (including winter traction devices) are provided in the documents linked to below.
Last updated 2 weeks ago