Other Sources of Information about the Sandia Mountains
FOSM contacts
- webmaster@friendsofthesandias.org – Email address for contacting webmaster for this website
- info@friendsofthesandias.org – Email address for requests for information about FOSM
- fosmrecords@friendsofthesandias.org – Email address for submitting documents for retention
Forest Service information
- www.fs.usda.gov/ National Forest Service Hqs.
- www.fs.fed.usda.gov/r3 Southwest Region
- www.fs.fed.usda.gov/cibola Cibola National Forest
- https://www.flickr.com/photos/cibola_nfg/ Historic photos from Cibola National Forest sites
- www.nafsr.org National Association of Forest Service Retirees
- www.swfsamigos.org Southwest Forest Service Retirees/Amigos
- http://npshistory.com/publications/usfs/region/3/history/chap13.htm Timeless Heritage: A History of the Forest Service in the Southwest, Chapter 13, Recreation
Wildlife
- www.wildlife.state.nm.us N.M. Department of Game & Fish
- www.hawkwatch.org HawkWatch International
- www.rosyfinch.com Information on Rosy Finches atSandia Crest
Other Volunteer Opportunities
- www.nmvfo.org New Mexico Volunteers for the Outdoors
- www.placitasareatrail.org Placitas Area Trail Association
- www.oneabqvolunteers.com/need/ One Albuquerque Volunteers
- www.oneabqvolunteers.com/agency/ One Albuquerque Volunteers
Maps
- Cibola National Forest Maps
- North Sandia District Trails Map
- Cienega, Sulpher Canyon, Doc Long Area Map
- Kiwanis Meadow Area Trails Map
- Manzanita Mountains Trails Map
- Placitas Area Trails
- Sandia Crest Area Trails
- Sandia Crest National Scenic Byway Brochure (Auto Tour Guide)
- The Mapping of our National Forests, Peter L. Stark, updated 2022 Historic Geography of the National Forest system.
- Additional maps available at https://friendsofthesandias.org/recreation/
Hiking
- www.sandiahiking.com Mike Coltrin’s site for hiking in the Sandias. The original website (sandiahiking.com) was vacated by Mike, but he gave permission to provide a link from the FOSM website to this archive copy in the interest of passing along legacy data related to the Sandia trails (including GPS waypoints and GPS tracks of many of the Sandia Trails). See also: Sandia Mountain Hiking Guide – UNM Press.
- www.nmmountainclub.org NM Mountain Club
Cross-country Skiing
- https://www.sandianordic.org Sandia Nordic Ski Club
Snowshoeing
- https://friendsofthesandias.org/snowshoe-race/ Information on the annual Sandia Snowshoe Race
- racedirector@friendsofthesandias.org Email address for snowshoe race director
Trails
- www.aroadrun.org Albuquerque Road Runners
- adoptatrail@friendsofthesandias.org Email address for seeking information about Adopt-a-Trail program
- Albuquerque Journal article about La Luz Trail Interview with Forest Service volunteer Dave Hammack in 2001
- La Luz Trail Run History USDA Forest Service withdrew approval of this event in 2020 because its commercial sponsorship violated provisions of the Wilderness Act.
Mountain Biking
- https://ambanm.org Albuquerque Mountain Bike Association
- www.IMBA.com International Mountain Biking Association
Sandia Peak Ski Area and Aerial Tramway
- www.sandiapeak.com Website for ski area, Tram, and Ten 3 restaurant
- History of Sandia Peak Ski Area and Sandia Peak Tramway (information collected by Jamey Browning)
- Benny Abruzzo, profile of owner operator of Sandia Peak Ski Area and Aerial Tramway
Horseback Riding
- www.BCHNM.org Back Country Horsemen of New Mexico
Fire/Closure Information
- www.nmfireinfo.com New Mexico Fire Information (Seasonal)
Hang Gliding
- www.flysandia.net Hang Gliding Club
Rock Climbing
- www.climbstoneage.com Stone Age Climbing Gym
- https://www.preworkout.org/rock-climbing-as-exercise/ A Beginner’s Guide to Rock Climbing as Exercise
Search and Rescue
- https://hsc.unm.edu/medicine/departments/emergency-medicine/programs/prehospital-care/immc/ International Mountain Medicine Center (IMMC)
- https://www.cibolasar.org Cibola Search and Rescue
Culture and History
- www.friendsoftijeraspueblo.org Friends of Tijeras Pueblo
- https://abqlibrary.org/postcards/sandia Historic Post Cards Featuring Sandia Mountains
- https://www.flickr.com/photos/cibola_nfg/ Historic photos from Cibola National Forest sites
Aircraft Crash Sites
Unfortunately, the Sandias have been the location of more than a dozen aircraft crashes over the years the most famous and deadly of which was the crash of TWA flight 260 in 1955. FOSM co-founder Sam Beard, who has visited most of the sites (and was the first person to arrive at one of them), presented a summary of the crashes at a FOSM membership meeting in 2021 to which FOSM member Cliff Giles added a compilation of newspaper articles, NTSB reports, and other information.
- Sam Beard presentation
- Supplemental materials (Note active hyperlinks)
- An Amateur’s Reconstruction of TWA Flight 260 Accident
Medallion Trees
A person or persons unknown took core samples, meticulously counted tree rings to determine the age of each tree, then attached medallions to at least 84 trees scattered throughout the Sandia Mountains. (The various numbering systems suggest the total was once over 100.) In most cases, the medallions show an identification number, the estimated germination year of the tree, and an event that happened on or about that year.
A 2020 Albuquerque Journal article describes two friends’ quest to find all 84 of the trees. Several medallions seem to be missing from their trees having probably been taken by selfish souvenir hunters.
One of the missing medallions, Robert II Crowned King of Scotland Tree, is on display at the Sandia Ranger Station having been removed by the Forest Service from a fallen tree alongside South Crest Trail.
FOSM member Jamey Browning, who has found and photographed almost all the medallions or the trees on which they once were mounted, created an comprehensive collage showing the medallions along with photos of the trees on which they were (or should have been) found.