The La Luz Trail (Trail 137) is a popular hiking trail located on the west face of the

Sandia Mountains The Sandia Mountains (Tiwa language, Southern Tiwa: ''Posu gai hoo-oo'', Keres language, Keres: ''Tsepe,'' Navajo language, Navajo: ''Dził Nááyisí''; Tewa language, Tewa: ''O:ku:p’į'', Taos language, Northern Tiwa: ''Kep’íanenemą''; J ...

near

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

. The trail begins at the La Luz Trailhead and proceeds approximately eight miles to either

Sandia Crest Sandia Crest, also known locally as Sandia Peak or simply as the Crest, is a mountain ridge that, at , is the highpoint of the Sandia–Manzano Mountains, and is located in the Sandia Mountains of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United State ...

or the

Sandia Peak Tramway The Sandia Peak Tramway is an aerial tramway, adjacent to Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. It stretches from the northeast edge of the city to Sandia Peak, on the ridge line of the Sandia MountainsThe upper station of the tramway ...

. The hike is strenuous, with of elevation gain and a grade of 12%. The trail allows hikers to view the flora and fauna of four climatic "life zones" and the granite cliffs and spires native to the west face of the

. It also offers excellent views of

, the cinder cones of the Albuquerque Volcanoes, and Mount Taylor. The La Luz Trail is also home to the La Luz Trail Run.

Location

The La Luz Trail is located in the northwestern part of the

subrange of the Sandia-Manzano Mountains. It can be accessed from

, the

, or the La Luz Trailhead. The La Luz Trailhead is accessed by taking the Forest Road 333 turnoff from Tramway Road (

NM 556 New Mexico State Road 556 (NM 556) is a state highway entirely within Bernalillo County, New Mexico. For most of its length, NM 556 is signed as Tramway Boulevard in Albuquerque, although from I-25 to its northern terminus at NM&nb ...

)
Parking
is open to the public.

Trail information

The trail originates at the La Luz Trailhead, which has an elevation of . The lower reaches of the trail are a wide dirt path that climbs at a moderate slope. This part of the trail passes through the ''Upper Sonoran Zone'' life zone, where

juniper Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' ( ) of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere as far south ...

and piñon trees,

prickly pear cactus ''Opuntia'', commonly called the prickly pear cactus, is a genus of flowering plants in the cactus family Cactaceae, many known for their flavorful fruit and showy flowers. Cacti are native to the Americas, and are well adapted to arid climat ...

, and

cholla cactus ''Cylindropuntia'' is a genus of cacti (family Cactaceae), containing species commonly known as chollas ( ), native to northern Mexico and the Southwestern United States. They are known for their barbed spines that tenaciously attach to skin, fu ...

are found. About a mile from the trailhead is the junction of La Luz Trail and the Tramway trail. The Tramway trail connects to the lower tram terminal and allows hikers to use the tram to return to their vehicles instead of hiking the round trip. As the trail climbs the mountain, the scrub forest is replaced by the alpine forest of the ''Transition Zone'', with ponderosa pines,

blue spruce The blue spruce (''Picea pungens''), also commonly known as Colorado spruce or Colorado blue spruce, is a species of spruce tree native to North America in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. It is noted for its blue-green co ...

trees, and assorted wildflowers in the summer months. A scenic overlook is found at around and a distance of about . Just past this overlook is a sign that warns hikers that the trail beyond is snowy and impassable in the winter months. The trail becomes narrower and more rocky after the overlook. The trail travels through a steep, rocky draw with the many

quaking aspen ''Populus tremuloides'' is a deciduous tree native to cooler areas of North America, one of several species referred to by the common name aspen. It is commonly called quaking aspen,

and pines of the ''Canadian Zone''. Hikers traverse 19 switchbacks in this area as they near the top of the trail. Approximately from the trailhead in the ''Hudsonian Zone'', the La Luz trail forks. The right (south) fork leads to the upper terminal of the Sandia Peak Tramway at

Sandia Peak Ski Area Sandia Peak Ski Area, originally La Madera Ski Area, is a ski resort located in the Sandia Mountains in northeast Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States, immediately northeast of the city of Albuquerque. It is part of a Special Use Permit Z ...

, and a final elevation of . The left (north) fork is the Crest Spur Trail (Trail 84) and travels approximately up a very steep slope to Sandia Crest and has a final elevation of . File:La Luz Trail.jpeg, La Luz Trail Head

Trail conditions and precautions

The La Luz trail is a strenuous day hike, especially if hikers are attempting to hike up and down the trail. Often, hikers will turn around at a set point on the trail or use the tram to only hike one way on the trail. It is recommended that all hikers be in the appropriate physical condition for their desired trip length, and to take the necessary equipment including severe weather clothing. The La Luz trail is well-worn due to the large number of hikers it receives. However, it is possible to lose the trail, as there have been some relocations of switchbacks. In the winter months, the area above the sign is very snowy, and requires snowshoes and trekking poles for passage. Upper La Luz Trail is snow-covered and impassable fro
November to April.
The trail is subject to closure due to extreme fire danger in the hot summer months. The Sandia Ranger District provides a website that has a page of current trail conditions such as ice and snow. Wildlife biologists situated at Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands have been presented with numerous accounts about the presence of a mountain lion along the La Luz trail, which is situated in the Sandia Ranger District. The mountainous terrain serves as optimal habitat for mountain lions and it is not uncommon to sporadically encounter them; however, in recent months, there has been a noticeable increase in sightings, particularly during the periods of dawn and dusk.

La Luz Trail run

The La Luz Trail has been the site of a trail race up its slopes since the first run that began in 1965. After the designation of the

Sandia Mountain Wilderness Sandia Mountain Wilderness, part of Cibola National Forest, is located east of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and comprises much of Sandia Mountains. It became part of the National Wilderness Preservation System in 1978 by an act of the United States ...

area in the 1970s, the race was limited to 400 participants by the Forest Service. These slots are filled by lottery. The run is in length, beginning with on Forest Road 333 and finishing at Sandia Crest after running of the trail. This run was honored as one of the "12 Most Grueling Trail Races in North America" by the fall 2001 issue of Trail Runner Magazine.

References

External links

La Luz Trail Run
{{coord, 35, 12, 40, N, 106, 27, 56, W, display=title Geography of Bernalillo County, New Mexico Hiking trails in New Mexico Transportation in Bernalillo County, New Mexico