Sandia Crest

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Sandia Crest
Closeup of Sandia Crest from the west, July 2007
Highest point
Elevation	10,679 ft (3,255 m)
Prominence	4,098 ft (1,249 m)
Coordinates	35°12′36.41″N 106°26′55.14″W / 35.2101139°N 106.4486500°W / 35.2101139; -106.4486500
Dimensions
Length	5 mi (8 km) N-S
Naming
Etymology	Watermelon (Spanish)[1]
Nickname	Sandia Peak, the Crest[2]
Native name	Posu gai hoo-oo (Southern Tiwa)[3]
English translation	"Where water slides down arroyo"
Defining authority	Sandia Pueblo
Geography
Country	United States
State	New Mexico
County	Bernalillo
Nearest city	Albuquerque
Parent range	Sandia–Manzano Mountains
Biome	Hudsonian Zone
Geology
Formed by	Rio Grande rift
Orogeny	Laramidian
Age of rock	300 Ma
Mountain type	Tilted fault-block
Type of rock	Sedimentary
Climbing
Easiest route	Grand Enchantment Trail
Normal route	La Luz Trail
Access	Albuquerque, Sandia Pueblo

Sandia Crest, also known locally as Sandia Peak or simply as the Crest,^[2] is a mountain ridge that, at 10,679 feet (3,255 m), is the highpoint of the Sandia–Manzano Mountains, and is located in the Sandia Mountains of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States. Instead of a true summit or topographic peak, this range climbs to a long ridge line. To the east, the range slopes down from the Crest and merges into the plains below. On the west side of the Crest is a cliff; the range dramatically drops over 4,000 feet (1,000 metres) in elevation over 2 miles (3 kilometres) of horizontal distance to the Rio Grande Valley and city of Albuquerque below. It is within the Sandia Ranger District of the Cibola National Forest. The Crest features a viewing area with a shop and visitor center, telecommunications transmitters, the popular La Luz Trail, the Sandia Mountain Wilderness, and the summit of Sandia Peak Ski Area and the Sandia Peak Tramway, which is the longest aerial tramway in the Americas.^{[citation needed]}