In most years, a single drive up the Sandia Crest Scenic Byway covered a whole winter day. You could put on cross-country skis on the Nordic loop, snowshoe over to Kiwanis Cabin and finish at the overlook above the city. This winter that one drive ends at a turnaround just past mile marker 11. The summit and the snow are now on opposite sides of the mountain.
From North Albuquerque Acres, the west face fills the windshield. The Tram is now the only ride to the top of that ridge, and its anticipated reopening after fall maintenance is Thursday, November 12. The sledding hills, ski-touring trail and picnic sites are on the east side, all below the closure line. A good snow day this season starts with picking one side.
What the closure removes from a winter day
The Cibola National Forest started enforcing an area closure around the Crest on April 30, 2026. It covers a hazard-tree and fuel-reduction thinning project on 140 acres around the Crest and NM 536. The 10K Trailhead parking area is the turnaround for every vehicle going up NM 536, and the Sandia Crest Recreation Site is closed.
KOAT published the full closure list when it was announced. Several of the closed pieces are exactly what made the Crest a winter spot:
- The Sandia Nordic and Country Ski Trails
- The Kiwanis Cabin trail
- The North Crest Trail and parts of the Crest Trail
- The Ellis Trailhead parking lot and the south 10K trailhead lot
- The Ellis, Challenge, Crest Spur, Survey, Switchback, Rocky Point, Gravel Pit and Forest Seasons trails
- Forest Service Road 488
The Crest House is also off the list. It hasn't been open to the public since October 2021. The federal government took possession of it in 2024, and demolition and site preparation began in August 2026.
The Tram is the only ride to the top this winter
Sandia Peak Tramway closed for fall maintenance November 3 through 11. The Tram and TEN 3 list Thursday, November 12 as the anticipated reopening day, and the Tram said tickets for that date onward would be available on its website beginning the week of November 9. Last fall the same shutdown ran November 3 through 13, with a reopening on Friday, November 14, according to KOAT. So this year's reopening comes two days earlier on the calendar. Because the reopening is listed as anticipated, check sandiapeak.com before you drive over.
Here's the schedule and pricing posted on the Tram's own site:
| Item | Posted detail |
|---|---|
| Tram days | Wednesday through Monday, closed Tuesdays |
| Uphill hours | 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., last descent at 10 p.m. |
| Round trip | $35 adult, $30 young adult, senior or military, $25 child |
| One way | $24 |
| TEN 3 casual dining | Thursday through Monday, 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. |
| TEN 3 fine dining | 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. |
TEN 3 is closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and the Tram site notes that hours can change with weather and capacity. The closure doesn't affect the Tram or TEN 3, and the La Luz Trail stays open up to the Tram. Ken Born of the Forest Service summed up the limit for KOAT: "You can hike La Luz to the tramway, but you can't continue to the Crest."
A walk from the upper terminal still works, as long as you head the right way. The Tram's hiking page puts it this way:
"During the forest closure at the crest for forest health and wildfire prevention (effective April 30, 2026 – Fall of 2027), the South Crest Trail and others are still accessible from the top of Tram!"
That page links two maps showing which trails are open outside the closure area. Pull them up before you board. The walk north to Kiwanis Cabin is off the table this winter. The usual route from the Tram follows Crest Trail 130 north, and the trail to the cabin is inside the closure.
Below mile 11, the east side keeps the snow
The Tram gets you onto the ridge. If you want a sled or snowshoes, it's the east-side drive up NM 536, and everything open there sits below the turnaround. These are the Forest Service sites still listed for the winter, with their posted day-use fees:
- Capulin Snow Play Site. It's about eight miles up NM 536, roughly 1.5 miles past the ski area. The site has three developed sledding slopes and charges $10 per vehicle per day, cash or check, or an amenity pass. Inner tubes, plastic discs and sleds are allowed. Metal or wooden sleds, more than two riders on one sled, sled trains, jumps, glass, alcohol and off-leash pets are not. The site opens only when conditions allow, and its page currently lists it as closed.
- 10K Trail 200. The north 10K trailhead is on the north side of NM 536 and still open. The trail is designated for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, so it's now the closest substitute for the closed Nordic loop. Day use is $5 per vehicle. Don't park in the south-side 10K lot, which is reserved for vehicles turning around.
- Tree Spring Trail 147. This two-mile, one-way trail is open, with $5 per vehicle day use. The Forest Service lists it for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding, not as a ski or snowshoe trail.
- Capulin Spring, Doc Long, Sulphur Canyon and Cienega Canyon picnic sites. All four are open year-round unless winter weather is present, at $5 per vehicle. Sulphur Canyon charges $10 for vehicles carrying 15 or more people. These work for a thermos-and-lunch stop on a day when the road is clear.
All of it depends on NM 536 being passable. NMRoads posts closures and driving conditions, and the advisory line is 511 or 800-432-4269.
The ski area sits outside the line, on its own calendar
Sandia Peak Ski Area is below the closure, and the Forest Service told KOAT it wouldn't be affected this winter. The resort has scheduled opening day for Saturday, December 19, and says it could open earlier if the weather and snow cooperate.
Last season's dates are a useful comparison. KRQE listed December 12 as the planned 2025–26 opening. The mountain actually opened January 10, 2026, after weeks of snowmaking and four inches of fresh snow, running 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with Lift 4 on limited operation, as Route 66 Independent reported. Last year's planned date and actual opening were four weeks apart. Treat December 19 as the earliest likely date, and keep checking the snow report.
A few things are new on the ski side. Passes are now RFID cards instead of mailed passes. You pick yours up on your first visit and the lifts scan it hands-free. Season passes are advertised from $225 with 0% interest payment plans, and children 12 and under get free Power Kids passes. The lift ticket page advertises $9 book-ahead tickets. The resort's FAQ page says lift ticket prices vary. If you skin up before the lifts run, the resort's uphill policy sends uphill traffic to the Cibola and Double Eagle routes. You're expected to stay to the side of the trail and respect closures, and the resort warns that mountain operations can be running at any time.
When the line moves
The closure order's stated end date is January 15, 2027, unless it's rescinded. But the Forest Service's project update says Crest-area access will be affected through fall 2027, and the Tram's hiking page gives the same fall 2027 end. The second phase is a rebuild of the Crest Recreation Area planned for summer 2027. It includes repaving and restriping the parking area, new walkways, stairs, railings, benches and toilets, accessibility improvements and another observation deck.
So for every snowfall this winter, a day on the Sandias works one of two ways. You can take the Tram from the west to stand on the ridge and walk the South Crest Trail, or drive the east side to sled at Capulin and ski 10K Trail 200. The turnaround just past mile marker 11 is where the two halves meet.
Living close to the Tramway means the mountain is part of daily life, and part of the reason people choose this side of town. If you're thinking about what that access means for your home's value, Property Partners, Inc. knows the North Albuquerque Acres streets that face the mountain. Get your instant home valuation, and when you're ready to talk it through, Desiree is a phone call away.
