Sandia Peak Ski & Tramway

had a good time it was my first time on the tram was a great experience to see such a great view of everything even though was not to keen on heights but loved it anyways will for sure got back

Excellent view — 2.7m ride to 10k feet
Fun adventure in an otherwise dull area
Plan to hike at the top — bring walking or climbing shoes and plenty of water.
Trams run every fifteen minutes and hold 50 people per trip. There is a restaurant and restrooms at the top.

Wow. I must admit I’m very surprised to read the prices from other recent reviewers, because we paid much more to ride the tram, and we rode today. I have no complaints about the ride itself; the views were lovely, we received the services that were promised, and we didn’t have to wait in line to ride at all. But we did have to pay a lot fee of $ 2 just to drive into the tramway lot, so that’s a new add-​on charge apparently. But that’s not my main beef with them.
My major complaint is the fact that the attendant who sold us the tickets flat out lied to us about the military discounts. The sign directly above her said military servicepeople received $ 5 off the cost of their ticket. So my wife’s ticket should have been $ 20 and mine would cost the full $ 25. She denied they had military discounts and charged us both the full price, even though the sign directly above her head contradicted her claim! (as does their website) Rather than argue with her, we paid the full price, since the tram was boarding and we were going to have to wait for the next one if we fussed with her about it. That’s a pretty lousy way to treat a member of the US military, IMO.

I didn’t think there would be anything to do the one night we spent in Albuquerque but
! An amazing experience, even for someone who’s scared of heights like me. Don’t get me wrong, I was a little scared, but the views were totally worth it.
Each tram (there are 2 that alternate going up or down the mountain) holds about 20 – 25 people –standing room — each ride. The glass all around let’s you get an amazing view from anywhere. New team cars were just introduced in May 2016 for the 50 year anniversary and are very nice. A «tram operator» rides with every tram and gives you a nice informative «tour» on the way up the mountain. I didn’t see any animals but apparently you can sometimes! It’s about a 15 minute ride each way, and for those anxious folks like me, the operator named Gunner did an amazing job of telling us when we would slow down and why and when we would feel sway so my mind didn’t get the best of me. For example, you have to slow down to go over the two towers or when the second tram is approaching/​crossing the towers because they’re connected. Really put me at ease and let me enjoy the ride.
The prices quoted in other reviews are wildly incorrect. As of May 25, 2016: Adults $ 25, Teens (13 – 20)/Seniors/Military $ 20. One way is $ 15, not sure why you’d only buy one way unless you plan to hike.
We went up around 6, ate dinner at the restaurant at the top which I would also recommend, and caught the sunset before riding back down and getting to see the city lit up at night. A great view any time of day, I’m sure.

If the weather is nice, take the tramway up the mountain! It’s a smooth ride and has beautiful views that you will not be able to get anywhere else! Do it once and and that is really all you need but it is for sure worth it to see the beautiful ABQ!

Loved my visit to Sandia Peak. I could not have been better. The ride on the Tramway was breathtaking and I enjoyed every minute of it. It’s a definite «must do» activity!

This is a MUST when visiting Albuquerque! Such a fun and memorable experience for $ 20. The views are amazing and you can see for miles and miles and really get a different perspective on Albuquerque that you cannot get on the ground.
The top of the Sandia Peak is 10,378 feet about sea level and you can definitely feel it once your up there (you’ll be easily out of breath if you are not accustomed to high altitude environments). Definitely bring a camera because the photo opportunities are great up here. Pink mountains, blue skies, gray cliffs, and green forests along the mountain inclines are some of the natural sites that you’ll be able to see from the top. The view also gives great perspective of the many dense neighborhoods throughout the Albuquerque region. The houses look like massive clusters of little dots from all the way up there.
Also, the highest full service restaurant in the western hemisphere is at the top and its a great place to grab a drink just be careful because you’ll be getting intoxicated a lot quicker than usual at this elevation.
The ride in the tram itself is pretty cool. It moves at a slow pace so you can easily take in your surroundings on the way up. The tram operator does a pretty good job of pointing things out and giving you a short guided tour experience as the tram moves toward the top and then again on the way back down. They stuff the tram to absolute capacity and this is a popular attraction so the tram gets crowded and a bit claustrophobic but not terrible.
Parking at the bottom is free which is a definite plus. If you do nothing else on your trip to Albuquerque you should at the very least do this. Its a really fun and unique attraction.

I didn’t enjoy my experience riding this tram all that much. I wasn’t fond of the setup because I don’t like being crammed in with dozens of other people with no place to sit down. Having so many people bumping into me from all directions starts to make me anxious and angry. Plus, if you’re small like I am, you end up having the big or rude people jostle and jockey their way to the windows, leaving you trying to peek over their shoulders in order to get a glimpse of the view.
A really annoying family was in front of me, and the mom kept bending forward at the waist, forcing me to step back even further than I already was from the window in order to avoid having her butt crammed into my crotch. I wanted to bop her one. And the dad kept putting his camera up right in my line of vision to take pictures. I felt like telling him that the views actually look better when you’re not looking at them through a goddamn camera lens.
I will admit that the views at the top are pretty; it’s just not worth the $ 20 for the unpleasant tram ride up there. It would have been more enjoyable if there were multiple trams, each carrying only a handful of passengers.

Cool experience. $ 17 per person, seniors $ 16. Fourteen mins to the top. There was snow up there in March. Gift shop and restaurant at the peak. Too bad we had already eaten at El Pinto because I could smell the delicious char of burgers coming from the restaurant up at the peak.

Sandia Peak Tramway is a wonderful thing to do in Albuquerque New Mexico! It’s the longest tramway in the world elevating you over 10,000 feet to the top. Along the way in the tramway, the views of the mountainside are very cool. You feel like you’re right up close and personal to everything. It was a little scary for me because I’m afraid of heights.
Once you arrive at the top, (I went in February) the mountain is completely covered in snow, which was very picturesque. People I boarded the tramway with brought their gear and snowboards with them as they were gonna ski down the mountain. I went on a clear day and the sights were beautiful. It was so clean and crisp at the top… it was certainly a breath of fresh air! There’s not much to do once you’re at the peak other than looking around and appreciating the scenery. That was just fine with me because your surroundings are beautiful. I spent 45 minutes or so soaking up the views before heading back down on the tramway.
I highly recommend Sandia Peak Tramway when visiting Albuquerque. It was one of the highlights of my New Mexico trip!

My parents are in town for the weekend so I had to hit all the fun things in ABQ that would show them how cool this town really is. The tram is a great way to see the vast and expansive scenery that we are blessed with here. Rode to the top, about a 15 minute ride… No sitting room, all standing. Got a drink at high finance. My Rents couldn’t believe how pretty the land was from up there! It’s a great thing to do every once in a while.

An incredible day! Helpful and friendly people, wide open runs that were well maintained.
Definitely will go back! Thanks for a great day on the slopes with my daughter! She enjoyed a 4 hour group lesson was encouraged by many staff members and gained awesome confidence. I had not skied in about 17 years and enjoyed each part of the mountain I tried.
I highly recommend a visit.
Keep in mind, If you don’t own your own equipment or rent it prior to, you can’t ride the Tram up, you must drive to the lodge and rent the equipment there.

Don’t leave ABQ without doing this. Really, even thought it may seem like the most obviously touristy thing to do. When my friend and I arrived in town, we asked our cab driver what he would do if he only had one free day in the city. He told us all about the tramway, with the restaurant at the bottom and the restaurant at the top, etc. Not having heard about it before, it sounded like the perfect tourist trap. I was so wrong!
The tram ride is extraordinary, truly a marvel of human inspiration and engineering. And the views — to call them breathtaking would be to grossly understate it. We timed our «flight» to coincide with the sunset — what we didn’t count on was the moonrise. When we reached the top, the western sky was stratified with hot pink, purple, and gold over the vast flatness of the city; when we turned to the east, off the opposite side of the crest, the full moon was rising into a royal blue, cloud-​streaked evening sky, illuminating a perfect mountain/​desert landscape.
The walkway between the visitor center and the restaurant offers some of the most incredible views you’ll ever see, in all directions. If you’re heading up there in the winter, dress warmly — it’s much colder at the top, and windy. It was easy to imagine that I was part of the Night’s Watch, on top of the Wall, protecting the realm from Wildlings. :)
We finally gave in to our shivers and decided to try the restaurant. With a name like High Finance, I thought it would just be overpriced and obnoxious. Instead, we found it to be welcoming, friendly, and mellow, with a cozy bar area in which we were able to totally relax and enjoy a hot chocolate and a pint of something yummy. We didn’t eat there, so I can’t speak to the food or the prices, but it was a warm, comfortable place to have a drink before heading back down the mountain.
The trip down was just as extraordinary, even though it was dark. We had the same attendant on our trips up and down — his name was Bruce; excellent dude — and during the rides he gave passengers a synopsis of the history and technical details of the tramway: fascinating. Obviously, I can’t say enough about this experience, but I will stop now. The bottom line is — I highly recommend it. :)

We were passing through on a road trip, and came here just to do the tram ride. The first carful of the day was full of skiers and snowboarders, but on the way down we had the car all to ourselves. On the way down we had a great conversation with the attendant, who had a wealth of knowledge about the construction, maintenance, and trivia of the tram.
Their posted hours are 9am-​8pm, but if customers are at the restaurant past that time, the tram will take them back down after hours. It is far windier at the top than the bottom, so not ideal for hanging out on the top platform looking around; the view in the way up and down is just as nice anyhow.
Though we were here during the day, it seemed like the night view would be just as good (better city view, less mountain view). Is it worth $ 20/​person? If you are lucky enough to have Brendan as your operator and have interest in the technical aspects, definitely. Otherwise… YMMV.

When you visit Albuquerque, you MUST TAKE THIS TRAM.
Having been born and raised in the Rust Belt, I am ‘allergic’ to snow. Therefore, my visit to Albuquerque (or ABQ for those too timid to spell it) was in the early summertime. The tram ride was a must!
Read a little about it before going up the side of Sandia Mountain. There’s a bit of history here, not the least of which was the tragic crash of a 40-​passenger Martin 404 airliner into this mountain, and the crash site is visible from the tram. The engineering and construction of the tram is quite noteworthy, as well.
When you get up to the summit, two things will happen: You will be cold, and you will be short of breath. Both are because you are at an altitude of 10,000 feet. So, take it easy, grab a stool, and toss back a beer at the little bar. Just one will do the job, thanks to the altitude.
If you like snow and skiing, fine. If not, take this tram during the warmer months. The view from the summit is 360 degrees and 100% fantastic, although obviously weather-​dependent. There’s no time limit on the summit, so enjoy it while you’re there. The day I visited, I could see Santa Fe on the distant horizon. The ride is $ 20, but the view is free.

Very cool, unique experience to check out when you’re in ABQ, so glad we took the time to take the tram. Beautiful views on the way up and of course once you get to the top. I especially liked how knowledgeable the tram operators were about the history of the tramway and the specifics of the engineering, construction, etc. We nerds like to learn something wherever we go of course!
Have a beer at the restaurant and take your time, come down on whatever tram you want, no rush to take a specific tram which was nice. Wear a jacket unless it’s blazing hot out, it’s chilly at the top!
Definitely recommend this stop when in the ABQ area.

Despite the web page saying the mountain is 100% open and all lifts running, only ONE run was going yesterday. Supposedly a power outage. I was told there were no (even) partial refunds for the hour long waits to get on the old, slow, creaky double chair. Oh, and the chair stopped every 1 – 3 minutes because getting on and off are very difficult, especially for children.
I appreciate that they are a local area with dwindling annual snow, but the service needs to match webpage advertisement for people traveling distances in icey conditions.

There’s a reason why the Sandia Peak Tram is Albuquerque’s #1 attraction in Trip Advisor.
The tram ride offers spectacular scenes of the western valley with mountain ranges 50 – 70 miles away. The steep 4,000 foot ascent offers breathtaking views of the surrounding rock formations.
At the summit, you can hike to your heart’s content and take in great scenery in any direction.
For me the highlight was facing east into a valley lined with colorful mountains.
Knowing that the surrounding valleys were once completely filled with water makes the view even more spectacular… as one can imagine what it would be like to view the ocean’s floor.
If you’re an out of towner used to sea-​level altitude, it’s advisable to get acclimated to the higher elevation before taking on any major hikes. The base of Sandia is nearly 7,000 feet above sea level. The top elevation is over 10,000 feet. Trust me, the air is really thin up there!

Riding the tram to the top of Sandia is a fine experience. The elevated view provides a unique perspective of Albuquerque’s topography and the flow of the Rio Grande River. This is well worth the experience.

Did this while we stayed in town for the night. We first ate dinner at the restaurant at the bottom the the tramway; would have preferred to eat at the restaurant at the top (better view) but it was close that night. We then took the tram to the top during the sunset and the view was amazing. When we got to the top we just took in the different views of Albuquerque lit up at night and the sun setting. Took lots of pictures! Bring a jacket… it got pretty chilly. On the way back down was dark so we didn’t get the chance to see anything.

Beautiful trip always
Naturally beautifully and gorgeous. Landscape is always beautiful and full of wild animals.
Taking the tram up and down is a beautiful event that never gets old.

Such a disappointment, paid admission to the park but when we pulled up to purchase tickets there was a line of over 200 people! I went to the front of the line and asked how long there wait was and they told me over 2 hours!!! I understand a bit of a wait, it’s balloon fest time and a Friday, but 2 hours?!? Standing out in the sun? With no online ticketing, this is disrespectful to the elderly, to the physically handicapped, and to families with small children. It’s very very simple, pay a company to manage online reservations by date and time, raise ticket prices to pay online booking company, and show respect to everyone! Parking in area is ok, hiking trails are fantastic, but we are really upset about no ride up the 10,000+ mountain side on this fully enclosed ski lift. We won’t be back.

I’m sure I’ll get a ton of people that disagree with me here but taking the Tram to the top of Sandia never gets old!
I’ve lived here for most of my life and every time I get on, which is not very often, I think to myself — Self, why don’t we do this more?!
The trip up to the top is fantastic. Even if you are not afraid of heights, when you are crossing that first and second tower you can’t help but get that ‘shaky knee’ feeling. Don’t lie, you get it too! The natural beauty is breathtaking. Ok, maybe it’s the fact that it’s 10,000 ft… nah, it’s the raw natural beauty. Sure, it’ll cost you $ 20 plus another $ 2 for parking (bring cash for the parking part, it’s easier), it is well worth. I cannot tell a lie!
I’ve taken the tram to just walk around the top, just to grab hot chocolate at High Finance, grab a beer, take a walk and grab a beer, take a walk and grab some hot chocolate… the combinations are endless :)
Do yourself a favor and bring a light jacket. It gets chilly especially in the shade or when the sun goes down.

As a new New Mexican, New Mexicano? New Mexicanian? Can someone square me away here please?
I digress, as a new resident of Albuquerque, this was obviously a «Bucket List» item. And it was indeed pretty cool! So Check that off the list!
Tourist be forewarned though, it will literally take your breath away! At 10,000′, you are very short of breath & need to slow your roll! Once you accept that, though, you’ll be lovin it! No, there’s no McDonalds there, but you’ll still be lovin it! We did not eat there, though, and might want to give that a go in the future. Say when family is in town and we’re acting as if we know it all & they’re the tourists. Regardless, I’m certain another trip up is in store for us one day.
If at all possible though, you might want to consider going on a weekday. Because, WOW! The line was brutal, just to get your ticket, that is. Then another long line to actually get on the car and get up top. In fact, this is why I am deducting a star, the long lines seriously blow! They might want to start offering them online in the future & then schedule a window, if you will, of when to show up for your ride.
Anyway, it is still very cool & well worth an excursion with the fam!

20 $ to be on the top of New Mexico and enjoying a 360°/ panoramic view on the city? Worth it.
I decided to get there at the end of the day so I could enjoy both sunset and stunning view on Albuerqueque.
Just bring a sweater it’s getting cold quickly at more than 10000ft…

I’m sorry, I paid how much to be crammed into a hot sweaty box? I had humans touching, and rubbing, and pushing at me from every side. A little kid lifted my arm up then pushed me out of where I stood in the center. The lines are stupid. It’s 2015, wth couldn’t I buy tickets online.
The view was fine. But I’m fairly sure I could DRIVE up somewhere and get a similar view.

I feel like nothing I could say could really encapsulate the sheer amazingness of this trip. Usually I am wary of tourist traps and things recommended to me by airport personnel, but this is one attraction that really lives up to the hype.
Let me start by saying that I am from the New England area, and haven’t seen very many places that are this flat! The northeast is completely covered in hills, trees, and buildings. Even from our tallest sky scrapers in New York, you get at most a 6 or 7 mile view over the city until you hit some more tall buildings. The tramway opened up a completely different type of view that literally blew me away.
From the top you can LITERALLY see for 1000s of miles off into the distance. I felt like I was looking out of the entire state of New Mexico! The idea that there is this giant mountain sticking out of relatively flat ground blows my mind, I’m still remembering the view and it was weeks ago. The tram ride itself was also full of suspense and excitement for a first-​time rider. Heading over that first swing almost scared me to death, it looks like a three mile drop (they assured me it wasn’t and that I was perfectly safe)!
I feel like this review was a bit more rambly than my others, but that’s because its so hard to find the words to describe an experience like this for me. Please, please please, don’t listen to the other negative reviews complaining about the price or long waits or anything like that. The wait was worth it. The cost (only $ 20) was worth it. Everything about it was worth it for the chance to experience life that high up.

Beautiful views, a nice ride up to the top and back.
If you are looking for something to do in the ABQ, this is one of those things to check out. It might feel pricy, but as long as the weather is decent you can explore the area.

WOW, I would not have paid $ 20 per person if I knew it was going to be this expensive for a long «ski lift» up to a typical panoramic view across all of Albuquerque (and possibly New Mexico).
Being as it was our first night in ABQ, our family rode the tramway up after sunset during our Winter road trip… and boy was it such a disappointment! We heard that the Tramway was a must-​see for tourists, so naturally we had to pay a visit to this magnificent place.
The view at the top was… a let down. Perhaps it’s because we’ve seen breathtaking scenic views from the Grand Canyon to ocean sunsets… but the panoramic nighttime view of ABQ was not that jaw-​dropping for me.
Maybe it would have been more amazing if the weather was not as chilly, or if we went during sunset hours (we took the ride after the sun set), but it was just meh. I wouldn’t pay $ 20 just to go up a ski lift and back down.
P. S. «Kids» go up to 20-​year-​olds, and their entrance fee is $ 17