If you drive up NM-536 this week, the road ends at a turnaround just past mile marker 11. If you head to the Tramway terminal on the west side instead, the Tram is down for fall maintenance from Tuesday, November 3, through Wednesday, November 11. Until it reopens, nobody can ride to the top of the Sandias. Once it does, it will be the only ride up for the rest of the winter.
For decades, the top of the mountain had two ways in: a 15-minute cable ride from the Northeast Heights or the scenic drive around the back side through the East Mountains. The drive is now on hold. The Cibola National Forest has tied Crest-area access to two projects that it says will affect visitors through fall of 2027.
Where NM-536 Stops Now
The closure comes from Forest Service Order 03-03-05-26-02. It closes the Ellis Trailhead, the Sandia Crest Recreation Site, and State Highway NM-536 past the 10K Trailhead parking lot, just beyond mile marker 11. Every car heading up the highway turns around at the 10K lot. You can't park in the south side of that lot, which serves only as the turnaround.
The order is in place to keep people safe during the Sandia Crest "Switchback" Hazard Tree and Fuel Reduction Project. Crews are mechanically thinning 140 acres around the Crest and the highway. The goal is to protect the Sandia Crest Communication Site and the recreation area from wildfire and to remove dead trees that could fall on visitors and staff.
The order runs from April 1, 2026, through January 15, 2027, unless it is rescinded. Don't plan a mid-January drive to the summit around that date, though. The Forest Service's July project update says the closure will affect public access to the Crest area "through fall of 2027." The tree-thinning order has an end date. The larger renovation has a different and longer timeline.
The Crest House Is Gone
The second project explains why the summit will look different whenever the road reopens. In August 2026, the Sandia Ranger District started preparing and demolishing the former Sandia Crest House site.
The building had been closed longer than many people realize. The Crest House was a privately owned commercial building that ran its snack bar, gift shop and retail store under a Forest Service special use permit. It has been closed to the public since October 2021, and its last permit expired that December. The building became property of the United States in 2024. A NEPA decision signed on December 15, 2025, approved its demolition for summer 2026.
According to the Forest Service, the plans for the old footprint call for added observation areas, shade structures, seating, landscaping, interpretive signs and trail connections. The renovation will happen in two phases, with temporary closures of the upper parking area along the way. KOB reported that a food truck had been considered for the revamped visitor area.
With the Crest House gone and the Crest closed, the restaurant at the top of the Tram is the place to sit down for a meal on the mountaintop this winter.
The Tram Restarts Thursday, November 12
The Sandia Peak Tramway is closed for its fall maintenance from Tuesday, November 3, through Wednesday, November 11. Regular operations are expected to resume Thursday, November 12. The Tram notes that the dates are subject to change, so check before you load the car on the 12th.
The Tram says plainly that the forest closure doesn't affect it. Its alert reads: "Tram and TEN 3 operations will not be impacted by the forest closure and hiking on the south crest trails will be available from the top of the Tram." The Forest Service says La Luz Trail stays open up to the Tram. Access from La Luz to the Crest Trail and the recreation area is cut off during the closures, so hikers coming up La Luz end at the Tram as well.
If you're planning a trip up after November 12, here's what you need to know:
- Hours: The Tram runs Wednesday through Monday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., weather permitting. It's closed Tuesdays.
- Round-trip fares: $35 for adults, $25 for children, and $30 for young adults, seniors and military, plus a $3.75 grounds fee, according to the Tram's ticket page.
- TEN 3 casual dining: Thursday through Monday, with last seating at 7:30 p.m. Hours start at 10:30 a.m.
- TEN 3 fine dining: Thursday through Monday, 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. last seating. The restaurant is closed Tuesday and Wednesday, per TEN 3.
- Dinner timing: The Tram asks guests with fine dining reservations to arrive at the base 45 minutes to an hour before their reservation.
Wednesday is the day to watch. The Tram runs that day but TEN 3 is closed, so a Wednesday visit means the view and the trails without a meal at the top.
What the East Side Still Offers Below Mile 11
With the summit off limits by car, the back side of the mountain works differently this season. NM-536 below the turnaround is still open, and so are most of the Forest Service sites along it. That makes the east side a mid-mountain outing. Here's how the stops looked on the Forest Service's own pages as of October 2026:
| Site | Status | Day-use fee | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tree Spring Trailhead | Open | $5 per vehicle or pass | Two-mile trail for hiking, biking and horseback riding |
| Sulphur Canyon Picnic Site | Open | $5 per vehicle or pass | Open year-round except in winter weather |
| Doc Long Picnic Site | Open | $5, or a pass | Reservable group shelters at $75 per day |
| 10K Trailhead | Open | $5 per vehicle or pass | Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing listed; south lot is turnaround only |
| Capulin Snow Play Site | Closed as of Oct. 19 | $10 per vehicle, cash or check | Seasonal and weather dependent; a closed gate means the site is closed |
The 10K row is where people are most likely to get caught. The site page lists it as open, but the closure order still bans parking in the south lot. If you're heading there with snowshoes, have a backup plan in case you can't find a legal spot.
Capulin is the sledding hill most families think of first, and it depends on snow. Its Forest Service page doesn't give a reopening date. The gate is the simplest signal to go by.
The Ski Area Sits Below the Closure
The other major east-side stop is still reachable by car. Sandia Peak Ski Area's directions take drivers from I-40 to NM-14 and then onto NM-536, with the base seven miles up the highway at 11 NM-536. That's well below the turnaround at mile marker 11. The Tramway also states that the ski area is not affiliated with the Tram, so plan a ski day and a Tram day as two separate trips from two sides of the mountain.
The changes at the ski area this season are aimed at beginners. Ski New Mexico's season preview says a new magic carpet replaces the old handle tow, and the beginner lift is opening to everyone for the first time in decades. Sandia's own October blog post says Chair 4 was fully rebuilt. It also mentions plans to bring back Chair 2 and upgrade snowmaking, without a schedule for either.
Passes and tickets have changed too:
- RFID lift access is new this season. Passes won't be mailed. You pick up a card on your first visit to the mountain.
- The Sandia Weekday Monday Pass is advertised from $225, and kids 12 and under ski free through Power Kids.
- Advance lift tickets are advertised from $9, with $10 in resort credit on select advance purchases. The ticket page says the $9 tickets are "coming soon."
- The Power Pass Core covers unlimited skiing at Sandia Peak, Sipapu and Pajarito.
Opening day hasn't been settled. KKOB reported on Oct. 19 that Sandia's planned opening is December 11, 2026, and also noted that the ticket calendar starts December 19. Ski New Mexico's September preview listed December 19 and a "potential early opening November 1." Plans and opening day don't always match. Last season, KRQE reported that the ski area opened January 11, 2026, after a lift issue pushed the date back. Sandia.ski is the place to check before you load your skis.
Many of the people April Rodas works with are relocating military families and out-of-town relatives. Holiday visitors who remember driving to the Crest will find the road closed this year. If you're hosting family this season who are weighing a move to Albuquerque, April Rodas is happy to help plan a visit that shows them the city and its mountain as they really are this winter. Schedule your free consultation.
