User:Khouseh2/SandiaMountainWilderness

The Sandia Mountain Wilderness is part of the Chibola National Forest under the authority of the United States Forest Service. It was established in 1978 and is comprised of 37,877 acres, all of which are within New Mexico. It lies to the east of Albuquerque, NM and because of its close proximity to the city, it is has one of the most used trail systems in the state. Most tourists access the wilderness area either by way of the Sandia Ariel Tramway or by driving by way of the Sandia Crest National Scenic Byway.

Geography
The Sandia Mountain Wilderness is comprised of the Sandia Mountain Range that runs from north of Albuquerque along the eastern side of the city in central New Mexico. The range itself is rather small, only spanning about 18 miles from north to south, and 8 miles, east to west. Almost the entire range is part of the Chibola National Forest area, including the Sandia Mountain Wilderness. The Wilderness area itself lies mostly on the western side of the mountains with a few trails and areas that cross over onto the eastern side. To the south there is the Manzanita Mountains that form a low ridge separating the Manzano Mountain range to the south and the Sandia Mountains to the north.

Geology
The dominating rock type in the Sandia Mountains is granite with a ribbon of limestone running along the crest. Portions of the Sandia Granite have also been proven to be over a billion years old.

History
The Sandia Mountain Wilderness is part of the 109 million acre National Wilderness Preservation System that was created by the US Congress with the Wilderness Act of 1964, thought it did not become a part of the system until 1978. Since its origin, the Sandia Mountain Wilderness has had its boundaries increased during the early nineteen eighties.

The 1980 amendment was used to add certain portions of the Chibola National Forest to the Wilderness area. In 1982, boundaries were amended so that some of the lands on the western side of the mountain range could be exchanged with Albuquerque, NM. Finally in 1984, the San Juan Basin located in the northwest corner of New Mexico was put under the protection of the Wilderness Act and made a part of the Sandia Mountain Wilderness. Since then, no new boundary amendments have been made.

Plant life & Wildlife
Some of the most common animals seen in the Sandia Wilderness are mule deer, black bears, raccoons, bobcats, and various species of squirrel. There are also many birds of prey that live and migrate within the Sandia Mountain Wilderness including golden eagles and various species of hawks. Other birds such as road runners, stellar's jays, ravens, and canyon wrens can also be found on in the mountains. The upper parts of the Sandia Mountains have a lot of tree cover made up mostly of firs and spruce trees, with ponderosas and conifers inhabiting the middle elevations.

Paths and Trails
The Sandia Mountain Wilderness has one of the longest tramways in the world traveling 2.7 miles and climbing nearly 4,000 feet to the crest of the Sandias. The Sandia Peak Ariel Tramway was designed by a team of Swiss engineers that had designed similar systems in the Alps. The Tram had never had an accident or injury since its opening in 1966. It has three terminals along its trip that passengers can get of on at elevations of 7010 feet, 8750 feet, and its final tower and 10,300 feet.

Once at the crest of the Sandia Mountains, there are approximately 26.5 miles of trial that run along the ridge (known as Crest Trail) at an average elevation of 10,000 feet. In addition to Crest Trail, the Sandia Mountain Wilderness has around 117 miles worth of trails that are maintained by the Forest Service.