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Up at the top, a sign welcomes the visitor.
Park headquarters is here, for the Cibola National Forest. Though the bowl
below is quite arid and hot, the elevation of the mountain permits a pretty
thick forest to thrive. |
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Left: Inside is just what you would expect of a park headquarters. This is pretty standard, and has the same feel as most of the other national parks, and national forest headquarters that I have visited. There are rangers, some displays, trail maps, guides, and literature. Below: The other side of the mountain has been turned into a ski run. Imagine living, or going to school, in a big city, and being able to take a short drive to a mountain ski area. |
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Above: A look at the ski lift, which is closed for the summer. Left: In the winter, the skier would simply push off the chair and ski down. In the summer, with no snow, it would be a considerable drop. |
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A look across, to some of the adjoining peaks. |
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Another tram arrives at the station. |
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A view down, from one of many scenic overlooks. The sign
would appear to be unnecessary. Who, in their right mind, would sit or stand
in this railing? |
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A trail leads several miles up, to a little stone cabin,
on an overlooking peak. Starting off on the trail, views of the city below
peek through the forest. |
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Not exactly a superhighway, the hiker must be observant on
this trail, or risk getting lost. |
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A look ahead, on the trail. There is no paving, and only
in a few places, has the passage of many feet left a clear trail. Mostly,
the trail is a series of markers. |
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Left and Below: A meadow opens up, briefly, inside of the forest. This is certainly not the picture that I conjure up, when I think of New Mexico. |
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The trail, and split rail fence along the meadow, make this
look like something out of the pioneer days. |
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A look across an open field, with mountains visible over
the tops of the trees, and the city invisible down below. |
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Left: The stone cabin appears above. This was constructed using stones in the immediate vicinity, and was built long before the tram, as a refuge for stranded hikers, and skiers. Below: A look across to the tram station, on another peak. |
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Left: A little bit closer look at the tram station, and at the broken peaks surrounding it. |
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Left: The CIty of Albuquerque. Below: A look around at the nearby peaks, and at the little stone cabin from which these views were captured. |
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Another shot of Albuquerque. |
| Back to Heading
up |
Forward to
Heading down |