Visit Wilderness

Search for a wilderness as the destination for your next outdoor adventure.

Bob Marshall Wilderness Area, Minnesota

Why Visit Wilderness?

While wilderness can be appreciated from afar—through online content, television, or books—nothing compares to experiencing it firsthand. Activities like camping, hiking, or hunting allow you to fully enjoy the recreational, ecological, spiritual, and health benefits that wilderness areas offer. These areas provide “outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation,” chances to observe wildlife, moments to renew and refresh, and the physical benefits of outdoor exercise. In many wilderness areas, you can even bring your well-behaved dog.

Learn more about the diverse ways in which we benefit from wilderness and threats wilderness areas face today.

Despite the fact that these mountains tower above the very nearby sprawl of Albuquerque and despite the fact that the trails of this Wilderness may be more heavily used than any other trail system in the state, Sandia Mountain Wilderness still provides an opportunity to get out of town . . . but be prepared to work for your solitude.

The area lies primarily on the western slope of the Sandia Mountains, but it crosses over to the eastern side at the north and south ends.

Spruce and fir dominate the high country, with stands of mixed conifers just below. Many raptors migrate through these mountains in spring and fall, sharing their territory with a few mule deer and black bears.

Accessible from the tram is the Crest Trail, which runs along 26.54 miles of the main ridge of the Sandias at an elevation averaging 10,000 feet. There are 117 miles of well-maintained trails here, but you have the best chance of avoiding other hikers if you stick to side trails.

Carry water, as there is very little in this region.

Leave No Trace

How to follow the seven standard Leave No Trace principles differs in different parts of the country (desert vs. Rocky Mountains). Click on any of the principles listed below to learn more about how they apply in the Sandia Mountain Wilderness.

Plan Ahead and Prepare
Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
Dispose of Waste Properly
Leave What You Find
Minimize Campfire Impacts
Respect Wildlife
Be Considerate of Other Visitors

For more information on Leave No Trace, Visit the Leave No Trace, Inc. website.

Location

Maps

Digital and paper maps are critical tools for wilderness visitors. Online maps can help you plan and prepare for your visit ahead of time. You can also carry digital maps with you on your GPS unit or other handheld GPS device. Having a paper map with you in the backcountry, as well as solid orienteering skills, however, ensures that you can still route-find in the event that your electronic device fails.

Online Maps

Interactive Map of the Sandia Mountain Wilderness
FS Topographic Map
Google Earth

New Mexico Wildernesses

Printed Maps

Fetching MyTopo from Database

USGS Store

Rules & Regulations

Motorized equipment and equipment used for mechanical transport is generally prohibited in all wilderness areas. This includes the use of motor vehicles, motorboats, motorized equipment, bicycles, hang gliders, wagons, carts, portage wheels, and the landing of aircraft including helicopters.

Wilderness-Specific Regulations

Learn more about why regulations may be necessary in wilderness.

Contacts

Applicable Wilderness Law(s)

Public Law 95-237

Date: February 24, 1978
Acreage: 30,930 acres

Endangered American Wilderness Act - Public law 95-237 (2/24/1978) To designate certain endangered public lands for preservation as wilderness, and for other purposes

For more information (To download or see all affected wilderness areas) visit our law library for 95-237 or special provisions for 95-237 or legislative history for 95-237.

Public Law 96-248

Date: May 23, 1980
Acreage: 6,423 acres

(No official title, boundary adjustment for Sandia Mountain Wilderness) - Public law 96-248 (5/23/1980) To amend the Act of November 8, 1978 (92 Stat. 3095), to designate certain Cibola National Forest lands as additions to the Sandia Mountains Wilderness, New Mexico

For more information (To download or see all affected wilderness areas) visit our law library for 96-248 or special provisions for 96-248 or legislative history for 96-248.

Public Law 97-283

Date: October 5, 1982
Acreage: 0 acres

(No official title, adds to Sandia Mountain Wilderness) - Public law 97-283 (10/5/1982) To further amend the boundary of the Cibola National Forest to allow an exchange of lands with the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico

For more information (To download or see all affected wilderness areas) visit our law library for 97-283 or legislative history for 97-283.

Public Law 98-603

Date: October 30, 1984
Acreage: 20 acres

San Juan Basin Wilderness Protection Act of 1984 - Public law 98-603 (10/30/1984) The San Juan Basin Wilderness Protection Act of 1984

For more information (To download or see all affected wilderness areas) visit our law library for 98-603 or special provisions for 98-603 or legislative history for 98-603.

Want to Volunteer for Wilderness?

People who volunteer their time to steward our wilderness areas are an essential part of wilderness management. Contact the following groups to inquire about volunteer opportunities. Groups are listed alphabetically by the state(s) in which the wilderness is located.