There’s a boulder wonderland beneath one of ABQ’s biggest tourist attractions

This hike began with the hum of gears turning.

It’s the sound of the Sandia Peak Tram moving up or down the mountain on its pulley. The sound is equally audible whether there’s a tram car in sight or not.

We were on the Tramway Trail, and while there are many excellent places in the Sandias to see boulders, this one may take the cake.

Gray granite boulders. Lichen-covered boulders. Boulders ribbed with stripes or veins of quartz. Boulders stacked atop one another. Boulders leaning against other boulders. Boulder-edged meadows. Boulders separated by slick granite faces like the one that stymied me on the Whitewash Trail.

In some places, the boulders were the trail.

This is the trail you take if the line for the tram is too long. (So I’m told; I’ve never ridden the tram – I prefer to traverse mountains with my feet on the ground.) This trail connects to the La Luz Trail, with its legendary 3,800-foot elevation gain to the top of the mountain.

One day.

Today, we were just there to soak up sun and sky, to climb high enough to feel sore but not so much that we can’t move tomorrow.

As we returned to the trailhead, we explored the empty space between two giant boulders, the sound of the tram humming in our ears.

Hike 1 of the #52HikeChallenge

Length: 5 miles

Difficulty: moderate

Trail traffic: moderate

Wildlife spotted: bluebird, jay, crow