U-Mound

Overview

U-Mound is a small peak in the Sandia's foothills on the east side of Albuquerque. It offers great views of the city, South Sandia Peak, Mt Taylor, and even the Magdalena Mountains on a clear day. This is also a great place to see the sunset over Mt Taylor and the city of Albuquerque. It is a short easy hike with some fun scrambling at the top. A popular bouldering area lies just north of U-Mound.

New Mexico Rank: Unranked
Prominence: 127'
Quadrangle: Tijeras

Rank and Prominence information from
Lists of John

Getting There

From the center of Albuquerque travel East on I-40 to exit 167 (Tramway Blvd) From the exit ramp turn left (north) and go under the highway continuing on Tramway to the 2nd stoplight at Copper Ave. Turn Right (east) onto Copper Ave and continue for approximatly 0.75 miles until the road dead-ends at the TH. There are a number of parking spots here as well as parking along the road.

Route Overviews

U-Mound Access: This is U-Mound's standard route. It is an easy route with some scrambling at the top. I rate it Class 2+ but the scrambling is not too difficult and is very short; I've seen very small kids up there.

North Side Boulders: This route starts and ends the same as the standard route but will take you on the north side of U-Mound as opposed to the south side. It will also take you by the bouldering area if you're interested in checking out some of the problems along your way. Again, this is Class 2+ but only for a small portion.

Other Routes: Other routes can be seen heading directly up the west face and south slopes. These trails have been closed for reclamation; please use the other established routes.




Views from the summit:

Red Tape

No permits or fees are required. Dogs should be leashed and picked up after. There are bags at the trailhead for your use as well as garbage cans.

Parking at the trailhead is limited but there is also parking along the street. However, hours are limited:
April-October: 0700 - 2100
November-March: 0700 - 1900

Camping

U-Mound lies within the Sandia Foothills Open Space and not Cibola NF. Camping is not permitted in the open space area.

External Links

Local weather: Albuquerque
City of Albuquerque open space info: here
U-Mound Bouldering info: here
Local Search and Resuce Team: Cibola SAR

Images

View U-Mound Image Gallery - 17 Images