Eye of the Sandias — Attraction in Federal Aviation Administration

A solid bet for a winter hike. The route is fully exposed on a southern aspect, so it clears of snow and ice relatively quickly. There is about a 1,300' elevation gain over the course of about 2 miles. I made it from Copper trailhead to the Eye in just under an hour and a half on a sunny, warm for late November day. It was my first time making the hike, and I stopped several times to doublecheck the route on my phone and to drop landmarks on Avenza. It should be easy enough if you are in tip-top shape and likely to be quite difficult if you aren't fit at all.

Coming up from Copper trailhead, the route is unmarked past the intersection of the 365 and Hilldale Junction. The OSM Light basemap currently available on Avenza is the only map I have seen that includes the route.

You'll know you're headed the right direction when you're headed north through a patch of boulders. You will stoop down a bit to follow the trail through an arch formed by two boulders, then head ESE to a saddle.

You take a turn to the N there, and then NE/E. You will generally parallel on old fenceline and come upon a beaded heart along the way. Keep following the fenceline until you come to an intersection with a N/S trail.

The trail you are on becomes less clear at this point, but stay on it by turning uphill. You will catch sight of the Eye soon enough.

There are a couple of ways to make the hike a loop rather than an out-and-back. The shorter route starts by backtracking until you reach the junction with the N/S trail. Turn N there and wind your way down. If you see three coyotes howling at the moon you're about halfway back to...

First: DON'T FOLLOW The GOOGLE MAP!! It will take you to a wrong place. You have to go "Copper Trailhead" and start from there. It was about 4 miles moderate to difficult hikes if you take the whole loop, but definitely worth it with some great views. Trails are not well marked and you could lost the way. I made couple of attempts before becoming successful. I used maps from "alltrails" app to navigate my way. Bring water, snacks and pair of working gloves would be handy as you may have to do some rock climbing. Wear a hiking boot, long pants and clothes that you don't care if they scratch/tear. Watch your way for loose rocks, sands and snakes. One of my buddy fall really bad and luckily someone had a...

Amazing trail especially for runners. Disagree with this location being moved from the actual location to the Copper Trailhead. The location was correct before and yes if you are going to follow Google Maps and assume it knows how to get to a location on trails it doesn’t know about I would expect it to be wrong. Google Maps is not a trail guide. Use AllTrails. If this was a location marker for the Eye of the Sandia’s Trailhead then this would be the...