La Luz Trail — Attraction in Four Corners States

I hiked La Luz trail as a last minute decision after going hot air balloon riding. It is an amazing hike, but definitely one of the more difficult ones I have done. -I booked a one way ticket with the sandia tram just in case (I am so glad I did) but just a heads up it does not bring you back to the La Luz trailhead (it is a 12 min drive) -Bring more water than you think you need. I only had one water bottle and it lasted me until about an hour or two before I finished (that was rationing it lol) -bring bug spray (they are aggressive, especially if you stand still for a minute) and sunscreen -bring at-least one snack I had a granola bar and a piece of gum which helped a lot with the lack of water and dry mouth. -I took la Luz to upper tramway it feels way longer than it is and the closer you get to the top it gets super rocky -I couldn’t see the tram until I was practically done( at that point I was really hoping it actually existed lmao) I did see a black bear on the trail I just put my hands over my head to appear larger and talked to it telling it to go away as I backed up slowly. It walked toward me but then left up into the wooded area. Very neat experience. 10/10 would definitely recommend, but not for the weak it’s definitely difficult. -I did point to point but you can do out and back if you have enough supplies ( I was just super unprepared and on a...

I hiked the LaLuz trail 8 times over about 9 years. I went with a hiking buddy and we would hike in the mid to late fall. We left the parking lot/trailhead at about 6 a.m. when it was quite chilly but after 10 minutes of walking I felt warmed up. I would routinely be breathing hard once reaching about 8000 ft elevation and we would rest for 5 minutes every half hour or so. It became tedious when crossing the rockfall, with I think 18 switchbacks, but once past them the feeling was the hike was doable. And it was. The fall colors were outstanding and the vistas unforgettable. Reaching the crest was rewarding and we sometimes dined there.

We always took the tram down, having a second car parked at the lower lot. A good plan, especially as we were not under 55 years old and only used to elevations below 7500 feet.

I highly recommend this hike and would rate it moderately difficult. It was not steep, but the thin air could...

Pretty hard trail but the view was so worth it!! Felt like the trail was never going to end, but also felt so proud to complete it! Take lots of water and snacks! And toilet paper just in case. You could be on the trail for a while!! There is a shop and civilization at the top! It was a little disappointing to see a parking lot and an easy access road that could get you to the awesome view, but hiking was definitely more fun and more rewarding! I totally recomend this trail to hikers who are in pretty decent shape! It's so fun and beautiful!! It took us about 4 hours to get to the top with a fews breaks. Start the hike earlier in the day. We piddle around too much on the way down underestimating our time and just barely got back to our car before sunset. That...