Nine Mile Picnic Site in NM -- Campground & RV Camping

Nine Mile Picnic Ground is a day-use area located at 9,200 feet along the Sandia Crest Scenic Byway 536, shaded by dense stands of aspen, spruce, and fir. The site features single, double, and group picnic spots equipped with tables, grills, serving tables, information boards, and hardened walkways. Accessible parking and vault toilets are located on site. Visitors use the picnic ground as a rest stop along the scenic drive and for direct trail access to local routes, including Challenge Trail #233. Overnight camping is prohibited.

Getting there: From Albuquerque, drive east on I-40 to Exit 175. Proceed north on State Highway N-14 about 7 miles to State Road 536. Turn left or west, onto 536 and drive about 9 miles up to the picnic site and look for signage on your left. It is easy to miss, as the gate is set back from the road. A land mark to help you is, Capulin Picnic Site. Nine Mile Picnic Site is approximately a mile past Capulin, on the left.

• Moderately separated here.
• Flat ground is scarce: under a tenth of the terrain within a few hundred yards is level.
• Sandia Mountains stands 1,466 ft above the map pin, 1.4 miles southwest.
• Estimated night sky: Bortle 4, a rural sky with a glow on the horizon.
• Capulin Spring lies 0.5 mi off.

Rules