Sandia Man Cave

This was quite the adventure. Although I've seen a fee cars in the area, I personally wouldn't take my car to the man cave. While there the hike up is nice. Be cautious when taking pictures that you don't get too close to the edge. While inside the cave there are numerous ares where you have to get on hands & knees to crawl, If you're claustrophobic, I wouldn't recommend. Wear a mask, not saying this for covid and other hikers/explorers, but because while inside the cave it's very dusty and the mask will help prevent a lot of dust entering mouth and nose. I myself took a cab of oxygen (just in case). Although we didn't get to the end, this was a fun adventure.

Short hike. Narrow path. Little else to do. Parking for 12 ish. Very dusty inside. Would not be fun if crowded. A neat little experience. Probably for kids 5 & up. Move slow & most of all: BRING YOUR FLASHLIGHT! Your phone light will die, but you'll want a proper torch. You will get extremely dusty if you go over the little wall inside! Bring an extra change of clothes. There's no amenities anywhere nearby. Bring your own water & come with a full belly.

See a real Man Cave! This literal "hole in the wall" is a real historical spot! This used to be where prehistoric Indians used to hang out and enjoy the Sandia Mountains. In order to get here, you have to drive most of the way up the Sandia Crest, then turn off at a campsite, where the road isn't marked from the main highway. It's a dirt road, which can be a little treacherous at times. At some points you might wonder if you've veered off onto a goat path instead of the road. 4WD would be best. The Sandia Man Cave isn't too far off the road. You can access it from a little hike to a metal staircase that takes you up to the cave itself. There isn't too much to see in the cave. I remember thinking, "Gee, those prehistoric men sure drank a lot of Budweiser and hated those Kryptos Locos!" There's a lot of litter and graffiti in here. The cave goes back far enough that if you're going to try to explore it, you need to come prepared with flashlights better than your cell phone app, and be prepared to get dirty. You're on your own if the Sandia Man comes back. Spoiler alert- this isn't the type of man cave with televisions tuned to sports, taps flowing with beer, neon signs, and comfy leather sofas. Think the opposite.

Shame on me. Shame shame shame.The Sandia Man Cave is a stellar example of an adventure I should've taken 16 years ago, when I first arrived in New Mexico. It's just bone-head stupid I haven't checked the place out yet, it's in my backyard, about 25 minutes from home, and unforgettable. But that's how it always goes, right? Like, we have ruins in this state which date back tens of thousands of years, and I'm planning my next trip to what... the world's largest hot dog sculpture, or something.The hike is about a half mile of a gradual climb, easy for toddlers and probably manageable by the elderly set, so don't expect a workout. Do anticipate some jaw dropping views of a canyon which frames Placitas and, further, the Jemez mountains. It's cool and shaded up there, a great summer stroll. I kept obsessing about the explorer/scientist who "discovered" (for the white folks) this place in 1939; he must've been totally blown away. And to find various artifacts like mastodon bones in the cave itself... That dude probably thought he'd struck gold. It is golden. A cave accessible via winding metal staircase, and generally difficult to get through much more than the mouth without a flashlight and a tiny waist line. Still, it's exciting to imagine someone living there, surviving in another time, slaying giant predators with rocks and whatever. You can feel the history.Unfortunately, like most of these gems around Albuquerque, you're also in the midst of the modern world. Half of the ceiling in the cave is spray painted. There were cigarette butts and soda cans on the floor. Some idiots tagged the hand rails; what are these people thinking? That one of their homeboys is gonna decide to take a hike some afternoon and--Oh, hey look, Cuzzin was here! I don't think so. I'm totally mystified. What a sad shame.Anyway, GO check this place out. The world's biggest hot dog sculpture can wait.

Pro Spelunkers would be bored with this but the average Boy Scout or adventurous type might find this interesting. The portion of the cave open to the public is limited but if you feel adventurous try going over the barrier and crawling down into the cave. That's right you will have to crawl in areas and I reached an area that was about a foot high and that was my limit. Several Boy Scots that were following me decided to keep going and they crawled further into the cave. Somehow crawling into a dark space that was barely wider than me just did not seem appealing, so I guess I fail the spelunker test, oh well. Bring a flash light and expect to get very dirty. It is open only during daylight hours - there is a mesh cage in front of it. My biggest disappoint was the graphitti (no its not art despite what New Yorkers say) near the entrance, other than that crawl at your own risk, this is not for the faint of heart.

Short hike even for the non hiking type like me. The outside has lots of graffiti on the spiral staircase and around the beginning of the cave. We were able to reach the end with a bit of crawling, but glad we had all had flashlights with us and masks for the dust we were kicking up. When we got to the very end, we turned off all are lights to see how long we could last without someone getting scared. I not sure how some visitors have been able to survive this cave adventure...we actually found the remainds of a fire at the very end of the cave. Have a normal IQ, along with driving later to the top of the crest, you will have a wonderful experience to talk about.

Awesome place because you're free to do what you want. I was concerned because you can't really find a map of where the entrance to the trail is at but you can miss it off of 165 south. The asphalt road turns into a dirt/gravel/rock road and its about 3 miles past that, there are signs everywhere and a parking area. The Hike isn't bad, you do gain a little bit of elevation but I'm pretty confident any able bodied person can do it. The cave entrance itself is about 20' deep, then it gets a little tight and YOU WILL NEED A FLASHLIGHT, headlamp preferably because you will be on your hands and knees at certain times not for the claustrophobic. I was never belly crawling but I was "bear crawling" at times. The tightest part is probably about a 3' clearance and this is just for a short distance. It is very dusty in there and I would recommend pants because you will get dirty! Theres a creek by the parking area to rinse off. The cave itself goes in maybe 200-250'. I recommend to google some history about the cave it is pretty interesting UNM found some artifacts dating back 25000 years ago. Again key points, bring a headlamp, pants, and small bottle of water and a camera maybe bring kneepads if you have bad knees or don't want them dragging on hard rocks. Its family friendly I saw a 4yr old in the cave itself.