Skip to content
Byway
Historic Route 66All lookouts
Lookout · Historic Route 66

Flat Rock Overlook

OpenStreetMap
Looking south-west from Flat Rock Overlook. Terrain and imagery at true elevation.
Overview · Assembled from verified data

Flat Rock Overlook sits at 8,272 feet along Historic Route 66, facing 215° with the land dropping 1,105 feet within 600 meters. Embudo Spring lies 1.7 miles west at 6,731 feet, and Tres Pistolas Open Space is 1.8 miles south at 6,160 feet. Cañon de Carnuel Grant is visible 2.3 miles south-southwest at 6,036 feet, with Crestview Heights 3.7 miles west at 5,852 feet and Twin Peaks North 3.8 miles south-southwest at 6,768 feet. Albuquerque is 12.4 miles west, South Valley is 14.7 miles west-southwest, and Rio Rancho is 20.5 miles northwest. On the March equinox, sunrise is at 07:10 and sunset at 19:18; on the June solstice, sunrise is at 05:53 and sunset at 20:24; on the September equinox, sunrise is at 06:54 and sunset at 19:04; and on the December solstice, sunrise is at 07:11 and sunset at 16:58. The previous lookout on this byway is Bet's Rock.

Access
0.5 mi detour
Elevation
8,272 ft
View
Southwest · 215°
Relief
1,105 ft drop
In view
5 named features
Photos · Real imagery only
This subspecies of Ponderosa Pine extends from southern Utah south into Arizona and New Mexico along the southern Rocky Mountains. The bark is furrowed between longitudinally elongate narrow plates. This site lies along the trail from Tres Pistolas trailhead to South Sandia Peak.
Matt Lavin · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
This subspecies of Ponderosa Pine extends from southern Utah south into Arizona and New Mexico along the southern Rocky Mountains. Leaves are 3 per fascicle and 11-20 cm long. This site lies along the trail from Tres Pistolas trailhead to South Sandia Peak.
Matt Lavin · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
Pollen cones are yellow and seed cones are slightly asymmetric and 5-10 cm long. The umbo is a low pyramid that terminates in a stout prickle. This site lies along the trail from Tres Pistolas trailhead to South Sandia Peak.
Matt Lavin · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
Pollen cones are yellow and seed cones are slightly asymmetric and 5-10 cm long. The umbo is a low pyramid that terminates in a stout prickle. This site lies along the trail from Tres Pistolas trailhead to South Sandia Peak.
Matt Lavin · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
Pollen cones are yellow and seed cones are slightly asymmetric and 5-10 cm long. The umbo is a low pyramid that terminates in a stout prickle. This site lies along the trail from Tres Pistolas trailhead to South Sandia Peak.
Matt Lavin · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
Pollen cones are yellow and seed cones are slightly asymmetric and 5-10 cm long. The umbo is a low pyramid that terminates in a stout prickle. This site lies along the trail from Tres Pistolas trailhead to South Sandia Peak.
Matt Lavin · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
In view · Named features

What you’re looking at

Named terrain inside the view from this overlook, nearest first.

  • Embudo Spring6,731 ftwest · 1.7 mi
  • Tres Pistolas Open Space6,160 ftsouth · 1.8 mi
  • Cañon de Carnuel Grant6,036 ftsouth-southwest · 2.3 mi
  • Crestview Heights5,852 ftwest · 3.7 mi
  • Twin Peaks North6,768 ftsouth-southwest · 3.8 mi
When to look · Sun at this latitude

Light

DateSunriseSunsetGolden hour
March equinox07:1019:1818:44
June solstice05:5320:2419:46
September equinox06:5419:0418:31
December solstice07:1116:5816:19

Local time (America/Denver). Computed for this exact position.

Getting there · Position and access

Where it is

  • Albuquerque12.4 mi west
  • South Valley14.7 mi west-southwest
  • Rio Rancho20.5 mi northwest
← Before it: Bet's Rock
Loading map…
Private beta · Free to join

Take the scenic way to Flat Rock Overlook.

Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.

Private beta · Free to join · No card · Invite when a spot opens

Common questions

How high is Flat Rock Overlook?

Flat Rock Overlook sits at about 8,272 feet (2,521 m).

What can you see from Flat Rock Overlook?

From Flat Rock Overlook: Embudo Spring (W, 1.7 mi); Tres Pistolas Open Space (S, 1.8 mi); Cañon de Carnuel Grant (SSW, 2.3 mi); Crestview Heights (W, 3.7 mi).

What is the nearest town to Flat Rock Overlook?

Albuquerque, 12 miles W of Flat Rock Overlook.

Drive to Flat Rock Overlook with Byway

Byway plans the scenic way there — real places along Historic Route 66, real weather, zero hallucinations — and hands the turns to the navigation you already use.

Plan a drive to this lookout →Plan this with Byway AI
On these byways · Drive past it

Byways with this lookout

Day trips start here

Community · From people who stood here

Locals make it Verified.

Flat Rock Overlook — confirmed, rated, and photographed by people who actually pulled over. A local confirmation is what upgrades a lookout from Discovered to Verified. Zero hallucinations.

Confirmed by locals

No local confirmations yet. Stood here? Yours is the one that upgrades this lookout to Verified.

Ratings

No ratings yet. Stood at this lookout? Be the first to rate it.

No written reviews yet.

Field notes

No field notes yet. Know the gate hours or the best pull-in? Leave the note you wish you'd had.

Photos

No photos yet.

Sign in to confirm this lookout, rate it, add photos, and leave field notes.

Nearby · Same byway

More lookouts on Historic Route 66

Nearby · Byway Atlas

Named places near this lookout