Lincoln National Forest offers great trails

Sitting Bull Falls, Lincoln National Forest.

The Lincoln National Forest is divided into three distinct districts. The Sacramento Ranger District, located in the mountains above Alamogordo and surrounding Cloudcroft – is the closest to White Sands National Park and so receives the most attention here. The Smoky Bear Ranger District – located northeast of Alamogordo where Ruidoso is located – and the Guaudalupe Ranger District – southeast of Alamogordo on the New Mexico-Texas border – also contain some great trails, and a couple from each are listed.

Sacramento Ranger District
• Alamo Canyon and Roundup Ground Trails – A walk along a verdant canyon and around a prominent flat hilltop known as The Roundup Ground awaits hikers on this 6.6-mile lollipop trail. The route combines two trails, and hikers on it often report spotting desert wildlife. In Alamogordo, take White Sands Boulevard south and turn left/east onto Panorama Boulevard (which becomes Octotillo Drive) and then right/southeast onto Alamo Canyon Road. Park in the pulloff at the road’s end.
• Bridal Veil Falls & Grand View Trail – Day hikers can head to a waterfall on this 7.3-mile lollipop trail, which climbs 793 feet in elevation. The trail starts in the desert, so it’s best hiked September through May to avoid the heat. From Alamogordo, take U.S. Hwy. 89 east. Go left/north on Steep Hill Road then right/east on Fresnal Canyon Road. Park in the pullout at the trailhead, which is on the road’s left/north side.
• Dog Canyon Trail – You can enjoy desert wildflowers and high rock walls as heading more than 1500 feet up the side of a canyon on this 10.2-mile round trip route. Walk it from September to May avoid the desert heat. For a less strenuous hike, go just 3.4 miles up the canyon for a 6.8-mile round trip that avoids the steep canyon wall. From Alamogordo, take U.S. Hwy. 54 south. Turn left/east onto Dog Canyon Road (aka Hwy. A16), and park where the road runs out at Oliver Lee Memorial State Park. The trail starts at the lot’s northeast corner.
• Lucas Canyon Trail – A walk down a wildflower-filled canyon high in the Sacramento Mountains awaits on this 10-mile round trip trail with an elevation change of 1,610 feet. It’s best done March to October to avoid snow. Horseback riding, mountain biking, motorcycle trail riding, and off highway vehicles also are allowed to use the trail. From Cloudcroft, take N.M. Hwy. 130 south/east. Turn left/southwest onto Russia Canyon Road. Park off the road at the trailhead.
• Osha Trail – A hike through a mountaintop forest awaits on this 2.5-mile lollilop trial just outside of Cloudcroft. It sports a 396 feet elevation gain at an already high altitude, but the fragrant scent of evergreens are payoff for all the effort. To avoid snow, hike it May to November. From downtown Cloudcroft, head west on U.S. Hwy. 82. Park in the lot at Muchachita Avenue intersection.
• Switchback and Old Cloudcroft Highway Trail – Hikers can walk on the remains of an old highway with 500 feet canyon walls above them. The 4.3-mile loop gains 515 feet in elevation. From Cloudcroft, take U.S. Hwy. 82 west. On the hairpin bend, turn right/north onto Bailey Canyon Road. Park on the side of the road after the Forest Road 206C intersection.
• Willie White Trail – Hikers can follow the route taken by old steam engines on this 5.2-mile trail that used to be a railroad grade. The trail runs between two points on County Road 17; you can extend the hike by adding the side Wills Canyon Trail. Horses and off-road vehicles also can use the trail. From Cloudcroft, take N.M. Hwy. 130 south/east. Turn right/southwest onto N.M. Hwy. 6563/Sunspot Highway. Go left/east onto Upper Rio Penasco Road. Park at the Bluff Springs campground.

Smoky Bear Ranger District
• Cedar Creek Trail 120A – Day hikers can enjoy a stroll through nature just outside the mountain resort town of Ruidoso on this 2.3-mile trail. Several stacked loops make up the Cedar Creek Trail system, but the one at the trailhead remains fairly flat with one brief climb up the canyon walls. From Ruidoso, take N.M. Hwy. 48 north. Turn left/northwest onto Cedar Creek Drive. A parking lot with the trailhead is the first right.
• Grindstone Lake Loop – Hikers can walk along three sides of a mountain lake on this 6.7-mile trail. Grindstone Lake sits at 6890 feet elevation, nestled at the bottom of a mesa. The trail also ascends the mesa side, offering some challenging climbs and cool switchbacks. Much of this loop was built in 2013. From N.M. Hwy 48 in Ruidoso, take Fifth Street west. Turn right/south onto Resort Drive. The third left/west heads to a parking lot alongside the lake and the trailhead.
• Park Ridge Trail – Hikers can head up to a ridge overlooking Ruidoso on this 5-mile loop. It spots a 650-foot elevation gain, but the views and chance of seeing local wildlife makes the hike worth the effort. Horse riding and Leashed dogs are allowed on the trail. From Main Road in Ruidoso, turn north onto Ebart Drive then left/northwest onto Perk Canyon Drive, left/west on Echo Drive, left/south on West Rednord Drive, and right/northwest onto Perk Canyon Drive. The trailhead is near the curve where the street becomes Thunderbird Drive.

Guaudalupe Ranger District
• Anderson Canyon Trail – Hikers can walk through the Chihuahuan Desert on this easy to reach 1.3-mile out and back trail. The last portion of the trail runs alongside an intermittent stream. From Carlsbad, take U.S. Hwy. 285 north. Turn left/west onto N.M. Hwy. 137. Turn right/north on the road to the Guadalupe Administrative Site and park in the first pullout on the left. Follow the road north to the trail, which also is referred to as T68E on maps and brochures.
• Sitting Bull Falls Trail – A waterfall awaits at the end of this 3-mile trail, which leaves from the Sitting Bull Falls Recreation Area, a desert oasis. The falls drops 150 feet from what looks like a hanging garden. Restrooms and picnic tables are near the trailhead. From Carlsbad, take U.S. Hwy. 285 north. Turn left/west onto N.M. Hwy. 137 then right/southwest onto County Road 409. The road ends at a parking lot in the rec area.

New Mexico trail passes railroad trestle ruin

The Mexican Canyon Trestle at one time was the world's largest wooden
trestle bridge.

Cloud-Climbing Trestle Trail map. Click for larger verison.

Day hikers can explore two century-old trestle bridges on a short trail in New Mexico’s Lincoln National Forest.

The 2-mile round trip Cloud-Climbing Trestle Trail is an old rail line converted to a hiking path. Brochures, maps and other guidebooks sometimes refer to as the Mexican Canyon Trestle Trail.

To reach the trailhead, from U.S. Hwy 82 in Cloudcroft turn onto 24M to the Trestle Recreation Area. Leave your vehicle in the parking area.

Two trails lead from the loop’s road into the rec area. The shorter of them and the preferred trailhead is on the loop’s northwest side at the replica railway depot. The first half-mile is paved as winding through ponderosa pine and Douglas fir.

Decades ago, the trail marked the route of the former Alamogordo and Sacramento Mountain Railroad. The 32-mile route dropped nearly a mile in elevation to bring logged fir and spruce to sawmills in Alamogordo and mail and tourists both ways. It operated for almost a half-century from 1899 to 1947.

In about 0.1 miles, the trail junctions with the route that leads to the southwest corner of the rec area’s driving loop. Continue right-straight/west.

First, though, pause at the Tularosa Basin Overlook. The vast desert valley covers 6500 square miles and is larger than Connecticut. White Sands National Park sits in the basin’s southwestern section. Tobogan Canyon, which leads toward the basin, sits to the the overlook’s south and west.

Another great overlook awaits at 0.2 miles. The Devil’s Elbow Overlook offers a fantastic view of the White Sands Missile Range on the desert floor below and the San Andres Mountains beyond. The overlook sits near the large railroad cut known as the Devil’s Elbow, which was excavated in 1899 largely with hand labor and a little dynamite.

From the overlook, the trail turns sharply northeast. In a few yards, it joins the bicycle trail. Go right/northeast.

S-curved wooden trestle
The trail next passes the remains of a 338-foot long, S-curved wooden railroad trestle. To support the heavy train, large timbers – some more than a foot square – had to be used. Originally this had another tier above the current highest one, and it once contained two 30 degree curves.

After the trail curls northwest, you’ll come to one end of the S-Trestle. The trail turns to dirt in this area.

The forest here looks far different than it did when the railroad was constructed in the 1890s. A fire swept the area about a century ago, and aspen, a pioneer tree species, replaced the evergreens. White fir is now overtaking the aspen. Some of the white fir is immense, reaching up to 3 feet in diameter.

At roughly 0.6 miles, the trail splits upon coming to a bench. Continue right/northeast. Going left takes you to a trail shelter on the Old Cloudcroft Highway, which is used for ORVs.

Mexican Canyon Trestle
Though the trail is popular, you stand a good chance of spotting deer and small forest critters. Elk and black bear sightings also are possible, but they usually stay farther away from town.

At 0.75 miles, another bench awaits as the trail zig-zags. In short order, the trail straightens and flattens.

The Mexican Canyon Trestle comes into sight at about a mile. The largest wooden trestle bridge at the time of construction, it measures 323-foot long and is the height of a six-story building. An overlook deck sits at one end of the trestle, and the area is a popular picnic site.

After taking in the trestle, retrace your steps back to the rec area parking lot.