Lincoln National Forest Offers a Plethora of Activities

By Michele Robertson

Carlsbad has many options for outdoor play within the city limits and beyond. Of the many choices available, the Lincoln National Forest has many different activities over a large portion of the state.

Consisting of three ranger districts—Sacramento, Smokey Bear, and Guadalupe—and three mountain ranges—Sacramento, Guadalupe, and Capitan—the Lincoln National Forest covers 1,103,441 acres over four counties in southeastern New Mexico.

Amanda Fry, Public Affairs Officer with the Forest Service for Lincoln National Forest, shared insights about the forest.

“The Forest Service is a federal agency charged with managing and protecting our public lands, especially forests and grasslands. We are dedicated to sustain the health, biodiversity, and productivity of our lands here on the Lincoln and provide important public uses, including recreation, agricultural, and special use permits. We work throughout the year to maintain and improve the health of the forest,” Fry said.

“These are public lands, and they are here for you to enjoy! The Lincoln National Forest is home to some wonderful sites and recreation areas for the whole family to enjoy. Visiting the Forest will allow your family to enjoy the outdoors and learn more about the awesome ecosystems that exist in New Mexico. Our historic sites, such as Sitting Bull Falls or the Mexican Canyon Trestle, offer a great look at the history in the area as well,” added Fry.

Popular sites in each district in the Lincoln National Forest include:

Sacramento District: The Mexican Canyon Trestle is a popular site in this District. The Sacramento District is also home to the historic Sunspot Observatory.

Smokey Bear Ranger District: Monjeau Lookout is a popular historic site in the Smokey Bear Ranger District. You can also see Capitan Gap, where the real-life Smokey Bear was found in 1950. For visitor safety, it is important to be aware of ongoing hazardous conditions on many of our trails and recreation areas in the aftermath of the South Fork Fire that hit the area earlier this year. We are still seeing significant flooding in that area.

Guadalupe Ranger District: The Guadalupe Ranger District is best known for the Sitting Bull Falls Recreation Area, a desert oasis with a series of spring-fed waterfalls that fall 150 feet into pools of water below. The picnic sites in the area were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. The area has some wonderful trails, including handicap-accessible trails leading to the falls, so it is a great historic spot for the whole family. Sitting Bull Falls can see around 1,000 visitors per day during peak summer months.

Area residents and visitors have been concerned about access to Sitting Bull Falls due to staffing. Fry shared ways they are working on keeping access open. “Staffing on the Guadalupe Ranger District did pose some challenges for us this year. This summer, we had to put temporary closures in place at the Sitting Bull Falls Recreation Area due to a lack of staff. However, we were able to find some solutions, and the site will remain open with normal hours through September 8, when our seasonal fall hours will take effect. We are continuing to explore options to make sure that hours remain as scheduled at this popular site. Currently, we have all three of our district personnel cooperating and working together to ensure the facilities remain open to the public. Ensuring these amazing sites and public areas remain open is one of our top priorities.

“We encourage visitors to take full advantage of our public lands. We want to emphasize safety as a priority, as well as respecting the land, wildlife, and other visitors here on the Lincoln,” Fry said. “It is so important to follow Leave No Trace principles so that the next visitors and future generations can all enjoy our public lands as they are meant to be enjoyed. A great rule is, if you wouldn’t leave your own backyard that way, please don’t leave our Forest that way,” added Fry.

“Safety should be a top priority for visitors on the Forest. In New Mexico, considerations for intense heat and sunshine should always be considered. Make sure you bring plenty of water and sun protection. Many of our areas have minimal cell phone service, so please keep this in mind as you are driving around in the area as well. When you are camping, make sure you utilize proper fire safety practices, such as drowning your campfire, making sure it is cool to the touch before leaving, and leaving your campsite cleaner than it was when you arrived. This not only promotes fire safety but keeps a safe environment for the wildlife in the area. Please make sure you are aware of wildlife, such as snakes, and give them plenty of space when you are enjoying the Forest,” Fry said.

Fry shared a fun fact about the Lincoln National Forest: “The Lincoln National Forest is home to the real-life Smokey Bear, found in the aftermath of a large wildfire in the Capitan Gap in 1950. The Taos Snowballs found baby Smokey, who went on to represent wildfire prevention worldwide and lived his days out at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. We are especially proud of Smokey Bear this year since this marks his 80th Birthday, which happened on August 9.”

The USDA National Forest Service has 154 National Forests throughout all 50 states, including Puerto Rico. Throughout New Mexico, there are 11 National Forests. New Mexico National Forests also offer the Enchantment Pass, an annual pass that allows holders to visit more than 30 recreation areas without paying the daily fee. The pass costs $40 annually, and more information can be found at https://www.fs.usda.gov/.../r3/passes-permits/recreation/...