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Sierra Blanca (North of Cloudcoft)
Few peaks match the awesome grandeur of Sierra Blanca. At just below 12,000 feet in elevation, Sierra Blanca looms intimidatingly large from the sandy deserts and rangelands that surround the compact range. From some vantage points there is nearly 8,000 feet of elevation differential bewteen the viewer and the summit. Its snow-capped summit is visible well into the summer, from the sizzling deserts below.
Sierra Blanca has many superlatives: it is the highest mountain in southern New Mexico and the highest 'southern' mountain in the mainland USA (i.e. any higher US peaks are north of Sierra Blanca's latitude, and the next higher peaks south are in Mexico). It also has the highest prominence in New Mexico at over 5,000 feet above its defining saddle. The views from the summit are simply awesome. Sierra Blanca is the highpoint of Otero county, and for peakbaggers, nearby Lookout Mountain is the highpoint of neighboring Lincoln county.
Discover Ski Apache. Ski Apache, located in Mescalero, is New Mexico's premier ski and snowboard resort. We offer dozens of trails for skiers and snowboarders of all levels. http://www.skiapache.com/
White Sands National Monument
Only a 45 minute drive down US 82 West, rising from the heart of the Tularosa Basin is one of the world's great natural wonders - the glistening white sands of New Mexico. Here, great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert and created the world's largest gypsum dune field. White Sands National Monument preserves a major portion of this unique dune field, along with the plants and animals that have successfully adapted to this constantly changing environment.
The Tularosa Basin, a high desert area, averaging 4,000 feet (1200 meters) in elevation, is subject to harsh, and sometimes rapidly changing climatic conditions. Spring is windy season. Summers are hot, averaging 95°F. (35°C.) highs with occasional readings over 100°F. (38°C.). Winters are relatively mild, but night-time temperatures often go below freezing (0°C.) Snowfall is infrequent, but heavy snows have occurred on occasion. Precipitation averages about 10 inches (250 mm.) per year, with most falling during summer thunderstorms, often accompanied by lightning and hail.
Lincolin, New Mexico
To the North of Cloudcroft, and 1 hour 43 minutes takes you to Lincoln, New Mexico. The Wild Wild West Frozen in Time.
A walk down Lincoln, New Mexico's Main Street is a step back into the Wild Wild West. It was here that such men as Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett left their marks; here, that Indians, Mexican American settlers, gunfighters and corrupt politicians made themselves known; it was in this small settlement that the violent Lincoln County War erupted, which resulted in the deaths of a number of men and made Billy the Kid a legend. And today, it is here, that the modern tourist can still taste the flavor of those earlier times in century old adobe buildings, hear the tales from the voices of old-timers, and walk those very same dusty streets that were made infamous in the late 1800's.
Sacramento Mountains
The Sacramento Mountains are located in south-central New Mexico and comprise the one of the southernmost ranges of the Rocky Mountains. The Sacramentos rise sharply out of the surrounding high desert creating a unique geographic setting.
The western edge of the main section of the Sacramento Mountains forms a series of dramatic escarpments leading up to a high ridge, which includes the highest named point in the range, Cathey Peak, 9,645 feet (2,940 m). From this ridge the mountains slope gently down to the east, merging gradually with the plains to the west of Artesia. There are actually two unnamed highpoints of the range, both approx 9,695 ft.
The range is a wide, gently east-dipping fault block, made up almost entirely of limestone. Gypsum deposits washed from the range are a main source of the gypsum sand that makes up the dunes in White Sands National Monument. The Sacramento Mountains form the easternmost part of the rift system centered on the rift valley of the Rio Grande. The rock strata in the Sacramentos were originally contiguous with those of the San Andres Mountains on the other side of the Tularosa Basin, and have been separated because of down-faulting of the basin. Unlike the Sacramento Mountains, the neighboring Sierra Blanca are an extrusive igneous complex.
Between Cloudcroft and Alamogordo on US 82
History
In the 1890s, the El Paso and Northeastern Railroad, organized by brothers Charles Bishop Eddy and John Arthur Eddy, arrived in the newly founded town of Alamogordo intending to continue the rail line north to the mining town of White Oaks and beyond. This required a steady supply of timber. In 1898 the Eddy brothers sent a survey crew into the Sacramento Mountains to determine the feasibility of extending a line up the summit to harvest the forests. The crew reported that not only was it possible, but the area could attract visitors. The name of Cloudcroft–a pasture for the clouds–was suggested and work on the line soon began.
US 82 highway tunnel, and railroad trestle spanning Mexican Canyon.
Cloudcroft Ranger District headquarters is located in Cloudcroft and manages 209,668 acres. In elevations ranging from 4,600 to 9,695 feet visitors may enjoy camping, picnicking, fishing, hunting, hiking, or horseback riding, plus snowmobiling, inner tubing, and cross-country and downhill skiing. Snow Canyon, the southernmost ski area in the United States, is adjacent to the small village of Cloudcroft in the Sacramento Mountains. Halfway between Cloudcroft and Alamogordo on US 82 is the only highway tunnel in southern New Mexico. A parking area just west of the tunnel affords a spectacular view of Fresnal Canyon, White Sands, and the Tularosa Basin. Closer to Cloudcroft is another pull-off area where visitors can look back in time at the railroad trestle spanning Mexican Canyon.
National Solar Observatory Sacramento Peak Facilities (Sun Spot)
Sunspot is an unincorporated community in the Sacramento Mountains in Otero County, New Mexico, United States. It is located within the Lincoln National Forest, 18 miles south of Cloudcroft. Its elevation is 9200 feet.
Another area of interest in the Cloudcroft District is the Sacramento Peak Observatory, an area used for solar research. Many magnificent vistas may be seen while driving the Scenic Byway to the observatory. The observatory is open for self-guided tours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and for guided tours on Saturdays at 2 p.m. from May 1 through October 1. Sunspot is an unincorporated community in the Sacramento Mountains in Otero County, New Mexico, United States. It is located within the Lincoln National Forest, 18 miles south of Cloudcroft. Its elevation is 9200 feet. It is named after the nearby National Solar Observatory on Sacramento Peak. The sole road that drives into Sunspot is New Mexico State Road 6563, named for the brightest wavelength of hydrogen emission, H-alpha. Two other roads in the town are named Penumbral Road and Umbral Road, after the parts of a sunspot.
(Below) Over looking Alamogordo, and White Sands from near Sun Spot.
