XC Skiing/Snowshoeing

Winter Recreation Opportunities: Shared Trails

Some trails are shared by cross-country skiers, snowshoers, and snowmobilers. Please keep trails safe by operating snowmobiles at minimum speed near skiers or snowshoers and maintaining minimum speed until well beyond those on foot. Skiers and snowshoers should also be alert for snowmobilers. Some trails are designated for skiers only and some for snowmobiles only. Restrictions are posted, but check with the local Forest Service office for more information.

Don't Go Out Alone
Please do not cross-country ski, snowshoe or snowmobile alone if you are inexperienced and /or unfamiliar with the terrain. Most shops which rent equipment can also advise you on trails. If you do go out alone, be sure to notify someone where you are going, and when you expect to return. Also, be sure to notify this person on your return.

XC Skiing/Snowshoeing Areas

Camino Real Ranger District

District Office Information

15160 State Road 75
Mail to: P.O. Box 68
Penasco, NM 87553
Phone: (575) 587-2255
Hours: Office hours - closed on Federal holidays

The Camino Real Ranger District is the area closest to Taos and serves 32 unincorporated communities and 2 Native American Pueblos that depend on the district for wood and other forest products. The smaller communities such as Ojo Sarco, Truchas, Vadito, and Trampas rely heavily on timber to use for building materials or to burn in woodstoves.

The Camino Real Ranger District is managed for many multi-use purposes; hunting, fishing, hiking, biking, skiing, snowmobiling, camping and personal firewood cutting are among the activities. The District manages many acres of the Carson National Forest. The district has more than 252 miles of trail, offering diverse terrain and dramatic landscapes for the skilled hiker. Some of the best and easiest hiking trails are in this district. The Devisadero Loop trail is a 6-mile loop that is just outside of the town of Taos. This trail offers a moderate 1,100-foot elevation gain. There are great views of the town of Taos, Wheeler Peak, and Taos Pueblo lands. The trek takes hikers through various habitats along the trail from pinon and juniper on the south to pine and spruce on the north side of the loop.

Wheeler's Peak. USDA Forest Service Photo

The district is also home to one of the nation's premier mountain biking opportunities. The South Boundary Trail offers 22 miles of sweet downhill single and double track, cruising through deep and dark evergreen forest, aspen glades, and meadows. The terrain provides great views and some technical challenges at the end to give you a dose of adrenaline to finish the ride. The occasional break in greenery reveals gorgeous panoramas of Taos Canyon and Wheeler Peak Wilderness Area.

Sipapu Ski Area is one of New Mexico's oldest ski areas, opening in 1952. Located off of U.S. 518, the area is family friendly, offering a wide variety of terrain for both the experienced and inexperienced skier or snowboarder.
70 Moto Trail
Agua Piedra Trail 19A
Agua Sarca Trail #16
Amole Canyon Trail 10
Angostura Trail 493
Apache Trail 70B
Capulin Ice Caves Trail 109
Capulin Trail 494
Capulin/La Sombra Trail
Comales Canyon Trail 22
Cordova Canyon Trail 17
Devisadero Loop Trail 108
East Fork Santa Barbara Trail 26
Elliot Barker Trail
Flechado Canyon Trail 7
Gallegos Canyon Trail 4
Gallegos Peak Trail 182
Garcia Park Trail
La Cueva Canyon Trail #492
La Jara Canyon Trail FR #5
Middle Fork Trail 24
Mondragon Canyon Trail 660
North Boundary Trail 495
OK Canyon Trail
Osha Canyon Trail #20
Picuris Peak Trail #114
Policarpio Trail #13
Pot Creek Interpretive Trail 2
Rio Chiquito Trail #121
Rio Grande Del Rancho Trail 18
San Leonardo Trail #30
Sardinas Canyon Trail #12
Serpent Lake Trail 19
South Boundry Trail #164
Tio Maes Trail 5
Trampas Lakes Trail 31
West Fork Santa Barbara Trail 25
Questa Ranger District

District Office Information

184 State Hwy 38
Mail to: P.O. Box 110
Questa, NM 87556
Phone: (575) 586-0520
Fax: (575) 586-2010
Hours: Call before visiting.
Office hours - closed on Federal holidays
Products, including fuelwood permits, are not being sold at this time.

The Questa Ranger District is managed for many multi-use purposes; hunting, fishing, hiking, biking, skiing, snowmobiling, camping and personal firewood cutting are among the activities. It is nearly 271,555 acres and is located just south of the Colorado border in northern New Mexico. The district includes the communities of Taos Ski Valley, Questa, and Red River.

The district is perhaps best known for skiing opportunities and the Valle Vidal, a special management area considered by many as a crown jewel of northern New Mexico.

The Valle Vidal is a sprawling, 100,000-acre swath of lush meadows, dense forests, craggy peaks and clear streams. After July 1, it's open season on the indigenous Rio Grande Cutthroat trout in the Rio Costilla and the other creeks that run through the area. The first few weeks after the opening of the highly regarded unit attract a hefty amount of visitors looking to wet a line in the legendary Rio Costilla.

Three of the Carson's four ski areas are located on the Questa District. Taos Ski Valley is a premiere destination resort. The base is at 9,207 feet with the highest peak being Kachina Peak at 12,481 feet. Red River Ski Area is located about 35 miles northeast of Taos and offers 57 trails to ski on. The Enchanted Forest is a crosscountry ski area on the district, which offers stunning mountain vistas along meandering forest trails for both skiing and snowshoeing. During the summer, all ski areas offer a wide range of activities from mountain biking to disc golf and downhill slides.

Valle Vidal. USDA Forest Service Photo

Donated to the Carson National Forest in 1982, the Valle Vidal is well known for its wildlife, as well as its outstanding scenic and recreational opportunities. The Valle Vidal is a veritable Rocky Mountain paradise, with abundant populations of regional wildlife, including mule deer, black bear, mountain lion, bald eagles, and native Rio Grande cutthroat trout. In addition, the vast alpine meadows of the Valle Vidal provide critical habitat for one of the largest herds of elk in New Mexico. The Valle Vidal is a special place to New Mexicans and people from around the world, who come to marvel at its alpine majesty, enjoy outdoor recreation and sporting opportunities, and to view the Valle's prized elk herd.

Some of the area's most dramatic hikes are in this area, with scenes that are reminiscent of landscapes from the "Sound of Music."
4th of July Canyon Trail
Bull Creek Trail 85
Columbine Canyon Trail (#71)
Ditch Cabin to Sawmill Park Trail
East Fork Trail 56
Exploration Trail
Gavilan Trail (#60)
Goose Creek Trail 65
Greenie Peak/Midnight Meadows Trail
Horseshoe Lake/East Fork Trail 56
Lake Fork Trail
Long Canyon Trail 63
Lost Lake Trail 91
Mallette Canyon Trail
Manzanita Canyon Trail 58
Middle Fork/West Fork Road Trail 487
Pioneer Creek Trail
Pioneer Road 485 Trail
Powderhouse-Little Costilla Peak Trail
Valle Vidal Unit
Wheeler Peak Trail (#90)
Williams Lake Trail (#62)
Tres Piedras Ranger District

District Office Information

For addresses, phone numbers
and hours, go to Contact Us.

The Tres Piedras Ranger District is managed for many multi-use purposes; hunting, fishing, hiking, biking, skiing, snowmobiling, camping and personal firewood cutting are among the activities.

The district is named for the large outcrop of rocks near the district office. It is the largest district on the Carson National Forest, consisting of 388,000 acres.

One of the district's most distinctive features is San Antonio Mountain, rising 10,908 feet above surrounding sagebrush flats. It is the largest free standing mountain peak in the country. The mountain's rounded volcanic dome, nearly 4 miles across at the base, is a landmark that's easily spotted from many locations in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado.

The district is also home to one of the largest elk herds in New Mexico, with a large resident herd of about 2,000 elk wintering yearly in the San Antonio Mountain region.

Hopewell Lake, about 60 miles west of Tres Piedras, is a recreational hotspot, featuring fishing and developed campgrounds.

The area is steeped in history of the wild west. In the early 1880s prospectors fanned out though much of the northern and northwestern portions of New Mexico and, in some instances, made significant strikes. One of these was an extensive placer gold strike in the Tusas Mountains near modern-day Hopewell Lake. In the late 1800s, the introduction of the Denver and Rio Grande Western narrow gauge railroad, known as the Chili Line brought more visitors to the area. A small portion of the railroad is still being used and enjoyed by visitors today, and is known as the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad.

At its peak, the district provided grazing for nearly 2 million sheep more than 100 years ago. Along with grazing products, the train carried the massive products of the lumber industry. The railroad helped to facilitate the removal of several million board feet of pine taken from the mountains for rail expansion. U.S. Highway 285 closely follows the rail bed from Taos Junction to Antonito, and only the town of Tres Piedras remains.

Cruces Basin. USDA Forest Service Photo

Aldo Leopold, known as the father of conservation, was the second Forest Supervisor for the Carson National Forest in 1912 and relocated the Supervisor's Office from Antonito, Colorado to Tres Piedras. Called Mi Casita, the house that he built for his new bride, Estella, was recently renovated and is behind the post office off of US 285.
Biscara Trail
Burned Mountain Trail
Forest Road 1892 & 1893 Trail
Forest Road 795 Trail
Maquinita Canyon Trail