About the Area
The Lincoln National Forest consists of three districts: Sacramento, Smokey Bear and Guadalupe.
Highlights
Within the Lincoln National Forest you'll discover:
- Sitting Bull Falls Recreation Area is a desert oasis features a series of spring-fed waterfalls that fall 150 feet (45.7 m) to a large pool of water below.
- Monjeau Lookout is one of nine fire lookouts! It was built in 1940 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, which is one of the most exceptional fire lookouts in the southwest.
- The Cedar Creek Trail System is a world-class network of trails open to hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding and dirt biking.
- The Rim Trail is the first Forest Service trail in New Mexico designated as a National Recreation Trail. It’s a combination of old Native American paths, railroads, homestead trails and logging routes linked together.
Major Mountain Ranges
- There are three major mountain ranges that cover 1,103,441 acres in parts of four counties in southeastern New Mexico: Sacramento, Guadalupe and Capitan
- Elevations of 4,000 to 11,500 feet pass through five different life zones from Chihuahuan desert to sub-alpine forest.
- Vegetation types are very diverse across the forest and include rare cacti in the lower elevations to Englemann spruce in the higher.
Elevations and Temperatures
Temperatures vary with elevation.
- At higher elevations, 7,000 feet and up, summer nights are a chilly 40º and days warm to 78º, while winter temperatures can drop to -15º at night and rise to 40º-50º during the day.
- At lower elevations, 6,000-7,000 feet, winter temperatures rarely fall below 0º and usually run from the teens to 50s. Summer temperatures range from 50º to 85º.
- At the lowest elevations, 4,000 to 6,000 feet, temperatures are generally 10 degrees higher throughout the year.
About our Seasons
Due to the rapidly changing environment, forest users are constantly faced with safety factors with which they should be familiar. Avoid trouble through awareness and preparedness.
- Winter season: Spring is the windy season and these winds dry the forest to the point of extreme fire danger.
- Fire season: usually starts in March or April and continues through mid-July.
- If the fire danger becomes too high, open fires may be prohibited, requiring the use of contained fuel stoves for cooking.
- Rainy season: begins in July and continues through September. The first snows fall in late October or early November.