Eastern NM Wheeling & Camping? (1 Viewer)

[LFD2037]

Planning a trip from Dallas, Tx to somewhere in NM. Preferring to keep it to the east side of NM to cut down on drive time. Is there any public wheeling in eastern'ish NM? Looking to do camping, sight seeing (not cities), wheeling (from dirt roads to medium difficult rock crawling). Thanks.

 

[LFD2037]

Just spoke w/a friend that's stationed in Alamogordo, NM. Sounds like a cool location. Is there a lot of public off roading & camping in that area?

 

[Pyro-boy]

I have never camped or wheeled on the east side of the state. However I hear that Mills Canyon is nice. Mills Canyon

Vince

 

[jstncse]

When are you planning on camping and wheeling? Lots of public areas everywhere. Most of the areas in the east and NE this time of year are too cold for camping but would still make for great wheeling as day trips from a hotel.
Alamogordo has some good trails and warm enough, barely, to camp out. Ruidoso is a great place to stay and just up the mountain from Alamogordo. Skiing is available in Ruidoso, and if you are into that.
Summer time around Mills Canyon or Clayton Lake state park gets you off the beaten path and into some very pretty places. About the only place that doesn't have abundant public land would be the plains around Clovis.

Its a beautiful state, come on over and spend some money!!!

 

[marcfj60]

It does ultimately depend on the time of year you are planning to visit. Most national forests have plenty of dirt roads you can travel on and see the sights. I know there are a few off-highway routes around Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe National Parks as well.

 

[LFD2037]

When are you planning on camping and wheeling? Lots of public areas everywhere. Most of the areas in the east and NE this time of year are too cold for camping but would still make for great wheeling as day trips from a hotel.
Alamogordo has some good trails and warm enough, barely, to camp out. Ruidoso is a great place to stay and just up the mountain from Alamogordo. Skiing is available in Ruidoso, and if you are into that.
Summer time around Mills Canyon or Clayton Lake state park gets you off the beaten path and into some very pretty places. About the only place that doesn't have abundant public land would be the plains around Clovis.

Its a beautiful state, come on over and spend some money!!!

It does ultimately depend on the time of year you are planning to visit. Most national forests have plenty of dirt roads you can travel on and see the sights. I know there are a few off-highway routes around Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe National Parks as well.

We'll be going late March or early April. Is there still snow, & is it still cold around that time of year there? Here it'll already be upper 80's.

 

[LFD2037]

I have never camped or wheeled on the east side of the state. However I hear that Mills Canyon is nice. Mills Canyon

Vince

Mills Canyon is just too far for this trip. I'll be going out to California this summer & might swing thru there on the way there. Thanks!

 

[jstncse]

Late March early April in the NE will still be a little cool. SE NM will be approaching the 80's. Could still be snow in the higher elevations, especially in North Central NM around the Red River/Taos areas

 

[LFD2037]

Looks like we'll be going to Alamogordo in the middle of April. Tips for secluded wheelin' & camping? Thanks!

 

[marcfj60]

There are lots of forest roads in the Lincoln National Forest, NE of Alamogordo. There is a FS office in Ruidoso which is about an hour drive from Alamogordo where you can get their Motor Vehicle Use Map.

 

[LFD2037]

There are lots of forest roads in the Lincoln National Forest, NE of Alamogordo. There is a FS office in Ruidoso which is about an hour drive from Alamogordo where you can get their Motor Vehicle Use Map.

Just did some googling of LNF. Place looks perfect! Any idea what the trails are like on a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being a 2WD forest road & 5 being a buggy only rock crawling trail?

 

[marcfj60]

Most would be 1-2 on your scale. I've been on a couple that might go as high as 3 but only if you're not paying attention to the road. Add some rain and it's anybody's guess.

 

[LFD2037]

Can anybody suggest somewhere in eastern'ish NM that has topography/elevation changes, w/camping, like Lincoln NF but has more off road trails for automobiles? It seems there's a lot of trails in LNF but damn near all of them prohibit automobiles (we'll be in an 80, a Tacoma & a Jeep). LNF looks perfect but lacking the trails we're looking for. Thanks a ton!