Lincoln National Forest, Sacramento District Office — Attraction in Alamogordo

Living in El Paso after living in rural Ohio for 50+ years, I get a hankering every once in a while to see dirt roads, trees, and no people. Lincoln National Forest offers all that and more. A veritable treasure in the Land of Enchantment, there's hiking trails for all skill and fitness levels, plenty of fir and deciduous trees, streams and waterfalls, firewood (need a permit to harvest it), and solitude. Plus free primitive (dispersed) camping or you can pay for a spot at one of the nicer campgrounds (but there's PEOPLE there!). Lovely to visit, relaxing and cooler temperatures too. Highly...

When someone from the South hears the words "you're gonna go down a dirt road for about 10 miles", we think flat, dirt, lots of dust, a 15 minute drive at most. But what you should understand about this particular 10 mile drive is that it's not flat, there are more rocks than anything, and it'll take you a solid 45 minutes to an hour because of the curves. So after our hour and a half long car ride... we made it to a frozen over waterfall, snowy, white fields, and lots of trees. Take some hiking boots in the winter, friends. While your hike may be doable in your Toms, I highly do not...

If you need information about camping or hiking trails, etc. In the Sacramento ranger district of the Lincoln National Forest, this is the place to go. They have district maps, topo maps and free copies of maps of the most popular trails. They also have a little store if you want a Smokey Bear tee shirt, book or something for the kids.

Be aware that the office is not open weekends, thanks to budget cuts, except for just a few Saturdays between Thanksgiving and Christmas for Christmas tree...