Lincoln National Forest

History of Lincoln National Forest

Lincoln National Forest sits in the mountains of southeast New Mexico on land that has been home to the Mescalero Apache people for centuries. The area later became the backdrop for the Lincoln County War in the late 1800s, a bloody territorial dispute that brought figures like Billy the Kid into the public eye.

President Theodore Roosevelt designated it as the Lincoln Forest Reserve in 1902, making it one of the earliest national forests in the country. The forest also has a connection most people don’t know about. Smokey Bear, the iconic symbol of wildfire prevention, was a real black bear cub rescued from a fire in Lincoln National Forest in 1950.

Today the forest is managed with a focus on balancing recreation and conservation, drawing visitors who come for the hiking, camping, and the kind of quiet that is getting harder to find.

Know Before You Go

Region: Southwest United States
Location: Southeast New Mexico
Coordinates: 32.800961130223186, -105.63378322584502
Costs: Visit the NPS website for information
Schedule: Open 24/7 Year Round; however, check the NPS website for Warnings
Attraction Type: National Forest
Activities: Camping, Hiking, Overlanding, Exploring, etc.
Additional Resources: National Forest Website

Tales from my visit

My friend Brandon had been to Lincoln National Forest several times before and sent me a pin to meet him at the campsite. I drove up from Tucson and he came from Las Cruces. The drive took me through low lying desert before the road climbed up into the mountains where the trees just seemed to appear from nothing.

We ended up making a few trips there over the years. The cows were a constant. They would always wander into camp, and on the trip these photos are from, they completely surrounded my truck. You learn to just coexist.
One morning we drove up to the lookout and the whole road was socked in with fog. We could not see a thing but it made for an incredibly spooky morning that I still think about.

The highlight for me was seeing the Mexican Canyon Trestle, also known as the Cloud-Climbing Trestle. Built in 1899, this wooden railroad bridge stretches 323 feet long and stands 52 feet high. Standing there looking at it knowing it was built entirely by hand with no modern machinery is the kind of thing that stops you in your tracks. I would absolutely go back.

If you find yourself in the area, the Sunspot Solar Observatory is also worth a stop on your way through New Mexico.