Looking for a quick summary on the best things to do in Cloudcroft NM and don’t have the time to read through the blog? Here’s our Speedy Scoop! We do recommend reading through the blog to get complete details, tips and bonus activities.
| Top Activities: Hiking, Camping, White Sands National Park, Skiing, Bluff Springs, Sunspot Highway |
| Best Months to visit: Jun-Aug/Dec-Feb |
| Getting there: Private Car or Rental/ Flight |
As a couple that works 9-5 for 5 days a week, we are on constant lookout for places that we can explore during the weekend. We live in Austin, Texas where the heat can get unbearable during summer. A quick escape to a cooler climate makes the Austin summers easy.
That brings us to New Mexico, our neighbor state. You can spend a fun day sliding on the dunes of white sands, driving on the High Road to Taos, or a quick visit to the cities of Albuquerque/Santa Fe, New Mexico has it all. After experiencing all of the above, we went looking for other places to visit in New Mexico and we came upon Cloudcroft.
Cloudcroft is a beautiful city in south-east New Mexico, located within the Lincoln National Forest. It’s proximity to White Sands national Park makes Cloudcroft a hit among tourists looking for stays in the area. The landscape is dotted with lush green plains and hills covered with beautiful pine trees.
What is the best season to visit Cloudcroft?
Cloudcroft has something to do for each season. With its mild temperatures in summer (June-August) despite being close to desert, it is ideal for outdoor activities like hiking and camping. In winters (December-February), when snow paints the landscape white, you can indulge in activities like skiing, snow-shoeing and tubing.
We visited in summer when the temperatures were cool. There was a bit of rain during our trip, but it did not affect our plans in any way.
How to reach Cloudcroft?
If you are someone who lives in and around Austin (Round Rock, Cedar Park), best way to reach Cloudcroft is by road. The route takes roughly 9 hours to drive. While it may sound like a lot of driving, unfortunately, it is a part of life in Texas. We have turned this into an opportunity by taking more and more road trips over the past year.
If you are flying in, you would need to take a flight to either Roswell (75 miles from Cloudcroft) or El Paso (89 miles from Cloudcroft) and then drive a rental to Cloudcroft.
Where to stay when visiting Cloudcroft
You can choose between the following areas to stay while visiting Cloudcroft for the best experience:
- Cloudcroft town: There are quite a few options available here- from budget hostels to golf resorts. You can book a stay that best suits you. Do note that the rooms get booked pretty fast in town since the area is small.
2. High Rolls: This is also located in Lincoln National Forest, about 8 miles from Cloudcroft. We chose to stay in an Evolve Vacation Rental property here. You can also book through airbnb. The sunset views were incredible as this place is at a higher elevation.
Avg Rate of Room/Night ~$150 for 2 people
3. Camping: If you are an outdoor enthusiast, you can also choose to camp in one of the designated camping areas. We spotted quite a few places when we visited in summer, Bluff Springs area being one of the most beautiful options.
Where to eat when visiting Cloudcroft
We usually prefer to cook our own meals while travelling, to maintain our health and to save a little money to spend on other activities. But, we did stumble upon a delicious pizza place while looking for a good lunch spot in Cloudcroft.
You should definitely try the pizzas at Cloudcroft Brewing Company. They have some of the best thin crust pizzas that I have tried. They also have options that suit different dietary needs like a vegetarian pizza or a gluten free crust. The place is very popular and there was a long wait during lunchtime.
We highly recommend getting the pizzas to-go and enjoying them in one of the many beautiful picnic areas around Cloudcroft!
Things to do in Cloudcroft during Summer
We visited Cloudcroft in summer to get some reprieve from the Austin heat. There are a number of activities that you can do here in summer. Let’s look at some of them.
Bluff Springs Recreational Area
This is a must-see when you visit Cloudcroft in summer. While the waterfall itself is small and can get pretty crowded, the surrounding area is absolutely stunning. Beautiful fir trees dominate the area with lots of wildflowers growing on bright green patches of grass. You can hike through the forest on one of the many trails that can be found here, or just soak in the beauty and the cool, pleasant weather around the waterfall. Cloudcroft is also known to be an elk and deer area, so you have a chance to spot some wildlife on one of the trails.
To get here, you will need to drive out 14 miles (~30 mins) from Cloudcroft on the Sunspot Highway. The last three miles of the road will have you turning into Rio Penasco road which is a dirt road.
Pro Tip: We were able to drive on the dirt road with our Mazda, so passing through this part of the road would feel much easier if you have a high clearance vehicle.
We hiked a bit around the area, hiking from the bluff springs waterfall till the Willie White Trailhead, which is a pretty popular trail for hiking and wildlife spotting. The whole trail takes about 5 hours and is 10 miles. We are still beginner hikers and did not attempt this hike.
Recommended activities around the area:
Sunspot Highway
This scenic byway can be accessed by driving south from Cloudcroft through the Lincoln National Forest. The 15 mile road through Sacramento mountains has a stunning landscape filled with fir trees and winding roads, ideal for people who enjoy driving. There are multiple lookouts along this road, offering views of canyons and White Sands National Park.
This highway is also interesting for another reason. The road features signs with names of different planets in our solar system, which you will spot while driving. The signs are placed to represent the actual distance between these planets in the solar system on a 1:250 million scale. Isn’t that cool?!
At the top of this road, you will find the observatory where you can view the skies through a Dunn Telescope.
Tip: If you wish to visit the observatory, do check the timings to access the telescope beforehand. We went on a Sunday and it was closed to public.
Hiking
You can hike one of the may scenic trails that are spread across Cloudcroft. We did the Osha Trail which was very close to the town of Cloudcroft. The trail was a loop trail and took us 1 hour to complete. It is a 2.5 mile trail that can be moderately challenging. As a complete beginner to hiking, I was able to complete the loop, but I did come across multiple rocky paths along the trail. You can also expect to spot some wildlife on this trail. We spotted some deer, but there have been reviews of people also spotting elk.
Mexican Canyon Trestle
The railroad was built in 1899 to transport timber but was abandoned in 1947. The structure has largely remained intact since then, and you can also enjoy a hike here. The 2.2 mile trail gives you a panoramic view of the railroad. You can also view this landmark by accessing a lookout as you driving through Cloudcroft, in case you do not want to do the trail.
Tunnel Vista Observation Point/Trail
If you want to see the canyon, waterfall and White Sands from one point, we recommend stopping by this lookout. You come across this view right after a tunnel as you drive towards High Rolls, New Mexico from Cloudcroft.
You can also hike through a 0.5 mile trail that is considered moderate, to see the waterfalls up close.
Things to do in Cloudcroft during Winter
White Sands National Park
No trip to Cloudcroft in winter can be complete without visiting the White Sands National Park. We fell in love with this national park when we first visited it in winter. We travelled via Las Cruces at the time. When we visited Cloudcroft in summer, we saw that as another opportunity to visit the national park.
Having been here in both the seasons, we can definitely say that you should visit this park in the winter.
You should allocate atleast half a day to White Sands National Park if you are here just for a weekend trip. Renting out a board from the park shop and sliding on white sand dunes is too much fun and we guarantee that it will leave you laughing out loud.
Ski Cloudcroft
Cloudcroft is famous for its ski slopes, especially if you want to learn skiing as a beginner. With easier slopes than its much famous counterpart, the Taos Ski Valley, people visit this town in winters to enjoy the various winter activities that this town offers.
You can go skiing, tubing and snow-shoeing if you visit in the winters. While we have not yet been able to visit Cloudcroft in winters, we feel like this blog post would not have been complete without mentioning this popular activity.
Bonus Activity: If you have some free time in your itinerary after indulging in your planned activities, we suggest going to the Pistachio Land. It is close to White Sands National Park and the big pistachio at the entrance is hard to miss. You will see signs for this place on the road as you drive towards the National Park. Here, you can enjoy delicious home-made pistachio ice-cream and sample wines! Even a small size of this ice-cream is very generous in serving!
Now that we have shared some of the amazing things you can do in Cloudcroft, comment your favorite activity below and let us know if you are looking for more details!
