The ground and who manages it
New Mexico’s 24.6 million federal acres are split among five agencies: the BLM with 13,491,010 acres, the Forest Service with 9,229,797, the Department of Defense with 1,055,589, the National Park Service with 472,925 and the Fish and Wildlife Service with 332,058. The BLM runs its share from four district offices, in Albuquerque, Farmington, Las Cruces and Pecos. The Las Cruces District alone manages 5.4 million acres, from the western side of the Guadalupe Mountains to the Arizona border and from Sierra County south to Mexico. The Pecos District covers more than 3.5 million acres through its Carlsbad and Roswell field offices. Albuquerque holds the Rio Puerco and Socorro field offices, and Farmington holds the Farmington and Taos field offices.
Inside that BLM ground sit four national monuments, two national conservation areas and a long list of wilderness and wilderness study areas. Rio Grande del Norte covers 242,500 acres of plains at an average elevation of 7,000 feet, cut by the gorge of the Rio Grande. Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks covers 496,330 acres in four separate units, the Organ Mountains, Desert Peaks, Potrillo Mountains and Doña Ana Mountains, though the introduction to the same BLM page gives about 496,591. Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks and Prehistoric Trackways are the other two monuments, and El Malpais and Fort Stanton-Snowy River Cave are the conservation areas. Where the BLM draws a wilderness line the vehicle stops: at Bisti/De-Na-Zin, 45,000 acres of badlands south of Farmington, motorized and mechanical travel and drones are all prohibited, and you walk in from a dirt parking area.
The national forests come in five pieces and cover most of the state’s high country. The Gila is the largest at 3.3 million acres, with three wilderness areas totaling nearly 800,000 acres and, the Forest Service says, over 3,000 miles of designated road on the rest. The Cibola runs to 1.9 million acres across four sky island districts in New Mexico, Sandia, Mountainair, Magdalena and Mount Taylor, plus four national grasslands in New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. The Santa Fe covers 1.6 million acres from 5,000 to 13,000 feet, the Carson 1.5 million from 6,500 to over 13,000, and the Lincoln 1.1 million from 4,000 to 11,500 across the Sacramento, Guadalupe and Capitan ranges.
Two other kinds of ground matter to a traveler. The State Land Office manages nine million surface acres of state trust land in every county, and it is not open ground: recreation there needs a permit, and camping needs the written permission of the surface lessee. And a large share of the map belongs to sovereign nations. There are 19 pueblos in New Mexico, along with Navajo, Apache and Ute land, each administered by its own tribal government, with its own permits and its own closed areas, and the Park Service says plainly that ignoring the rules can mean expulsion, a fine or legal action. The big blocks, measured by the agencies that run them:
- 01Gila National Forest: 3.3 million acres, with nearly 800,000 acres of wilderness
- 02Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands: 1.9 million acres in total
- 03Santa Fe National Forest: 1.6 million acres, 5,000 to 13,000 feet
- 04Carson National Forest: 1.5 million acres, 6,500 to over 13,000 feet
- 05Lincoln National Forest: 1.1 million acres, 4,000 to 11,500 feet
- 06BLM Las Cruces District: 5.4 million acres
- 07BLM Pecos District: more than 3.5 million acres
- 08BLM Socorro Field Office: 1.5 million surface acres in Socorro and Catron counties
- 09BLM Farmington Field Office: more than 1.4 million acres in the San Juan Basin
- 10BLM Rio Puerco Field Office: nearly 1 million acres near Albuquerque
- 11BLM Taos Field Office: more than 594,000 acres
- 12Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument: 496,330 acres in four units
- 13Río Grande del Norte National Monument: 242,500 acres
- 14Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness: 45,000 acres, closed to vehicles and bicycles
- 15State trust land: nine million surface acres, permit required
Source 7
Seasons: the monsoon, then snow
The calendar here is set by two things, summer rain and winter snow, and they do not overlap. The National Weather Service runs the North American Monsoon from June 15 to September 30. NOAA says July and August are the wettest months across much of the state and that in some regions monsoon rainfall accounts for half of the annual precipitation. That rain falls hard on ground that cannot take it. The Weather Service says water levels can surge several feet in a matter of minutes, and that arroyos, streams and rivers can turn into fast, deadly currents even from rain falling miles away, under a clear sky where you are standing.
This is the part that kills drivers rather than campers. The Weather Service says it takes 12 inches of swift water to sweep a small car away, and 18 to 24 inches to carry off a large SUV, truck or van, and that most flood deaths happen in vehicles, usually when someone drives through a flooded road or around a barricade. Its instruction is Turn Around, Don’t Drown. Burn scars make it worse: the agency says burned ground can be as water repellent as pavement, and that most burn areas stay prone to debris flows for at least two years and sometimes four or five. Every unpaved route in this guide has a wash on it somewhere.
Wet ground closes roads without any flood at all. The BLM says the Quebradas byway may become difficult or impossible to navigate after heavy rain, that the Chain of Craters byway can become impassable during or after bad weather, and that the roads into Bisti/De-Na-Zin may turn slippery or impassable after rain or snow. The Park Service says the dirt section of the road to Chaco is seldom maintained and can become impassable in bad weather. None of these are paved alternatives waiting beside them.
Winter closes the high country instead. The Valles Caldera backcountry vehicle route runs only from May 15 to November 15. The BLM keeps the paved Wild Rivers byway open year-round but says snow can temporarily restrict access while it waits for clearing equipment. Carson and Santa Fe national forest land reaches above 13,000 feet and the Lincoln to 11,500, so the mountain roads in the north and on the Sacramento rim go in and out with the snow. New Mexico publishes no chain law that this guide could find, so nothing is claimed here; NMDOT asks drivers to check tires, carry a winter kit and take road conditions from NMRoads or 511 before setting out.
Source 5
What New Mexico asks of a vehicle
Range and self-reliance first. The Gila National Forest covers 3.3 million acres and the Forest Service describes its remote character as a feeling of solitude for anyone who turns off the main highways, which is a polite way of saying there is nothing out there. The Park Service describes Chaco Culture National Historical Park as remote and isolated, with few amenities, and tells visitors to come prepared. The BLM notes that there are no restrooms and no drinking water along the Quebradas byway. Plan fuel, water and a way to call for help on the assumption that the next town is further than it looks.
Clearance more often than low range. The BLM recommends a high-clearance vehicle, a truck or a four-wheel drive, on both the Quebradas and Chain of Craters byways, and recommends high clearance for the roads into Bisti/De-Na-Zin. The Park Service strongly recommends high clearance beyond the Cabin District at Valles Caldera, where the road surfaces are gravel and dirt with ruts and potholes. Two documented routes ask for more: the Gila recommends high-clearance four-wheel drive on Forest Road 150, and says sections through Rocky Canyon can be very rough. Two ask for less: the BLM says the Guadalupe byway is in good condition and does not require a four-wheel drive, and the Lake Valley and Wild Rivers byways are paved.
Tires and a real spare come next, because the surfaces here are volcanic rock, caliche and badland clay rather than sand. The last 4.5 miles into Chaco are described by the Park Service as very rough. The Park Service also warns that some local roads recommended by map publishers and by GPS are unsafe for cars or are private, and asks visitors to follow its own directions instead, which is good general advice for a state where county roads cross tribal and private land without much signage.
Size has limits in a few places. The Park Service does not allow buses, off-road vehicles or non-street-legal motorcycles on the Valles Caldera backcountry route, and holds it to 20 mph, or 10 in posted areas. The Park Service says the southern routes to Chaco are not recommended for RVs, and suggests leaving an RV behind and driving a car in if you are not camping at the park. The BLM says recreational vehicles and small RVs under 20 feet fit the driveways at the Wild Rivers campgrounds.
Source 26
Passes and routes
-
Highway 38, Questa to Red River over Bobcat PassPaved
The Carson National Forest describes the corridor simply: plenty of recreation along Highway 38, from Questa to Red River and over Bobcat Pass. It is the northern leg of the Enchanted Circle and the highest of them, with forest campgrounds and fishing access strung along it. The forest publishes no elevation for the pass and no season for the road, so neither is stated here. 34
-
Trail of the Mountain Spirits Scenic BywayPaved
95 miles
A National Scenic Byway of 95 miles that crosses the Continental Divide and follows the Gila River through the country around Silver City. The Federal Highway Administration suggests three hours to drive it and six to eight to experience it. It is the paved frame around the Gila, and NM 15 to the cliff dwellings is the spur that leaves it. 45
-
The five campgrounds of the Wild Rivers Recreation Area
Inside Río Grande del Norte National Monument the Rio Grande has cut an 800-foot deep canyon into volcanic flows, and the rim carries five developed campgrounds, El Aguaje, La Junta, Montoso, Little Arsenic and Big Arsenic, with 16 primitive sites down in the inner gorge. The rim sites take a vehicle; the gorge sites are walked to. 18
- Vehicle
- Recreational vehicles and small RVs under 20 feet fit the driveways
-
Quebradas Back Country Byway
About 24 miles
East of Socorro: the south end is 11 miles east of San Antonio on US 380 at County Road A-129, and the north end is reached from the I-25 Escondida exit by NM 408, Pueblitos Road and Bosquecito Road
An unpaved county road across about 24 miles of broken, colored country east of the Rio Grande, about 6 miles from Socorro. The BLM warns of blind curves and steep hills and says the road is rugged in several areas. There are no restrooms and no drinking water along the byway, and the 14-day stay limit applies to camping beside it. The Socorro Field Office manages it. 13
- Vehicle
- A high-clearance vehicle, a truck or a four-wheel drive, is recommended
- Season
- Open year-round. The BLM says the road may become difficult or impossible to navigate after heavy rain
-
Chain of Craters Back Country Byway
33 miles
County Road 42, between NM 53 and NM 117 southwest of Grants, along the edge of El Malpais
An annually maintained dirt road for 33 miles past a line of cinder cones on the western side of the El Malpais lava country. The BLM says the road is rugged in several areas, has blind curves and hills, and can be difficult to navigate when wet, and asks for particular caution on wet ground. The Rio Puerco Field Office manages it. 14
- Vehicle
- A high-clearance vehicle, a truck or a four-wheel drive, is recommended
- Season
- Open year-round. The BLM says the road may become impassable during or after bad weather
-
Forest Road 150, the North Star Road
NM 35 at milepost 15 near Mimbres, north through the Gila National Forest
The long dirt spine of the Gila. The Forest Service routes visitors to Black Canyon Campground by 26 miles of improved dirt and rock road from NM 35, and puts the Rocky Point trailhead on the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail about 15 miles up the same road. It says sections can be very rough, especially through Rocky Canyon, and recommends high-clearance four-wheel drive. No agency page read for this guide gives the road’s full length, so none is given here. 29
- Vehicle
- The forest recommends high-clearance four-wheel drive
-
The road to Chaco Culture National Historical Park
21 miles from US 550
US 550 at County Road 7900, 3 miles southeast of Nageezi and about 50 miles west of Cuba
The Park Service’s recommended approach is 8 miles of paved road on County Roads 7900 and 7950, then 13 miles of rough dirt on 7950, of which the last 4.5 miles before the park boundary are very rough. It warns that some local roads recommended by map publishers and by GPS are unsafe for cars or are private, and asks drivers to follow its own directions to avoid getting lost, stuck or trespassing. The southern routes can vary from very rough to impassable. 38
- Vehicle
- The southern approaches are not recommended for RVs. The Park Service suggests leaving an RV behind if you are not camping at the park
- Season
- The Park Service says the dirt sections are seldom maintained and can become impassable in bad weather
-
Valles Caldera Backcountry Vehicle Route
From the Valle Grande front country on NM 4, north through Valle Toledo and Valle San Antonio
The Park Service issues 40 vehicle passes a day for the route while it is open, 35 of them reservable on Recreation.gov up to three months ahead and 5 held for first-come visitors. The road surfaces into and throughout the preserve are gravel and dirt with ruts and potholes, and the speed limit is 20 mph, or 10 mph where posted. Walking and cycling the same route need no pass. 40
- Vehicle
- High-clearance vehicles are strongly recommended. No buses, no ATVs or UTVs, no non-street-legal motorcycles
- Season
- May 15 to November 15
-
Guadalupe Back Country Byway
30 miles
US 285 at NM 137 near Brantley Lake State Park, southwest to the Lincoln National Forest boundary
Thirty miles across the change from Chihuahuan Desert cholla to the foot of the Guadalupe Mountains, in the country between Carlsbad and the Guadalupe Ranger District. It is the gentlest of the New Mexico back country byways on a vehicle, and the Carlsbad Field Office manages it. Fireworks and the discharge of firearms are not allowed, and pets are held to a six-foot leash. 15
- Vehicle
- The BLM says the road is in good condition and does not require a four-wheel drive
- Season
- Open year-round
-
Wild Rivers Back Country BywayPaved
13 miles
A closed loop in the Wild Rivers Recreation Area, inside Río Grande del Norte National Monument north of Questa
A double-lane, low-speed paved loop along the rim of an 800-foot canyon cut into volcanic flows by the Rio Grande. Five developed campgrounds sit on the route, El Aguaje, La Junta, Montoso, Little Arsenic and Big Arsenic, with 16 primitive sites down in the inner gorge. The BLM says recreational vehicles and small RVs under 20 feet fit the campground driveways. 17
- Season
- Open year-round, though the BLM says snow can temporarily restrict access while clearing equipment is available
-
Lake Valley Back Country BywayPaved
48 miles
Southwestern New Mexico, between the Mimbres and Caballo mountains and the Cooke’s Range
A 48-mile paved drive through ranching and mining country, past the ruins of the 1880s silver town of Lake Valley. The BLM calls it a good trip for a traveler with an hour to spare, and the Las Cruces District looks after the historic townsite on it. 16
-
Geronimo Trail Scenic Byway
8,168 ft 154 miles
The Black Range on NM 152, in the southern Gila country of Sierra and Grant counties
A National Scenic Byway through Apache history, hot mineral springs and old mining towns, from desert lakes up into forested mountains. The Federal Highway Administration asks for 13 hours including backtracking, or two or three days to see it properly, and charges nothing to drive it. The Forest Service puts the Emory Pass Vista at 8,168 feet on the north side of NM 152 between mileposts 31 and 32, just off the byway, with views over the eastern slope of the Black Range and no overnight use. The USGS surface figure at the pass is a foot lower, 8,167 feet. 44
-
New Mexico Highway 15 to the Gila Cliff DwellingsPaved
44 miles
Silver City north to Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, with NM 35 by Lake Roberts as the alternative
The Park Service puts the monument 44 miles north of Silver City on NM 15, over narrow, winding, mountainous ground, and says the first 25 miles are narrow with steep sections of 10 to 12 percent grade for several miles and no center dividing line. Large vehicles are routed around it: US 180 east to NM 152, then NM 35 past Lake Roberts, which joins NM 15 beyond the stretch with no center line. This is the country the Gila National Forest points visitors to as the Trail of the Mountain Spirits Scenic Byway, 95 miles across the Continental Divide and the Gila River by the Federal Highway Administration’s count. 42
- Vehicle
- The Park Service does not recommend the first 25 miles for anything over 20 feet or towing
- Season
- Year-round. Allow one and a half to two hours each way
-
Enchanted Circle Scenic BywayPaved
84 miles
A loop in northern New Mexico around Wheeler Peak, the highest mountain in the state
An 84-mile loop through alpine valleys, wildflowers, lakes, evergreen forest and old western towns, circling Wheeler Peak. The Federal Highway Administration allows four hours for it, charges nothing to drive it, and gives the Carson National Forest’s Questa Ranger District as the local contact. In the same mountains the forest describes Highway 38 as running from Questa to Red River and over Bobcat Pass, with five campgrounds along it. 46
-
High Road to TaosPaved
67 miles
Española and Taos, through the mountain villages on the west side of the Sangre de Cristo range
Sixty-seven miles of byway between Española and Taos, which the Federal Highway Administration calls rich in archaeological interest and history and the Carson National Forest simply calls a scenic byway between the two towns. The forest lists the Amole Canyon group shelter and Santa Barbara Campground as recreation sites along it, and charges no fee to drive it. 47
Rules worth knowing
- The monsoon is half the year’s rain in twelve weeks
- The Weather Service runs New Mexico’s monsoon season from 15 June to 30 September, and states that in some regions of the state monsoon rainfall accounts for half the annual precipitation. It also gives the number that matters at a crossing: it takes 12 inches of swift water to sweep a small car away, and 18 to 24 inches will move most vehicles. On dirt this is the season that decides your route, and a dry arroyo in the morning is not a promise about the afternoon. 6
- Camping on trust land needs the lessee’s written permission
- A recreational access permit lets you onto state trust land, and it is not a camping permit. The State Land Office states that camping is allowed on trust land only with the written permission of the surface lessee, and that it is the permittee’s own responsibility to know which lands are open and which are closed. Nine million surface acres sit under that rule, which is why trust land is best treated as somebody’s ranch that you may be allowed to walk on. 53
- What a Stage I fire restriction actually forbids
- Stage I prohibits building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, campfire, charcoal, coal or wood stove except within a developed or improved recreation site; smoking except inside a vehicle or building, in a developed recreation site, or while stopped in an area at least three feet across that is barren or cleared of flammable material; and possessing, discharging or using any firework or pyrotechnic device. Petroleum-fuelled stoves and lanterns stay legal, which is the practical reason to carry one. 55
- New Mexico publishes winter advice, not a chain law
- The Department of Transportation asks drivers to check their tires, to carry a winter survival kit, and to give a snow plough room by staying at least five car lengths back, and points to its own roads site and 511 for current advisories. That is advice rather than a legal standard: no state page found states a chain requirement, so this guide claims none. At these elevations the absence of a law is not the absence of snow. 56
- The BLM here is six offices and most of the public ground
- New Mexico is BLM country and the offices are the way to understand it: Las Cruces manages 5.4 million acres, the Pecos District over 3.5 million, Socorro 1.5 million surface acres, Farmington over 1.4 million in the San Juan Basin, Rio Puerco nearly a million all within a short drive of Albuquerque, and Taos over 594,000. When a question is about a road, a closure or a fire order, the field office is the answer, not the state. 19
- The national conservation lands are a separate category again
- Four national monuments, including Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks and Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks, sit inside the BLM’s National Conservation Lands system in New Mexico along with conservation areas, wilderness and wilderness study areas. They are BLM ground with their own management plans, so the general rules about dispersed camping and travel do not carry into them unchanged. Read the monument’s own page before assuming. 9
- Río Grande del Norte is 242,500 acres of high plain
- The monument covers 242,500 acres of wide-open plain at high average elevation north of Taos, cut by the Rio Grande gorge. It is the most accessible big piece of BLM ground in northern New Mexico and the one most likely to be reached in a normal vehicle, which is why its rim roads and campgrounds are busy in summer and empty in February. 10
- Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks is 496,330 acres in four pieces
- The monument is not one place: 496,330 acres divided between the Organ Mountains, the Desert Peaks, and two further units around Las Cruces. Each has its own access and its own roads, so naming the monument is not enough to plan a trip. Pick the unit first. 11
- Fire orders are published district by district
- The BLM posts its New Mexico fire restrictions and prevention orders by district rather than statewide, which means two pieces of public land an hour apart can be under different rules on the same day. Check the district that manages the ground you will sleep on, not the one you started the morning in. 25
- The world’s first wilderness is here, and it is closed to vehicles
- The 559,688-acre Gila Wilderness, created in June 1924, was the world’s first designated wilderness and is still New Mexico’s largest, with the Aldo Leopold Wilderness at 202,016 acres and the Blue Range at 29,304 beside it. None of it takes a vehicle. The Gila is driven around its edges and through its corridors, and the wilderness boundary is the line that decides where a road ends. 28
- The four big forests, by size
- Santa Fe National Forest covers 1.6 million acres of mountains, valleys and mesas; Carson 1.5 million with elevations from 6,500 to over 13,000 feet, holding the state’s highest ground; Lincoln 1.1 million across the south; and the Cibola 1.9 million, although that figure includes national grassland in Oklahoma and Texas. No page found publishes each forest’s New Mexico-only acreage, so the totals are given as the forests state them. 35
- Carson holds the state’s highest country
- The Carson National Forest runs from 6,500 feet to over 13,000, which is the widest band any New Mexico forest covers and the reason the season on its roads is short at the top and long at the bottom. Wheeler Peak, the state high point, is inside it, and the Enchanted Circle drives around it. 32
- Lincoln is the southern forest, and it is not small
- The Lincoln National Forest stretches across 1.1 million acres of southern New Mexico, which makes the south of the state less empty than the map suggests. It is the forest that matters for anyone travelling between Carlsbad, Ruidoso and the Tularosa basin, and its elevation is what makes that country liveable in summer. 36
- Chaco is remote, and its own page says so
- The Park Service calls Chaco Culture National Historical Park remote and isolated, offering few amenities, and asks visitors to come prepared. It adds a warning worth repeating: some local roads recommended by map publishers and GPS are unsafe for cars, or are private roads. Arrive with fuel, water and the park’s own directions rather than a routing app’s shortcut. 39
- Valles Caldera’s roads are gravel, rutted and limited to 40 vehicles a day
- The preserve states that road surfaces into and throughout Valles Caldera are gravel and dirt, that roads often have ruts and potholes, and that high-clearance vehicles are strongly recommended. The backcountry vehicle route runs 15 May to 15 November on 40 passes a day, 35 of them reservable through Recreation.gov and five held for first come, first served, and it is closed to buses, off-road vehicles and anything not street legal. 41
- A non-resident OHV permit is a two-year or ninety-day purchase
- New Mexico requires residents to register any off-highway vehicle used on public land and display a decal. A non-resident buys a permit instead: forty-eight dollars for two years, eighteen for ninety days, and seven for a permanent paved-road-use permit. None of that reaches a plated truck, which is registered as a highway vehicle and is not what the programme is about. 49
- Only some machines may use a paved road at all
- The state’s OHV rules are specific about surfaces: only ATVs and recreational off-highway vehicles, meaning side-by-sides, may be operated on specific paved roads, and the rest of the rules cover helmets, age limits and safety permits. The practical point for this guide is the reverse of the usual one: the restriction is on the machines, and a street-legal vehicle travels on the roads a street-legal vehicle may use. 50
- Nine million acres of trust land, and 35 state parks
- The State Land Office manages nine million surface acres and 13 million mineral acres of trust land, which exists to earn money for schools rather than to host visitors. The state park system, a separate department, runs 35 parks. Between them they explain why the public land you can plan a trip around in New Mexico is federal, and why the state’s own ground needs a permit and a landowner’s permission. 52
- Thirty-five state parks, and nineteen pueblos
- The state parks department runs 35 parks and describes them as economic drivers for the towns around them, which is a fair description of what they are: developed, fee-charging and close to services. Beyond them, 19 pueblos are sovereign nations administering their own land, and travelling there is a question of their permission rather than of any state or federal rule. 57
- Fourteen days, then 25 miles
- Dispersed camping is generally allowed on BLM land in New Mexico for no more than 14 days in any 28 consecutive days, and after that you must move at least 25 miles to another site. Camping is prohibited within 900 feet of any developed water source, such as a guzzler or a watering trough, so that wildlife and livestock can reach it. When you drive in to camp, the BLM asks you to park near existing roads or existing undeveloped campsites rather than making a new one. Individual field offices may add rules of their own, so check with the office that manages the ground you are on. 8
- OHV registration, and the permit a visitor needs
- New Mexico requires an off-highway vehicle used on public land to be registered and to show a validation decal, renewed every two years. Residents pay $53 to register and $50 every two years after that, plus $7 for a paved-road-use plate. A non-resident who cannot show a valid OHV registration from another state buys a New Mexico permit instead: $48 for two years or $18 for 90 days, plus $7 for the permanent paved-road-use permit. ATVs and side-by-sides may use paved roads inside a community only where a local ordinance or a State Transportation Commission resolution allows it. Riders under 18 need a helmet and a safety permit, and no one under six may operate an ATV or side-by-side on public land. 48
- State trust land is not open ground
- The State Land Office manages nine million surface acres of state trust land in every county of New Mexico, and it says recreational users must hold a recreational access permit to be on it. The permit costs $35, runs a year from the day it is issued, covers up to ten family members with the holder, and allows hiking, sightseeing, picnicking, wildlife watching, photography, horseback riding and cross country skiing. It does not cover land the Commissioner has withdrawn from recreational access or land leased for oil, gas and mining, and the office says it is the permittee’s responsibility to know which parcels are open and which are closed. Camping is separate again: it is allowed on trust land only with the written permission of the surface lessee. 51
- Wilderness lines, and the map that decides
- Designated wilderness is closed to vehicles. At Bisti/De-Na-Zin, 45,000 acres in the Farmington Field Office, the BLM prohibits motorized and mechanical travel, bicycles included, and drones, and leaves you to walk in from the dirt parking areas at the two trailheads. The same line applies across the Gila Wilderness, at 559,688 acres the largest in the state and the first designated anywhere, and across the Aldo Leopold and Blue Range wildernesses beside it. On national forest ground the Motor Vehicle Use Map is the legal record of where a vehicle may go, and on BLM ground the field office that manages the unit sets the travel rules for it. 12
- Tribal land needs the nation’s permission
- There are 19 pueblos in New Mexico, along with Navajo, Apache and Ute land, and the Park Service is clear about what they are: sovereign nations administered by tribal governments, not public land with a different sign on it. Most pueblos are open to visitors during daylight hours, but homes are private and are not entered without an invitation, kivas and graveyards are not entered by non-Pueblo people, and official permits are obtained on arrival and are for personal use only. A permit does not give you the right to photograph or sketch a person without asking first. Failing to follow the rules can mean expulsion, a fine or legal action. 43
- Fire restrictions come in stages, and are posted by area
- Under Stage I restrictions in New Mexico you may not build, maintain, attend or use a fire, campfire, charcoal, coal or wood stove except inside a developed recreation site or improved site; you may not smoke except in an enclosed vehicle or building, in a developed recreation site, or while stopped in a cleared area at least three feet across; and fireworks and other pyrotechnics are banned outright. Stoves and lanterns that burn petroleum fuel stay legal. Stage II tightens all of it further. Restrictions are posted area by area at NM Fire Info and on the Southwest Area dashboard, and the BLM issues its own prevention orders by district. Check what is in force for the specific ground you are heading to, not for the state. 54
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
US Forest Service (USFS)
National Park Service (NPS)
US Fish and Wildlife (USFW)
Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)
Department Of Defense (DOD)
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
Other Federal
State
Local
Alaska Native Lands (Patented or Interim Conveyed)
Alaska Native Allotment
Road
Primitive Road
Road
Primitive Road
Trail
Roads open to all Vehicles, Yearlong
Roads open to all Vehicles, Seasonal
Roads open to highway legal vehicles only, Yearlong
Roads open to highway legal vehicles only, Seasonal
Special Designation, Yearlong
Special Designation, Seasonal
Trails open to all vehicles, Yearlong
Trails open to all vehicles, Seasonal
Trails open to vehicles 50" or less in width, Yearlong
Trails open to vehicles 50" or less in width, Seasonal
Trails open to motorcycles, Yearlong
Trails open to motorcycles, Seasonal
Special Designation, Seasonal
Trails Open to Wheeled Vehicles Only < 50" in Width, Yearlong
Trails Open to Wheeled Vehicles Only < 50" or Less in Width, Seasonal
Wilderness Area
Wilderness Study Area
