Sean Chaffin
For the Roswell Tribune
The heat of the summer is in the rearview mirror, and the milder fall temperatures may have many outdoors enthusiasts in southeast New Mexico ready for some adventure.
Whether hiking, camping, off-roading, or just enjoying some time in the desert, the area offers a wide range of opportunities to connect with nature. Grab those boots, gather up the fishing gear, or load up the ATVs and mountain bikes – here’s a look at some of the opportunities awaiting nature lovers in the area.
Bottomless Lakes State Park
This scenic state park offers a diverse environment featuring a series of eight lakes that are in reality sizable sinkholes about 15 miles southeast of Roswell
The 1,400-acre park offers a plethora of outdoor activities, including camping, hiking, boating, fishing, swimming, paddleboarding, birdwatching, and more. Even scuba divers will find plenty to explore among some unique aquatic features.
Scenic rock formations and cliffs backdrop some of the lakes, making for a picturesque setting that may seem a bit out of place in the otherwise gently rolling landscape surrounding the city. Hikers and mountain bikers will find more than 4.5 miles of trails to really take in the area.
Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Nature and animal lovers can delight in more than 24,000 acres of wetland and wilderness area located about 20 minutes to the northeast of the city. Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge is located between the northern edge of the Chihuahuan Desert and the southwestern corner of the Great Plains.
The birdwatcher’s paradise is home to more than 26,000 lesser sandhill cranes and 50,000 snow geese and ducks during fall migration. Other fowl that can be seen in the area include a wide variety of wading birds and shorebirds like great blue herons, white faced ibis, snowy plovers, least terns, black-necked stilts, and avocets.
The red-rimmed bluffs running along the Pecos River only add to the trip. Wildlife can be seen year-round, but some of the best times to visit are September through May. More than five miles of trails await hikers seeking to reconnect with nature. An auto tour and biking paths are also available.
Mescalero Sands North Dune Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Area
Outdoors enthusiasts looking to mix some engines with their adventure should add this stop to the itinerary. Strap into that rugged OHV and rev that engine on more than 610 acres of 90-foot sand dunes. The terrain is perfect for all-terrain motorcycles, sand rails and dune buggies.
The dunes are composed of quartz particles and are constantly changing because of the prevailing southwest winds, providing a bit of a different experience on every excursion. Adventurers won’t simply find a barren desert. Cottonwood trees are interspersed among the sand dunes, adding some greenery to the surroundings.
RV camping is available and beyond the all-terrain fun, a trip to Mescalero Sands offers guests brilliant wide-open views of the surrounding wide-open landscape.
Haystack Mountain OHV Area
Even more off-roading adventure awaits in this park located about 35 minutes northeast of the city. Take in 1,920 acres of trails located along sandy, rocky terrain overlooking the Pecos River. This is the perfect spot for adventurers of all skill levels. Expect rugged riding among deep gullies and climbs on a scenic sandstone escarpment.
The area is especially popular with off-road motorcycle riders with nationally sanctioned racing events held on site. Beyond vehicles with engines, Haystack also boasts some excellent single-track trails for mountain bikers.
Lincoln National Park
While not directly in Roswell, Ruidoso and Cloudcroft are both less than 90 minutes away and offer a wide range of outdoor activities including hiking, biking, hunting, fishing, ziplining, and more. Grindstone and Alto lakes in the Ruidoso area offer unmatched natural beauty for those looking to escape into nature.
Ruidoso, Cloudcroft, and even nearby Capitan also both offer world-class hiking with views that can stretch as far as White Sands National Park in Alamogordo. Mountain bikers are also in luck with miles and miles of trails stretching high above Grindstone Lake and into the plush pines of Lincoln National Forest’s 1.1 million acres. Bonito Lake, located just north of Ruidoso, offers plenty of outdoor opportunities in a serene environment.
Wildlife is abundant with visitors regularly catching glimpses of deer, elk, osprey, wild turkeys, chipmunks, ducks, and more. Beyond the abundant evergreen trees, Cloudcroft offers plenty of treks through a canopy of aspens as well. Skiers can head to Ski Apache in the Ruidoso area and Ski Cloudcroft to hit the slopes. There is seemingly something for every type of outdoors fan.
