This has been by far the most beautiful place I have visited in the US. From arriving Friday afternoon in Cloudcroft til the next day roaming the forest, every moment was breathtaking.
There are three districts of Lincoln National Forest, Smokey Bear District, Sacramento District, and Guadalupe District. I camped in Bluff Springs, which is one of the Dispersed Camping areas and is roughly a 30-min drive from Cloudcroft. The first part of the drive to the camping site is paved, and then it turns to gravel with cattle guards every few miles. Along the road are private residents and their very friendly cows. Once you reach the falls, you are there. The Forest is full of White fir, ponderosa pine, and oneseed juniper. Pictures do not due justice of how massive the trees really are. If you are roaming the Forest early in the morning, you might get lucky enough to see a few elk.
What to see:
Bluff Springs
Bridal Veil Falls
Sitting Bull Falls
La Pasada Encantada Trail (T233) - 0.4 miles
Dog Canyon Trail (T106) - 5.5 miles
White Mountain Wilderness Area
Capitan Mountains Wilderness Area - To access the area you will need a 4 wheel drive, high clearance vehicle for most areas as the roads are in a primitive condition.
Lookouts of Lincoln National Forest
Monjeau Lookout
Ruidoso Lookout
Wofford Lookout
James Ridge Lookout
Weed Lookout
Bluewater Lookout
Sacramento Lookout
Carrissa Lookout
Dark Canyon Lookout
Camping in Lincoln National Forest
Dispersed Camping Areas
Dispersed camping allows you to drive up to 300' off of an open public road onto USFS lands to park and camp. No permits are needed.
Monjeau Lookout
Upper Bonito Dispersed Recreation Area
Bluff Springs
Lower Karr Canyon Campground
Campground Camping Areas
Campgrounds are available on a first-come, first served basis and usually offer a picnic table, camping spot for 1 RV and fire pit or grill.
Group Campgrounds
Group campgrounds are available via reservation (www.recreation.gov) and offer the most features available for your gathering. Most of these areas have multiple picnic tables, paved parking with room for multiple RV's, a covered pavilion, restrooms and more.
Further down the mountain towards Alamogordo, New Mexico is a windy road that allows you to fully take in the beauty of the mountains. There are plenty of stops along the way to pull over and take pictures, and you will also pass though a tunnel within the mountain. I would highly suggest visiting Lincoln National Forest, you won't regret it!
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