USFS · New Mexico

Lincoln National Forest

Lincoln National Forest is a unit of the U.S. Forest Service located in southern New Mexico. The Lincoln National Forest covers an extensive 1.1 million acres in southeastern New Mexico. Established by Presidential Proclamation in 1902 as the Lincoln Forest Reserve, the 1,103,897 acres (4,467.31 km2) forest begins near the Texas border and contains lands in parts of Chaves, Eddy, Lincoln, and Otero counties. The Lincoln National Forest is home to three major mountain ranges: Sacramento, Guadalupe and Capitan. The three Ranger Districts within the forest contain all or part of a total of four mountain ranges, and include a variety of different environmental areas, from desert to heavily forested mountains and sub-alpine grasslands. Clean air, water, and soil are necessary elements that the National Forests contribute to the environment. Established to balance conservation, resource management, and recreation, the lands of the Lincoln National Forest include important local timber resources, protected wilderness areas, and popular recreation and winter sports areas. The forest headquarters is located in Alamogordo, N.M. with local offices in Carlsbad, Cloudcroft, and Ruidoso.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest1.3 million acresUSFSNM28 campgrounds within 10 mi38 Forest Service sites195 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateNew Mexico
Size1.3 million acres (Forest Service administrative boundary (gis_acres))
Forest Service code0308, region 03
Center point32.9538, -105.4435
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 19)

Boundary map

3 outlines

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground Forest Service recreation site

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Lincoln National Forest30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 0.51 inches of precipitation, 3.1 inches of snowFebruary: 0.33 inches of precipitation, 2.0 inches of snowMarch: 0.51 inches of precipitation, 1.2 inches of snowApril: 0.52 inches of precipitation, 0.2 inches of snowMay: 0.99 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 1.62 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 3.14 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 2.74 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 2.62 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 1.50 inches of precipitation, 1.5 inches of snowNovember: 0.51 inches of precipitation, 1.9 inches of snowDecember: 0.70 inches of precipitation, 3.5 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 37.5°F averageFebruary: 40.6°F averageMarch: 46.1°F averageApril: 52.6°F averageMay: 60.3°F averageJune: 68.3°F averageJuly: 70.3°F averageAugust: 69.0°F averageSeptember: 63.4°F averageOctober: 54.5°F averageNovember: 44.5°F averageDecember: 37.8°F average0 in1 in2 in3 in4 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Elk, 7 miles from the center point at 5,934 feet, station USC00292865 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 16 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 13 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

19 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 9 more are within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

FS · Inside
Apache
Reservable29 sites
FS · Inside
Aspen Group Campground
ReservableNM
FS · Inside
Black Bear Group Area
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Cedar Creek (Sam Tobias)
Reservable4 sites
FS · Inside
Deerhead Campground
Reservable19 sites
FS · Inside
James Canyon Campground
First-come5 sites
FS · Inside
Lower Fir Group Area
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Monjeau Lookout
First-comeNM
Show 4 more

16 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 38

The Forest Service lists 38 recreation sites in this forest, among them 12 campgrounds, 6 picnic areas, 6 group camps, 4 scenic Drivings. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.

Show all 38

Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.

Trails

Every trail on Trailhead Atlas →

The Forest Service trail layer records 195 named trails in this forest, 511 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Rim ↗31.2
Crest ↗20
South Base ↗10.9
Tortolita Canyon ↗9
Dry Canyon ↗8.5
Barber Springs Trail ↗7.8
Summit ↗7.8
Alamo Canyon ↗6.9
Last Chance Canyon ↗6.2
Grindstone Canyon Loop ↗6.1

Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas, refreshed September 18, 2026. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.

All 195 trails in Lincoln National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Park · 4 mi
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
National Park · 6 mi
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
National Park · 24 mi
White Sands National Park
National Register listings within 15 miles · 33 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Lincoln National Forest?

1.3 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Lincoln National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Lincoln National Forest in?

New Mexico.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Lincoln National Forest?

19 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary, including Apache, Aspen Group Campground and Black Bear Group Area. 28 in all are within ten miles. Dispersed camping is allowed on most national forest land outside developed sites; check the forest page for closures.

Source: Where to camp

Where are the trailheads in Lincoln National Forest?

The Forest Service lists 38 recreation sites here, including 12 campground campgrounds, 6 picnickings and 6 group campgrounds. Each one links to its Forest Service page.

Source: Trailheads and sites

How do I get to Lincoln National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 32.954, -105.444. Carlsbad Caverns National Park is 4 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

How dark is the night sky at Lincoln National Forest?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 19 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, about as dark as the ground gets.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Which national parks are near Lincoln National Forest?

Carlsbad Caverns National Park (4 mi), Guadalupe Mountains National Park (6 mi) and White Sands National Park (24 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Lincoln National Forest?

33 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Dr. Woods Annex and Bluewater Lookout Complex.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name, acreage and code: the Forest Service Enterprise Data Warehouse.
  • States: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons; a state is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area.
  • Description: Lincoln National Forest on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The article was accepted because its title contains this unit’s name.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, matched by forest code.
  • Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched by forest code.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.