Cloudcroft, NM

August 4-5, 2024

The school year has just started. It already feels overwhelming to get things going. When Michelle texted me about going to Cloudcroft this weekend I put a lot of thought into it. I gave her the green light and she booked the hotel and rental car. 

Cloudcroft is high up in the mountains of New Mexico. It is part of the Lincoln National Forrest home to three mountain ranges. The elevation of Cloudcroft is at about 9000 feet. Our itinerary was to drive up on Saturday, do some hikes, spend the night, and drive back on Sunday. 

The drive to Cloudcroft from El Paso was about 1.5 hours. We initially thought it was 3 hours. When we put the information in google maps we were pleasantly surprise at how short the drive was. 

The first site we visited was the Cloud Climbing Historical Marker. It can be described as train tracks that were built above a gorge which looks like a scene from Stand By Me. There was another lookout across and we gave it a second thought on whether we would want to hike there, but Michelle wanted to go to Bluff Springs.

The next site we visited was about 15 minutes from Cloudcroft. Directions led us to this overlook, from there we walked down an unknown trail to the bottom. This area is a huge gorge and supposedly a waterfall. It took us about 10 minutes from the parking lot to the waterfall. It wasn't anything too spectacular, however to see running water is actually refreshing. We don't have too much natural water in El Paso. 

The last hike was about 40 minutes away from the town of Cloudcroft called Bluff Springs. I didn't realize it at the time but the elevation at this point was almost 10,000 feet. The actual entrance to Bluff Springs was only a 30 minute drive, however once you enter it takes about 10 minutes on dirt roads to get to the camp spot. We weren't going to camp, rather hike. The weather was a little chili and damp. Michelle and I started walking and immediately I couldn't breath. Then I thought we are at altitude, that's why. This place is magical, it is like a big meadow with running water and flowers. The pictures help but doesn't do it justice. 

Cloudcroft is a beautiful place to visit. The people there were cool, but not as friendly has Ruidoso. Maybe it was just me and my perception. The food places here were outstanding. Two places worth noting was the pizza place called the Cloudcroft Brewing Company and a BBQ place called Mad Jacks. Both places had exceptional food.