Located in the Sacramento Mountain range in South Central New Mexico's Lincoln national forest this was once a railroad grade. The trail is an awesome steep 26 mile route from desert to the mountainous sky. This trail has now become one of the most spectacularly scenic rail trails in the entire Southwest. It corkscrews along a continuous series of curves climbing from around 4000 feet to over 8000 feet in 26 miles. This trail was originally built to haul lumber but then it was converted into a railroad train carrying passengers to the town of Cloudcroft. This town, Cloudcroft, is named because of the many clouds that happened to settle in these upper alpine valleys. Some features of this trail incluse steep terrain (a 6% grade) and tight curves. Nowhere is it straight or level. There are many spectacular vistas and majestic forests, wildflowers, and wildlife along this trail. You'll also notice one of them several old railroad trestles which you have to cross when doing this trail. This trail is currently divided into three segments which will eventually be linked together. To get to this trail you need to get the Cloudcroft, NM. For more information about riding this trail, please contact the ranger in Cloudcroft at 505-682-2551 or you may also contact the Cloudcroft Chamber of Commerce at 505-682-2733. Some information is also available on the Cloudcroft website at www.cloudcroft.net |
