Top Backpacking Trails in New Mexico
16 routes. Each page shows when we last checked it. Updated October 2026.
Backpacking in New Mexico on this site falls into two regions. In the north, the Sangre de Cristo Mountains hold the Pecos, Wheeler Peak, Latir Peak, and Columbine-Hondo wildernesses, with high lake trips such as Trampas Lakes and Pecos Baldy Lake and a loop over Wheeler Peak, which one guide calls the state’s highest point. The Jemez Mountains add the boggy meadows of San Pedro Parks and the canyons of Bandelier. In the south, the Gila Wilderness offers river trips like the Middle Fork to Jordan Hot Springs and the West Fork to White Creek, plus burned high ridges on the Mogollon Crest and in the Black Range.
Seasons follow elevation. The Park Service calls spring and fall the best seasons in the Gila, while the northern peaks are mainly summer and early fall trips with afternoon thunderstorms. Gila trips involve many river crossings that turn dangerous during spring runoff and summer monsoon floods, and water away from the rivers is often unreliable.
Most trips use dispersed wilderness camping with no permit, but rules vary by managing agency. Bandelier requires a free in-person permit and a bear-resistant container, and lake setbacks differ between the Santa Fe and Carson national forests.
Fires, floods, and construction closed several areas in 2026, including the Jacks Creek access to Pecos Baldy Lake. Check the managing agency’s alerts before you go.
Quick picks
- Hot springs overnight: Middle Fork Gila to Jordan Hot Springs
- Longest loop: Gila Middle Fork–West Fork Loop
- State high point loop: Wheeler Peak via Horseshoe and Lost Lakes
- Short alpine lake trip: Heart Lake and Latir Mesa (Latir Peak Wilderness)
- Moderate meadow trip: San Pedro Parks via the Vacas Trail
Gila Wilderness
- Gila Middle Fork–West Fork Loop Gila Wilderness, Gila National Forest (from Gila Cliff Dwellings) 35 miles Hard Dispersed wilderness camping; no permit
- Gila River Trail: Grapevine to Sapillo Creek Gila Wilderness, Gila National Forest (Wilderness Ranger District) 30 miles Hard Dispersed wilderness camping; no permit
- Middle Fork Gila to Jordan Hot Springs Gila Wilderness, Gila National Forest (near Gila Cliff Dwellings) 13.6 miles Moderate Dispersed wilderness camping; no permit
- Mogollon Crest Trail to Mogollon Baldy Gila Wilderness, Gila National Forest (Sandy Point, east of Glenwood) 23.6 miles Hard Dispersed wilderness camping; no permit; no camping at the lookout
- Turkey Creek Hot Springs Gila Wilderness, Gila National Forest (north of the town of Gila) 8.3 miles Hard Dispersed wilderness camping; no permit
- West Fork Gila River to White Creek Gila Wilderness, Gila National Forest (from Gila Cliff Dwellings) 30 miles Hard Dispersed wilderness camping; no permit; no camping inside the national monument
Jemez Mountains
- Bandelier Backcountry to Painted Cave Bandelier National Monument (Frijoles Canyon visitor center, near Los Alamos) 22 miles Hard Backcountry camping zones by free permit; designated closed areas
- San Pedro Parks via the Vacas Trail San Pedro Parks Wilderness, Santa Fe National Forest (Vacas/San Gregorio Lake Trailhead, near Cuba) 16.5 miles Moderate Dispersed wilderness camping
Sangre de Cristo Mountains
- Columbine Canyon to Gold Hill (Columbine-Twining Trail) Columbine-Hondo Wilderness, Carson National Forest (Columbine Campground to Taos Ski Valley) 14 miles Hard Dispersed wilderness camping
- Heart Lake and Latir Mesa (Latir Peak Wilderness) Latir Peak Wilderness, Carson National Forest (Cabresto Lake, near Questa) 9 miles Hard Dispersed wilderness camping; existing sites at least 300 feet from Heart Lake
- Pecos Baldy Lake via Jacks Creek Pecos Wilderness, Santa Fe National Forest (Jacks Creek Trailhead, near Cowles) 15 miles Hard Dispersed wilderness camping; no camping within 200 feet of the lake basin
- Trampas Lakes and Hidden Lake Pecos Wilderness, Carson National Forest (Trampas Campground, Forest Road 207) 12 miles Hard Dispersed wilderness camping; at least 300 feet from all lakes
- West Fork Rio Santa Barbara to the Santa Barbara Divide Pecos Wilderness, Carson National Forest (Santa Barbara Campground, near Peñasco) 24 miles Hard Dispersed wilderness camping; lake setbacks apply
- Wheeler Peak via Horseshoe and Lost Lakes Wheeler Peak Wilderness, Carson National Forest (East Fork and Middle Fork trailheads, south of Red River) 13.5 miles Hard Dispersed wilderness camping; at least 300 feet from the lakes
- Winsor Trail to Lake Katherine and Spirit Lake Pecos Wilderness, Santa Fe National Forest (Winsor Trailhead, Santa Fe Ski Basin) 15 miles Hard Dispersed wilderness camping; no camping within 200 feet of lakes
Southern New Mexico
Backpacking in New Mexico: common questions
Do you need a permit to backpack in New Mexico?
It depends on the managing agency. The Santa Fe National Forest says no permit is needed to enter the Pecos Wilderness, and the National Park Service says individual backpackers need no permit in the Gila Wilderness, though organized groups need a Forest Service permit. Bandelier National Monument requires a free backcountry permit picked up in person at the visitor center. Camping rules also vary: Pecos Wilderness pages on the Santa Fe National Forest set a 200-foot setback from lakes and a 15-person group limit, while Carson National Forest lake trails ask for 300 feet.
Are any New Mexico backpacking areas closed right now?
Some are, so check alerts before every trip. As of mid-October 2026, the Santa Fe National Forest lists a new closure for the Field Tract and Jacks Creek campgrounds (Order 03-10-05-26-12), which affects the Jacks Creek route to Pecos Baldy Lake, and the Gila National Forest lists a flood closure on part of the Whitewater Trail at the Catwalk. Bandelier's canyon camping was closed after a September 2024 flood and no reopening announcement was found, and Carlsbad Caverns National Park lists Rattlesnake Canyon, Juniper Ridge, and part of the Guadalupe Ridge Trail as closed after 2022 flooding.
When is the best time to backpack in New Mexico?
It depends on elevation. The National Park Service calls spring and fall the best seasons in the Gila, warns that summer monsoon storms cause flash flooding in canyons, and says spring runoff from mid-March through April makes Gila river crossings hazardous. High Sangre de Cristo trips like Wheeler Peak and Pecos Baldy Lake are summer and early fall trips with afternoon thunderstorms, and the trail pages note snow lingering into June on high ridges. At Bandelier, the NPS says summer is very hot on the mesas.
How should you store food in New Mexico bear country?
Black bears live in New Mexico's mountains, and rules vary by managing agency. Bandelier requires all food and scented items in an approved bear-resistant container and lends them at the visitor center, while NPS guidance for the Gila Wilderness asks backpackers to hang food at least 10 feet up. The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish advises hanging food and garbage at least 10 feet off the ground and 6 feet from the trunk when no bear-proof container is available, and sleeping at least 100 yards from where you cook and store food.
Is water reliable on New Mexico backpacking trips?
Often not away from the big rivers. The NPS says many Gila sources flow only seasonally and backcountry water at Bandelier is very limited, and the trail pages describe unreliable crest springs in the Black Range and dry stretches on the Gila mesas and Gold Hill ridge. Gila river trips have the opposite problem: a trail-conditions site suggests avoiding the Middle and West Fork crossings above 100 cfs and the main Gila above 200 cfs. Treat all water and ask the ranger district about current flows.
Can you bring a dog backpacking in New Mexico?
Rules vary by managing agency. Pets are not allowed on trails in Bandelier National Monument, while the Santa Fe National Forest says dogs must be leashed in campgrounds and under full voice control on Pecos Wilderness trails. The Gila Wilderness trail pages on this site report dogs allowed under control, citing the NPS. Check with the specific park or ranger district before you go.
Where this comes from
- Santa Fe National Forest: Alerts
- Santa Fe National Forest: Jacks Creek Trailhead (Pecos Wilderness rules)
- Gila National Forest: Alerts
- Carson National Forest: Alerts
- NPS Gila Cliff Dwellings: Backpacking in the Gila
- NPS Bandelier: Backpacking
- NPS Bandelier: Superintendent's Compendium (Jan. 21, 2026)
- NPS Carlsbad Caverns: Alerts and conditions
- Gila National Forest via NM Fire Info: Hummingbird Fire closure rescinded (June 1, 2026)
- New Mexico Department of Game and Fish: Drought conditions increase chance of encountering bears (2022)