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Nogal Canyon
Trailhead, via Forest Road 400, the Mills Canyon and Argentina & Bonito Trailheads via Forest Road 107, and the Crest Trailhead via Forest Roads 107 and 108. State Highway 532 offers access to the Wilderness via Ski Apache, a winter sports area west of Ruidoso operated by the Mescalero Apache Reservation. US 54 offers access to the Three Rivers Trailhead at the Three Rivers Campground, a small Forest Service camping area at the end of Forest Road 579, a 13-mile road that begins on US 54 approximately 18 miles north of Tularosa and 24 miles south of
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276:. The weather is dry and windy in springtime, with temperatures ranging from 32 Ā°F/0 Ā°C to 80 Ā°F/26 Ā°C. July and August are the rainy months with frequent afternoon showers and high temperatures averaging 85 Ā°F/29 Ā°C. Snows in winter do not typically begin until mid-November, and snowfall averages 6 feet (1.8 m) or more. Low temperatures during winter average around 22 Ā°F (ā6 Ā°C), but have reached as low as ā15 Ā°F (ā26 Ā°C).
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219:. Originally established at 28,118 acres, Public Law 96-550, the New Mexico Wilderness Act, added an additional 16,860 acres to the area in December 1980, increasing the total size to 46,963 acres. The Wilderness Area is administered by the United States Forest Service as part of the Lincoln National Forest, headquartered in
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miles to 20 miles and rated from easy to difficult. The areaās longest trail, the 20-mile long Crest Trail (T25), runs across much of the eastern end of the
Wilderness and crosses a number of smaller trails, including the Big Bonito Trail (T36), the Scenic Trail (T15), and the Three Rivers Trail (T44).
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Water sources are not abundant, but do exist in the form of small streams or springs scattered throughout the area. Trails with good water access include Big Bonito Trail and South Fork Trail. Although fishing is permitted within the wilderness area, few fish are found due to the small size of most
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The White
Mountain Wilderness was first established as a primitive area by the United States Congress in 1933. After the passage of Public Law 88-577, also known as The Wilderness Act, in September 1964, the primitive area was re-designated as the White Mountains Wilderness Area and entered into the
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While there are no developed facilities within the
Wilderness, the area is open to hiking, backpacking, horse-back riding, and primitive āLeave No Traceā camping. For hikers and riders the Wilderness contains a developed trail system of nearly two dozen maintained trails ranging in length from 0.8
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via US 54. As with all designated
Wilderness Areas the White Mountains Wilderness is closed to all forms of mechanized transport, so the most common means of access is via trailheads, small developed parking areas located just outside the Wildernessā boundaries. New Mexico 37 offers access to the
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This wilderness area contains approximately 46,963 acres (19,005 ha) of land and is approximately 12.5 miles (20.1 km) long and 12 miles (19 km) wide. It consists of mainly a long, northerly running ridge and its branches. The west side of this ridge is extremely steep and rugged,
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Indian
Reservation and can reached by a 1.25 mile (2 km) trail from Lookout Mountain. Reaching 11,973 feet (3,649 m), Sierra Blanca is the southernmost mountain in the continental United States to rise above timberline. Other areas of interest near the Wilderness include the previously
348:, and birds. The White Mountain area is also home to many types of birds and is a critical habitat for several species, including the northern three-toed woodpecker, Clark's nutcracker, red-breasted nuthatche, Townsend's solitaires, and golden-crowned kinglets.
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found at the summit of Sierra Blanca just outside the wilderness boundary. Abrupt changes in elevation, escarpments, rock outcroppings, and avalanche chutes make for striking contrast and scenery. The area is also interspersed with meadows and grass-oak
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while the eastern side is more gentle with broader, forested canyons and some small streams. Elevations range from 6,400 feet (2,000 m) at Three Rivers
Campground on the western side to 11,580 feet (3,530 m) near Lookout Mountain in the south.
411:. Also located in the Smokey Bear Ranger District, the Capitan Wilderness is considerably more rugged and remote than the White Mountain Wilderness, and can only be accessed by high-clearance vehicles. Also near Capitan is the
360:, the northern and eastern sections of the Wilderness can be accessed by passenger car from Ruidoso via NM state highways 48 and 37, while the southern half can be reached from either Ruidoso, via state highway 532 or from
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mentioned Ski Apache winter sports area, and the
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223:. Located in the Smokey Bear Ranger District of the Lincoln, the Wilderness is managed from the District Ranger Office in
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613:"Fort Stanton-Snowy River Cave National Conservation Area | Bureau of Land Management"
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The areaās namesake peak, Sierra Blanca (White
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There are four different life zones within this wilderness area: pinyon-
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New Mexico
Department of Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources
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480:"National Forest Service, "Recreational Areas - Wilderness""
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Lincoln National Forest, National Forest Service website
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Fort Stanton-Snowy River Cave National Conservation Area
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Wildlife commonly found in the Wilderness Area include
190:. Located in the Smokey Bear Ranger District of the
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537:"Lincoln National Forest - Three Rivers Campground"
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View of Nogal Peak in the White Mountain Wilderness
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1021:List of National Natural Landmarks in New Mexico
415:. A former frontier military reservation, the
54:White Mountain Wilderness along the Crest Trail
514:"Trails of the White Mountain Wilderness Area"
1442:Protected areas of Lincoln County, New Mexico
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558:"Lincoln National Forest - Crest Trail (T25)"
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456:"Lincoln National Forest - Special Places"
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217:National Wilderness Preservation System
581:Helena, MT: Falcon Press, 1993, p. 162
356:Located approximately 15 miles NNW of
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385:Campers in White Mountain Wilderness
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1447:Protected areas established in 1933
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16:Wilderness area in New Mexico, US
579:The Hiker's Guide to New Mexico.
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1452:Wilderness areas of New Mexico
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1321:Living Desert Zoo and Gardens
970:Fort StantonāSnowy River Cave
818:Camino Real de Tierra Adentro
180:The White Mountain Wilderness
151:46,963 acres (19,005 ha)
993:Organ MountainsāDesert Peaks
405:Capitan Mountains Wilderness
188:United States Forest Service
182:is a 46,963 acre designated
957:National Conservation Areas
198:mountains of south central
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1013:National Natural Landmarks
340:, and numerous species of
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210:History and Administration
21:White Mountains Wilderness
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904:National Wildlife Refuges
787:National Recreation Areas
701:National Historical Parks
417:Bureau of Land Management
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29:White Mountain Wilderness
1366:Rio Grande Nature Center
19:Not to be confused with
1457:Lincoln National Forest
988:Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks
777:Salinas Pueblo Missions
192:Lincoln National Forest
168:Lincoln National Forest
1192:Wild and Scenic Rivers
980:BLM National Monuments
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221:Alamogordo, New Mexico
132:33.4375Ā°N 105.750278Ā°W
1331:Mesilla Valley Bosque
1200:East Fork Jemez River
998:Prehistoric Trackways
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362:Carrizozo, New Mexico
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231:Geography and Climate
1003:Rio Grande del Norte
767:Gila Cliff Dwellings
500:"Wilderness Connect"
437:"Wilderness Connect"
366:Tularosa, New Mexico
137:33.4375; -105.750278
1351:Oliver Lee Memorial
1296:Elephant Butte Lake
886:National Grasslands
409:Capitan, New Mexico
352:Location and Access
225:Ruidoso, New Mexico
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105:Ruidoso, New Mexico
1102:Chama River Canyon
1031:National Preserves
729:National monuments
577:Parent, Laurence,
394:Nearby Attractions
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1087:Capitan Mountains
1082:Bosque del Apache
917:Bosque del Apache
846:ApacheāSitgreaves
823:Old Spanish Trail
714:Manhattan Project
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172:US Forest Service
101:Nearest city
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1437:IUCN Category Ib
1241:Bottomless Lakes
1132:Manzano Mountain
1092:Carlsbad Caverns
838:National Forests
686:Carlsbad Caverns
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1381:Storrie Lake
1356:Pancho Villa
1316:Leasburg Dam
1291:El Vado Lake
1281:Coyote Creek
1276:Conchas Lake
1271:Clayton Lake
1251:Caballo Lake
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1172:Wheeler Peak
1167:West Malpais
1112:Cruces Basin
1057:Aldo Leopold
947:Valle de Oro
607:
596:. Retrieved
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1391:Sumner Lake
1341:Navajo Lake
1336:Morphy Lake
1301:Fenton Lake
1229:State Parks
1205:Pecos River
912:Bitter Lake
737:Aztec Ruins
691:White Sands
156:Established
135: /
123:105Ā°45ā²01ā³W
111:Coordinates
1431:Categories
1401:Villanueva
1361:Percha Dam
1306:Heron Lake
1220:Rio Grande
1182:Withington
1152:Salt Creek
1127:Latir Peak
1077:Blue Range
1062:Apache Kid
1049:Wilderness
965:El Malpais
937:San Andres
772:Petroglyph
762:Fort Union
752:El Malpais
670:New Mexico
598:2022-09-16
564:2022-09-16
543:2022-09-16
522:2023-10-27
485:2010-08-06
462:2022-09-16
423:References
377:Recreation
306:black bear
261:sub-alpine
200:New Mexico
120:33Ā°26ā²15ā³N
94:New Mexico
1371:Rockhound
1215:Rio Chama
1210:Red River
1067:Bandelier
942:Sevilleta
927:Las Vegas
742:Bandelier
400:Mescalero
371:Carrizozo
314:porcupine
298:mule deer
270:savannahs
1396:Ute Lake
1147:Sabinoso
876:Santa Fe
861:Coronado
757:El Morro
326:gray fox
292:Wildlife
255:, mixed
86:Location
1097:Cebolla
932:Maxwell
871:Lincoln
358:Ruidoso
257:conifer
249:juniper
204:Ruidoso
922:Grulla
856:Cibola
851:Carson
330:coyote
322:bobcat
318:badger
310:turkey
259:, and
1346:Oasis
1142:Pecos
1137:Ojito
894:Kiowa
795:Jemez
719:Pecos
517:(PDF)
346:moles
334:skunk
1122:Gila
1117:Dome
866:Gila
799:USFS
342:mice
159:1964
148:Area
38:Ib (
668:of
364:or
302:elk
1433::
471:^
445:^
373:.
344:,
332:,
328:,
324:,
320:,
316:,
312:,
308:,
304:,
300:,
251:,
227:.
206:.
170:,
92:,
801:)
797:(
658:e
651:t
644:v
615:.
601:.
567:.
546:.
525:.
502:.
488:.
465:.
439:.
42:)
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