Mexican Canyon Trestle
If your dream has been to hike to an abandoned 19th century wild west bridge, then you're in luck! For everyone else, this place is still pretty cool and easy to check out; located near the town of Cloudcroft, New Mexico up in the Sacramento Mountains, the Mexican Canyon Trestle was constructed in 1899, but has long fallen out of service. While it can easily be seen from the nearby highway, for a closer look, you'll need to do the short hike through the Lincoln National Forest.
When to Visit
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Despite being less than 30 minutes from the nearby desert, weather up at the Trestle and the nearby town of Cloudcroft stays relatively mild in the summer and fall, but can get chilly in the winter and spring--don't be surprised to run into snow if you visit during these two seasons (and be prepared to deal with it too).
How to Get There
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The Mexican Canyon Trestle is found within Lincoln National Forest, close to the town of Alamogordo and village of Cloudcroft. The closest major airport is in El Paso, Texas, about 1 hour and 45 minutes away.
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Spot the Trestle along U.S. Route 82; if you're coming from the town of Alamogordo or White Sands National Park, look for signage for a pullout just before you enter the village of Cloudcroft: here is where you'll get a wide view of the Trestle and surrounding forest. Around half a mile up the road on your right, turn onto East Little Mexican Road (look for Trestle Recreation Area signs) which will take you to a small building with bathrooms, and the beginning of the trailhead. If visiting in the winter, the road will likely be closed, but you can park at the bottom and walk up to the trailhead.
The Mexican Canyon Trestle Trail
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Time: 1-1.5 hours.
Distance: 2 miles.
So the overlook wasn't enough and you want a closer view of the Trestle? Good choice. First things first: if you're hiking this in the winter, or anytime there's snow on the ground, boots are an absolute must--otherwise you'll be sliding and falling down the entire trail, which just isn't going to help your hiking reputation. Begin the trail just past the Cloud Climbing Railroad Depot building (you can't miss it), starting out into the forest.
Head straight past this building to find the beginning of the trail.
While only one mile down to the Trestle (and another coming back up), I found that the trails here were confusingly marked (or, I'm terrible at reading); there's an entire network of trails here, with the Mexican Canyon Trestle being only one of them. You'll reach two junctions on this trail heading down, and at both of them, stay to the right. The first one comes up relatively quickly after you first start: turn right, and then the descent begins. There's a handful of lookouts as well, where you can spot White Sands National Park and the desert in the basin below the mountans.
Tough to spot, but roughly center image is White Sands National Park off in the distance.
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Hi there, I'm Dan: videographer, travel-addict, and beer-lover. I left corporate life behind to start my own video business and travel the world. Want to know more about me and Dan Treks?
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Continue another half mile or so, where the trail is mostly downhill and switchbacks. It's here that if you're visiting in the winter, boots will especially come in handy navigating the compacted and slick snow on the ground. You'll reach the second split in the trail, where you'll head to the right, where it begins ascending now.
Relatively clear here, but many sections of the trail were still snow covered in late March.
At this point, simply take the trail until it ends--maybe another 1/4 of a mile or so, and you're presented with a small clearing a viewing platform for a closer look at the Trestle. It was at this point during my visit in late March of 2021, that it actually began to snow--awesome for photography, though stressful since my rental car did not come with a snowbrush.
The Trestle from the viewing platform.
And that's about it! Unfortunately, you can't walk out onto the Trestle itself, so once you're done, it's time to head back up to the parking lot. The town of Cloudcroft is right across the road, and I highly recommend checking it out--full of local shops, an amazing barbecue restaurant, and great local beer at Cloudcroft Brewing Company, it's a great place to stop for a bit before going on your way.
Cloudcroft Brewing Co. & one for the road.
White Sands National Park
I've mentioned White Sands National Park a few times in this guide, and that's because it's so close by! There's a good chance you're lumping a trip through Cloudcroft and the Trestle onto your White Sands excursion--which I highly recommend. Prepare to step into a completely different world down in the desert, where the gypsum dunes go on for miles, and are absolutely spectacular--especially at sunset. If you're looking for more information on White Sands, check out my complete guide to it here.
White Sands National Park.
Mexican Canyon Trestle Cinematic Video
Head up into the Sacramento Mountains of New Mexico, and explore the woods of the Lincoln National Forest, leading to the famous 19th century Mexican Canyon Trestle in this cinematic video.