Cloudcroft New Mexico Tourism

Located on U.S. Hwy. 82 and is easily accessible from both east and west. The drive from Alamogordo is a steep 16 mile climb of nearly 5,000 vertical feet and takes you through a variety of climate zones.

The charming mountain village of Cloudcroft owes its existence to the beautiful views that surround it. The El Paso-Northeastern Railroad crew that laid out the route for the Cloud Climbing Railroad, stopped here to rest on the summit of the Sacramento Mountains in 1898.

They were so impressed with the view of the White Sands almost 5,000 feet below and the white clouds slipping by at almost ground level that they picked that spot as the site for the railroads’ lodge. A young Englishman in the group chose the name Cloudcroft which means a cloud in a field.

One place you won’t want to miss is the view from the overlook near New Mexico’s only tunnel and the graceful old wooden Mexican Canyon trestle that nestles in a canyon just outside of the village.