Carson National Forest is a

national forest A state forest or national forest is a forest that is administered or protected by some agency of a sovereign or federated state, or territory. Background The precise application of the terms vary by jurisdiction. For example: * In Australia ...

in northern

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex , Offi ...

, United States. It encompasses 6,070 square kilometers (1.5 million acres) and is administered by the

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...

. The Forest Service's "mixed use" policy allows for its use for recreation, grazing, and resource extraction.

Geography

The forest is disjunct with four separate areas managed by six ranger districts. On the east side in the

Sangre de Cristo Mountains The Sangre de Cristo Mountains ( Spanish for "Blood of Christ") are the southernmost subrange of the Rocky Mountains. They are located in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico in the United States. The mountains run from Poncha Pass in South ...

are two districts that are separated by the

Taos Pueblo Taos Pueblo (or Pueblo de Taos) is an ancient pueblo belonging to a Taos-speaking ( Tiwa) Native American tribe of Puebloan people. It lies about north of the modern city of Taos, New Mexico. The pueblos are considered to be one of the olde ...

. The west side of the forest has three are conjoined districts in the San Juan Mountains, sandwiched between the Santa Fe and

Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The length of the Rio ...

national forests, and another in the San Juan Basin. The forest is located mainly in Rio Arriba (63.4% of acreage) and Taos (34.65%) counties, but smaller areas extend eastward into western Mora and Colfax counties.USFS Ranger Districts by State
/ref> Wheeler Peak, the highest

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

in New Mexico at , is located in the National Forest.

Wilderness areas

Within the Carson National Forest are five designated and one proposed wilderness areas. Two of these are located mostly in neighboring Santa Fe National Forest (as indicated). * Chama River Canyon Wilderness (mostly in Santa Fe NF) * Columbine-Hondo Wilderness *

Cruces Basin Wilderness Cruces Basin Wilderness is a wilderness area located within the Carson National Forest in New Mexico just south of the Colorado border. The area was added to the National Wilderness Preservation System on December 19, 1980 by Public Law 95-550. ...

* Latir Peak Wilderness * Pecos Wilderness (mostly in Santa Fe NF) * Wheeler Peak Wilderness The forest's 2021 Land Management Plan has six recommended wilderness areas that meet the definitions of the

Wilderness Act of 1964 The Wilderness Act of 1964 () was written by Howard Zahniser of The Wilderness Society. It created the legal definition of wilderness in the United States, and protected 9.1 million acres (37,000 km²) of federal land. The result of a lo ...

and would be suitable additions to the system, which takes an act of Congress. Two areas are adjacent to Chama River Canyon Wilderness, two to Cruces Basin Wilderness, and one to Latir Peak Wilderness. 9,361 acres in the Valle Vidal area are also recommended.

Wild and scenic rivers

Two sections of rivers in the forest are included in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Five miles of the Rio Grande River and 3.25 miles of the Red River were designated as part of the original

Wild and Scenic Rivers Act The National Wild and Scenic Rivers System was created by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 (Public Law 90-542), enacted by United States Congress, the U.S. Congress to preserve certain rivers with outstanding natural, cultural, and recreat ...

in 1968. Both are managed by the Bureau of Land Management as part of the Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River. The forest's 2021 land management plan identifies 51 river segments, totaling approximately 170 miles, as eligible for inclusion in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

Ranger districts

The forest is administratively divided into six ranger districts with offices in local communities: *Canjilon Ranger District ( Canjilon), San Juan Mountains *Camino Real Ranger District ( Peñasco), Sangre de Cristo Mountains *El Rito Ranger District ( El Rito), San Juan Mountains *Jicarilla Ranger District ( Bloomington), San Juan Basin *Questa Ranger District (

Questa Questa is a village in Taos County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,770 at the 2010 census. The village has trails into the Rio Grande Gorge, trout fishing, and mountain lakes with trails that access the Sangre de Cristo Mount ...

), Sangre de Cristo Mountains *Tres Piedras Ranger District ( Tres Piedras), San Juan Mountains Each district ranger reports to the forest supervisor, whose office is in Taos.

Highest peaks

Some of New Mexico's highest major summits are within the forest: * Wheeler Peak ( Wheeler Peak Wilderness), 13,167 ft, tallest peak *

Venado Peak Venado Peak is one of the major peaks of the Taos Mountains group of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, a subrange of the Rocky Mountains. It is located in Taos County, New Mexico, about northeast of the town of Questa. Its summit is the highest ...

( Latir Peak Wilderness), 12,739 ft, third tallest peak *Gold Hill, ( Columbine-Hondo Wilderness) 12,700 ft, fourth tallest peak *Cerro Vista, 11,937 ft, ninth tallest peak *San Antonio Mountain, 10,912 ft, 14th tallest peak

Wildlife

Big game animals roam this forest. They include

mule deer The mule deer (''Odocoileus hemionus'') is a deer indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. Two subspecies of mule deer are grouped into the black-tailed deer. Unlike the related whit ...

, elk, pronghorn, black bears, coyotes,

bobcat The bobcat (''Lynx rufus''), also known as the red lynx, is a medium-sized cat native to North America. It ranges from southern Canada through most of the contiguous United States to Oaxaca in Mexico. It is listed as Least Concern on the IU ...

fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelv ...

es,

cougar The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large cat native to the Americas. Its range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere. I ...

s, and bighorn sheep. There are also many species of smaller mammals and songbirds. Forest personnel work closely with the State Game and Fish Department to provide the best wildlife habitat possible. Carson has four hundred miles of sparkling clean mountain streams and numerous lakes. Many of them are stocked with native trout by the Game and Fish Department.

Recreation

The forest receives up to one million annual visitors, mainly for recreation purposes. Activities include hiking, camping, fishing, mountain biking, downhill and cross-country skiing, wildlife viewing, scenic touring, off-highway vehicle riding, and rock climbing. There are approximately 600 miles of hiking trails, 85 miles of motorized trails, and 1,000 miles of forest roads.

National trails

Five trails that are fully or partially in the forest are included in the National Trails System. *Columbine-Twining National Recreation Trail * Continental Divide National Scenic Trail *Jicarita Peak National Recreation Trail * Old Spanish National Historic Trail *South Boundary National Recreation Trail

Scenic Byways

The

Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway The Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway is a New Mexico Scenic Byway and National Forest Scenic Byway located in Northern New Mexico. It begins and ends in Taos, New Mexico. Route description The Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway makes a loop through T ...

is both a New Mexico Scenic Byway and

National Forest Scenic Byway The National Forest Scenic Byways are roads that have been designated by the U.S. Forest Service as scenic byways. Many are also National Scenic Byways (NSB). The program was initiated in 1987. __TOC__ List The following roadways were listed b ...

. It is an 84-mile loop that goes through the forest's Camino Real and Questa ranger districts and nearby towns, including Taos,

, Red River, Eagle Nest, and Angel Fire. A portion of the 56-mile High Road to Taos, another state designated scenic byway, goes through the forest's Camino Real Ranger District. Heading north from Santa Fe, the byway travels through the forest on State Road 75 after Vadito, New Mexico, then goes through the Sipapu area before turning onto State Road 518. The byway leaves the forest before reaching Talpa, New Mexico.

Winter and summer resort areas

Four winter and summer resort developments where activities ranging from skiing to mountain biking have special use permits to operate on national forest land: *Enchanted Forest Cross-Country Ski Area * Taos Ski Valley *Red River Ski and Summer Area * Sipapu Ski and Summer Resort

History

The forest was once inhabited by the

Ancestral Pueblo The Ancestral Puebloans, also known as the Anasazi, were an ancient Native American culture that spanned the present-day Four Corners region of the United States, comprising southeastern Utah, northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, ...

people, who left ruins of

adobe Adobe ( ; ) is a building material made from earth and organic materials. is Spanish for '' mudbrick''. In some English-speaking regions of Spanish heritage, such as the Southwestern United States, the term is used to refer to any kind of ...

dwellings and other artifacts at an archaeological site now called

Pot Creek Cultural Site Pot Creek Cultural Site is an abandoned 13th century pueblo located on private land owned by Southern Methodist University and on public Carson National Forest land in Taos County, New Mexico. Geography Located within the Rio Grande valley and su ...

. Some areas of the forest were formerly lands granted to settlers by the

Spanish monarchy , coatofarms = File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Spanish_Monarch.svg , coatofarms_article = Coat of arms of the King of Spain , image = Felipe_VI_in_2020_(cropped).jpg , incumbent = Felipe VI , incumbentsince = 19 Ju ...

and the

Mexican government The Federal government of Mexico (alternately known as the Government of the Republic or ' or ') is the national government of the United Mexican States, the central government established by its constitution to share sovereignty over the republ ...

. After the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Second Federal Republic of Mexico, Mexico f ...

, the national forest was established, and was named for American pioneer Kit Carson. Carson National Forest was established with the merger of

Taos National Forest Taos National Forest was established as the Taos Forest Reserve by the U.S. Forest Service in New Mexico on November 7, 1906 with . It became a National Forest on March 4, 1907. On July 1, 1908 the entire forest was combined with part of Jemez Nati ...

and part of

Jemez National Forest Jemez National Forest in New Mexico was established as the Jemez Forest Reserve by the U.S. Forest Service on October 12, 1905 with . It became a National Forest on March 4, 1907. On July 1, 1915 most of the forest was combined with Pecos Nationa ...

on July 1, 1908. Included in the merged lands was the land surrounding Blue Lake, an important cultural, religious site to the Tao Indians. In the early 20th century, the Taos Indians petitioned the federal government to regain Blue Lake, but their requests were denied. Attempts to prevent Taos ceremonies at Blue Lake were included in the government's attempts to assimilate Indigenous peoples into mainstream settler culture. The Department of Agriculture therefore denied requests to set aside land at Blue Lake for the Taos Indians to perform ceremonies, claiming that it was "foreign to the policies of the Department of Agriculture, when once some land has been set aside as a National Forest, to allow it to be withdrawn completely and donated to a private purpose." In 1965, the Association on American Indian Affairs published a booklet called ''The Blue Lake Appeal'' in order to garner support for requests to return Blue Lake through the Indian Claims Commission (ICC). The ICC then concluded that the Taos Indians' land had been illegally obtained and no proper amends had been made to rectify it, suggesting a monetary award as compensation. The Taos Indians refused a monetary settlement, leading to a deliberation in Congress to return Blue Lake back to the tribe. When the bill was deadlocked in Congress, the Taos Pueblo brought their case to President Richard Nixon, who pushed their request through Congress in 1970, returning the Blue Lake to

. In October 1966, the Alianza Federal de Mercedes, an organization dedicated to the restoration of certain land grants entrenched in the 1848

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ( es, Tratado de Guadalupe Hidalgo), officially the Treaty of Peace, Friendship, Limits, and Settlement between the United States of America and the United Mexican States, is the peace treaty that was signed on 2 ...

to descendants of then-Mexican citizens, occupied the Carson Forest's Echo Amphitheater in an attempt to create a land grant community. The occupants were evicted, after five days, for overstaying camping permits. In 1982, the forest grew by 405 square kilometers (100,000 acres) when the Pennzoil corporation donated the Valle Vidal Unit to the American people. 1967 Nuclear Bomb Test for Gas Fracking known as

Project Gasbuggy Project Gasbuggy was an underground nuclear detonation carried out by the United States Atomic Energy Commission on December 10, 1967 in rural northern New Mexico. It was part of Operation Plowshare, a program designed to find peaceful uses ...

Gallery

File:Fall colors Tres piedras NM.jpg, Fall colors near Tres Piedras, in the Carson National Forest File:Wood Hauler, NM.jpg, Wood hauler along the

Rio Pueblo The Rio Pueblo de Taos, also known as Rio Pueblo, is a stream in Taos County, New Mexico, United States, that a tributary of the Rio Grande. From its source in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains it flows about ,Calculated in Google Earth generally s ...

, 1941. An average rural family here would use about 20 loads like this per year for fuel wood File:Pot Creek Pueblo 7.JPG,

, in Carson Nation Forest, south of Taos

References

External links

Carson National Forest
- US Forest Service
Enchanted Circle
- Enchanted Cicrcle {{Authority control National Forests of New Mexico Protected areas established in 1908 Protected areas of San Juan County, New Mexico Protected areas of Rio Arriba County, New Mexico Protected areas of Taos County, New Mexico Protected areas of Mora County, New Mexico Protected areas of Colfax County, New Mexico 1908 establishments in New Mexico Territory