Hike New Mexico's Alamo Mountain

Explore the past on Otero Mesa

Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.

Alamo Mountain rises from a vast swath of pristine high desert grassland, the Otero Mesa proposed wilderness, where native pronghorn antelope roam and the Guadelupe Mountains frame the eastern horizon. Hiking here, and sleeping on the summit, is a journey back in time. From a dusty parking area west of the peak, backpack east, off-trail, passing remnant walls of a Butterfield Overland Trail Stage Station. You’ll continue eastward, passing Alamo’s north slopes before ascending the peak’s east slope to the top, 4 miles and 1,500 feet later. Poke around along the way and you will find ocatillo gardens, granite prime for bouldering, and ancient petroglyphs.

Contact Information

Bureau of Land Management (505) 525-4300, www.nm.blm.gov/

Trending on Backpacker