INTRODUCTION:

Because of the complexity and length of this very long trail, the path is best described in terms of three segments, closely approximating the segments shown in the maps above. The North Segment begins at the North Trailhead, at the southern edge of Cloudcroft, and ends where T105 intersects Karr Canyon Road. The middle segment begins at that intersection and ends at the intersection of T105 and the entrance road to the Sunspot Solar Observatory. The South Segment begins at that intersection and ends at the South Trailhead along Sacramento Canyon Road.

The North Segment is relatively close to NM130 and NM6563 (Sunspot Highway), and there are multiple access points to T105. The middle Segment has some access to NM6563 and provides access to multiple (steep) trails that descend from the rim to Westside Road. The South Segment has little access to Sacramento Canyon Road and provides rugged, scenic hikes.

There are multiple access points for T105, particularly for the North and Middle Segments. The Forest Service has developed six Rim Trail Parking access points (designated P1 - P6 on the maps above) and, in addition, four good access points (designated A1 - A4) are shown on the maps. The locations of these ten points, as well as the two trailheads, are described in detail below. Many hikes of portions of the segments are possible, and the table below provides distances along T105, along the paved roads, and between the two so that users can determine the lengths of various loops.

Infrequent views from T105 toward the Tularosa Basin and the distant San Andres Mountains to the west are normally best during morning hours when the weather is often good; usually the earlier the better.

DISTANCES: North Segment; 11.3 miles. Middle Segment; 9.3 miles. South Segment; 10.4 miles (7.6 miles to Hornbuckle Hill and 2.8 miles further to Sacramento Canyon Road (County C002).

DIFFICULTY: North Segment; More Difficult. Middle Segment; Most Difficult. South Segment; Most Difficult.

USE: North Segment; Moderate (Heavy on Cloudcroft end). Middle Segment; Moderate. South Segment; Low.

SEASON: May – November.

SCENIC RATING: North Segment; 3. Middle Segment; 2. South Segment; 3.

ACCESS:

Twelve access points are described: North Trailhead, Rim Trail Parking (P1-P6), Access Points (A1-A4), and the South Trailhead. NM130 (Cox Canyon Highway) and NM6563 (Sunspot Highway) are clearly labeled at their end points. Sacramento River Road (County C002) is easy to find and follow, but is poorly labeled. Westside Road (FR90) is not labeled at its intersection with Sacramento Canyon Road (County C002). To reach Sacramento River Road, follow NM 6563 Sunspot Highway to its end at the entrance road to Sunspot. Sacramento Canyon Road is the only other paved road at this intersection. Continue more or less straight south, and you are on Sacramento River Road. After 50 yards, you will see a blue County C002 sign. To reach the intersection of Sacramento Canyon Road and Westside Road (FR90), drive 6.4 miles south along Sacramento River Road from the intersection of NM6563 and the turnoff to Sunspot. About a quarter mile before the point at which one turns, there is a green highway sign indicating that the turn off to Bug Scuffle is the next right, but there is no indication that this is also Westside Road.

The GPS coordinates for all twelve access points are given at the end of this web page.

North Trailhead: Beginning in Cloudcroft at the New Mexico NM130 and US82 intersection, drive NM130 south 1.2 miles to just beyond the large Deerhead Campground sign. Note the small Sleepy Grass Campground sign on the right just beyond the large sign. Angle left on Sleepy Grass Campground Road, FR24B. Follow the road 50 yards to the parking area at the signed trailhead. This the beginning of the North Segment.

For access to the eleven other access points described here, zero your odometer at this point.

Rim Trail Parking 1 (P1). Drive NM130 south 0.6 miles to the NM6563 junction. Turn right and follow NM6563 joust 0.1 mile further. There is ample parking on the right.

Rim Trail Parking 2 (P2). Continue along NM6563 to mile 1.5. There is ample parking on the right.

Rim Trail Parking 3 (P3). This one is a bit tricky. Continue along NM6563 to mile 3.8. The parking area is actually fifty yards up FR636, which turns off to the right, just after one leaves the private property area that contains the old snow sports/tubing facility. There are two paths that lead to T105, one of which begins between the parking area and NM6563.

Rim Trail Parking 4 (P4). Continue along NM6563 to mile 4.9. There is ample parking on the right.

Access Point 1 (A1). Continue along NM65463 to mile 6.8, and turn right onto Karr Canyon Road. In 0.5 miles T105 crosses Karr Canyon Road. Remember not to count this additional distance as part of the mileage from the North Trailhead. This is the end of the North Segment and the beginning of the Middle Segment.

Rim Trail Parking 5 (P5). Continue along NM6563 to mile 7.2, and turn right onto Alamo Peak Road (FR64D). In 0.6 miles, T105 crosses Alamo Peak Road. Parking for 3-4 cars is available. Remember not to count this additional distance as part of the mileage from the North Trailhead.

Access Point 2 (A2). Continue along NM6563 to mile 9.6, and turn right onto Atkinson Canyon Road (FR640). The signage is poor for this road, and it may be best to look for a road on the right 0.2 miles after the well-signed Upper Rio Penasco Road turns off of NM 6563 [to Bluff Springs] to the left. Follow (rough) Atkinson Canyon Road 0.8 miles and park near the large berm. To access T105, walk back to FR 640 and hike 0.5 mile up that road to where signed T105 crosses it. To continue south toward Sunspot along T105, turn left and follow the trail up a short incline. To reach the the upper trailheads for T 110 and T 111, turn right and go downhill and across a meadow for 0.5 mile. Remember not to count this additional distance as part of the mileage from the North Trailhead.

Rim Trail Parking 6. Continue along NM6563 to mile 13.5, and turn right into the Cathey Peak Vista area. Ample parking is available.

Access Point 3 (A3). Continue along NM6563 to mile 15.2, the intersection of NM6563 and the entrance road to Sunspot. Turn right toward Sunspot and drive 0.4 miles to a gate in the fence on the right, just prior to the roadside rock structure marking the entrance to the Sunspot community. The signed trailhead for T105 is on the right. Remember not to count this additional distance as part of the mileage from the North Trailhead. This the end of the Middle Segment and the beginning of the South Segment.

Note: To continue south on T105, hike or drive 0.2 mile back towards NM6563 to the Apache Point Road junction. Turn right and follow this road 0.5 mile to the signed T105 trailhead on the left.

Access Point 4 (A4). At the turn off to Sunspot (mile 15.2), leave NM6563 and proceed 6.4 miles along Sacramento Canyon Road (County D002) and turn right onto Westside Road (Same as FR90 and County D003).  Follow Westside Road (FR90) 0.8 miles to the top of Hornbuckle Hill and the intersection with T105.

South Trailhead. At the turn off to Sunspot (mile 15.2), leave NM6563 and proceed 7.9 miles along Sacramento Canyon Road (County C002), passing en route the junction with FR 460, to the signed trailhead on the right.

DESCRIPTION:: As the name Rim Trail implies, the trail generally follows the crest of the Sacramento Mountains from Cloudcroft to beyond Hornbuckle Hill. Along this route you can experience cool summer days and enjoy a variety of forest environments, such as scattered meadows and mountain ridge topography, consisting of many types of landforms, without having to ascend or descend significantly.

The North Segment begins in Cloudcroft, and is a combination of old Indian paths, homestead trails, roads, and railroad grades, all linked together in the 1960s and 2000. Trail composition varies from forest litter to baseball size rocks. Gradients are normally 5% or less, 20% maximum. This Segment became the first National Forest route in New Mexico to be designated a National Recreational Trail under the National Trail System Act of 1968. The path often threads along the upper edges of deep, timbered canyons. It offers a few good views of the Tularosa Basin and White Sands 5,000 feet below. However, such distant views are restricted to less than 10% of trail length, because the forest is quite dense. The route stays mainly on the west side of the ridge.

Trail conditions along the Middle Segment may not be as good as on the North Segment, This segment follows sides of shallow canyons and crosses a few wooded crests. Distant views are available at only four locations, less than 1% of its total length.

At mile 3.5 from the beginning of the Middle Segment, the trailheads for T110 and T111 appear. 2.0 mile further, the path crosses a low saddle on the main divide that serves as the upper trailhead for T235. For the next 0.7 mile, between this junction and the trailhead for T125, T105 follows FR640 for 0.7 mile. Just 250 feet after T105 leaves FR640, the upper terminus for T125 is passed. After another 0.8 mile T105 angles left at an old fence corner on the right. Here on the right, T105A begins, paralleling the old fence. In another 0.5 mile, T105 follows FR 5011, Cathey Peak Road, for 0.3 mile to Cathey Canyon Vista parking. After another 1.3 miles, the Middle Segment ends at a T105 sign at Sunspot Highway, within view of the stone entrance sign at Sunspot.

The South Segment includes some features common to both the North and Middle Segments, in addition to following an impressive hogback for over a thousand feet. On the whole, this sometimes rocky trail stays closer to the crest than either of the first two segments. However, distant views are often highly filtered through forest growth. On the other hand, excellent views within several hundred feet of the trail are the rule, due to the terrain and the usual open under story. This segment also has the longest and steepest climbs and descents (maximum 30%) compared to the other segments.

If you’re only interested in outstanding distant views, take FR90 from Sacramento Canyon Road (County D002) to its highest point, Hornbuckle Hill. Signed T105 crosses the road here. Park off the road on the right. Hike 0.5 mile north along T105 from here to the northwest. On very clear days, vistas extend 75 miles toward the southeast to Guadalupe Peak (Texas' highest point) and El Capitan; to the very hazy outlines of mountains in Mexico; to the Franklin Mountains near El Paso, Texas; and to the Organ Mountains (east of Las Cruces, NM) toward the west. Even on clear days, views can be somewhat hazy.

Additional vistas are available by crossing FR90, continuing along T105 to the southeast, following and generally paralleling the rim for another 1.2 miles, where occasional breaks in the forest allow distant views. Unexpectedly, T105 heads down Bridge Canyon, and eventually passes through an area that was severely burned in the 1994 Bridge Canyon Fire. The trail suddenly bears left and heads downhill 0.4 mile, up to 30% gradient, to its terminus at Sacramento River Road (County Road D002). 

The table below summarizes the information and may help users choose loops. The three columns at the left of the table provide information about distances along T105. The three right columns provide information about distances along the paved roads. The middle column gives the distance between a point of access to T105 and the paved road that one drives.

Consider an example of how to use the table: Joe and Sally both love to hike, but they have only one car. They decide to park the car at RTP5 [Find the RTP5 row.]. They hike south along T105 to A2 [Increment = 2.8 miles]. They hate to backtrack, so they decide to hike along Atkinson Field Road to NM6563 [Distance = 1.2 miles]. They turn north on NM6563, hike to Alamo Peak Road [Increment = 2.4 miles], and hike along Alamo Peak Road to their car [Distance = 0.6 miles]. Total distance for the loop is 7.0 miles [2.8 + 1.2 + 2.4 + 0.6].

DISTANCES AND ALTITUDES: