The Long Way
Eddy County
Sitting Bull Falls Recreation Area picnic sites.
Plate I. Sitting Bull Falls Recreation Area picnic sites. Photograph by NMMIMAJ, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Picnic shelter, Sitting Bull Falls Recreation Area.
Plate II. Picnic shelter, Sitting Bull Falls Recreation Area. Photograph by NMMIMAJ, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sitting Bull Falls Recreation Area

Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico. Recreation Area.

Details

Map. Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico. Larger map
Where
Carlsbad, Eddy County, NM. No street address stated. Directions
When
Open seven days a week, from 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.; entry gate is closed by 3:30 p.m.
Getting there
From US285 north of Carlsbad, turn west onto NM137. Continue on NM137 for about 20 miles until you find County Road 409. Turn right on this road and continue. The Sitting Bull Falls Recreation Site is at the end of this road.
Fees
$10 per vehicle per day; $25 per multi-passenger vehicle.
Access
Day use only. No overnight camping permitted.
Phone
575-682-2551
Managed by
Guadalupe Ranger District.
Coordinates
32.25301, -104.69601.

This desert oasis features a series of spring-fed waterfalls that fall 150 feet to a large pool of water below. There is an ADA accessible path to the falls viewing area a short distance from the parking lot, along with several hiking trails. Sheltered picnic sites with tables and grills are available, along with fresh water, trash cans, and restrooms. Sitting Bull Falls Recreation Area is west of Carlsbad, New Mexico, and can be reached via two routes.

Notable Events

  1. 1920sThe Forest Service purchased Sitting Bull Falls in the mid-1920s, after Albert Knott's ranch ownership ended in 1924. npgallery.nps.gov
  2. 1930sTo accommodate increased visitor attendance, Forest Road 137 was constructed, leading to a parking area north of the falls. npgallery.nps.gov
  3. 1930sThe Civilian Conservation Corps was assigned to the area and built stone structures that still stand as the picnic sites at Sitting Bull Falls. npshistory.com
  4. 1939Camp F-37-N was established at Dark Canyon in the Guadalupe Mountains; one of its primary objectives was to develop the Sitting Bull Falls Recreation Area. npgallery.nps.gov
  5. 1940CCC workers constructed three recreation shelters, a bathroom facility, and a small dam north of Sitting Bull Falls. npgallery.nps.gov
  6. 1960sThe dam was built to create a swimming hole for visitors, but since at least the 1960s it has been silted in. npgallery.nps.gov
  7. 1970sCrews installed vault restrooms, added more cabanas, and improved the trail to the falls. npshistory.com
  8. 1980sA route to the top of the falls was built by the Youth Conservation Corps. npshistory.com
  9. 2011The Last Chance Fire consumed 53,342 acres and caused damage to four structures in the Sitting Bull Falls Recreation area. justice.gov
  10. 2011On Easter Sunday the Last Chance Fire burned through the area, severely damaging the picnic cabanas and destroying the trees and vegetation. npshistory.com
  11. 2013After a year's closure for fire repairs, the site reopened and was damaged again by a flood event. npshistory.com
  12. 2015All reconstruction and repairs were completed after further flood delays in 2014. npshistory.com

People

  • Albert Knott, owner of the large ranch that included Sitting Bull Falls (early 1900s to 1924).

Sources

  1. fs.usda.gov/r03/lincoln/recreation/sitting-bull-falls-recreation-area
  2. geoinfo.nmt.edu/tour/home.cfml?id=76
  3. fs.usda.gov/r03/lincoln/alerts/current-fire-restrictions-and-related-prohibitions
  4. npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/e67af560-33a1-4afe-a59e-e710489920fc
  5. npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/5c76a87e-00fc-4e91-a626-3d1443831844
  6. npshistory.com/publications/gumo/newspaper/winter-spring-2016.pdf