A mountain playground for people who live or visit near U.S. Highway 66
is Cibola National Forest, with headquarters in Albuquerque. Embracing
the Sandias, Manzanos, and Gallinas Peak areas east of the Rio Grande in
central New Mexico, this Forest also includes most of the mountain
ranges in the west-central section of the state, the San Mateo
Mountains, with 11,389-foot Mount Taylor, and the Datil, Magdalena, and
Zuni ranges.
Outdoor recreation is the fastest growing use of the Cibola National
Forest and more than a million visits are made each year to this popular
Forest. The name is a Zuni Indian word, pronounced SEE-bo-lah, meaning
_buffalo_. Buffalo may have roamed the Cibola in years past, but today’s
big game animals making the Cibola their home are the Rocky Mountain
bighorn sheep, Rocky Mountain mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk,
antelope, and bear. Game birds include turkey, grouse, quail, and dove;
spring and fall migrations of ducks and geese use the Cibola as a
resting place. There are 18 campgrounds with 249 family units and 14
picnic grounds with 382 family units scattered through the vast domain
of the Cibola National Forest.
Sandia Crest in the Sandia Mountains east of Albuquerque is a goal for
many travelers. Here on this 10,678-foot mountain top, there is a
breathtaking view of the middle Rio Grande Valley and the Estancia
Valley—a jet age view of nearly 10,000 square miles. The visitor stands
on rocks which in eons past were under the sea, as indicated by fossils
found on the peak. Recent recreation developments have been made at the
Sandia Ski Area where a new 7450-foot double chair lift will carry 700
riders an hour on a 1650-foot vertical rise to the restaurant and upper
terminal on Sandia Crest. A tramway ascends the west face of the Sandias
to meet the Ski Area chair lift at the Crest.
The fabled Manzano Mountains rising above the plains to the west of
State Highway 10 and south of U.S. Highway 66 are fast becoming a haven
for the camper, picnicker, or sightseer willing to follow secondary
roads to find the perfect spot to enjoy the forest. Capillo Peak, 9368
feet high, Mosca Peak, Cerro Blanco, and Manzano Peak lure the mountain
climber. Legends surrounding the old Spanish communities of Tajique,
Torreon, and Manzano are exciting campfire stories after a day spent
exploring the high country.
West of the Rio Grande, the San Mateo Mountains north of Grants and the
Zuni Mountains forming the backbone of the Continental Divide southeast
of Gallup can be a new experience in outdoor recreation. McGaffey Lake
recreation area, not too far from the route of the _conquistadore_ Juan
de Oñate, is a cool retreat after crossing the desert and lava flow.
West of Socorro on U.S. Highway 60, with Magdalena as headquarters, the
high Datil, Gallinas, and Magdalena mountains and another San Mateo
range rise above the San Agustin Plains, an ancient lake bed. Mt.
Withington and Mt. Baldy, 10,787 feet high, dominate the landscape. Good
roads and developed campgrounds are available. Hunting for wild game as
well as for unusual gem stones and geologic finds are favored activities
in this western section of the Cibola. District ranger stations are at
Grants, Gallup, Magdalena, Mountainair, and Tijeras.