New Mexico Road Trip - Artesia to Cloudcroft (Day 3)

Dustin forced a roadside pitstop to snap a few photos of these awesome rock layers.

UPDATED: 2/5/2023

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Day 3: Artesia to Cloudcroft with stops at Roswell and Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge

The route from Artesia to Cloudcroft is about an hour and a half when approached directly, but we had no intention of doing that! With the point of a road trip to actually spend time wandering around on the roads and checking out various sites, we took a circuitous route that took about 3.5 hours (see map below).

A strand of cactus watched as we left Artesia for our next road trip adventure!

visiting roswell, new mexico

For those readers unfamiliar with Roswell, it holds a place in popular imagination for some or as practically a holy mecca for others. What is certain is that in 1947, something crashed to the earth and a cattle rancher discovered it in his field, located about 75 miles outside of the city of Roswell. The object crashed closer to the town of Corona than Roswell, but because Roswell (current population about 47,000) was a bigger city, the event would henceforth be attributed to Roswell.

So, what was it that crashed in a field 70+ years ago? According to the military, which is active in the desert, a great place for a lot of testing, the object was a weather balloon that had crashed. Others said yeah right, this is clearly a flying saucer and evidence of aliens visiting our planet, and the government is covering it up. Overnight, a legend was born. I remember seeing tabloid newspapers in the grocery store in my childhood that proclaimed new evidence about Roswell.

About 50 years after the crash, the military amended their original report (of a weather balloon) and said instead it was an object linked to a top secret atomic espionage project. Is the changing story suspicious? To some, of course it is. More logical minds might consider why the military would not share top secret information in its contemporary period but feel comfortable sharing the details decades later. There are endless ‘documentaries’ on UFOs and aliens that feature an array of complex conspiracies, and its safe to say that Roswell has a deep hold on true believers. For us, we follow current scientific theories that it is likely that there is other life in the universe; the likelihood of tall grays visiting earth for observation purposes is slim to none. I will say, though, that if you spend time in the desert at night, far away from other people, with a big open sky above, it is easy to let your mind run away with you!

Expansive skies near Roswell, New Mexico are just waiting to be filled with UFOs…. no sightings this trip.

Roswell even offers an annual convention for UFO aficionados! It’s hard to guess how many attendees are there for the hoopla, how many as believers in aliens, though I imagine it would be an interesting event to attend. Travel + Leisure magazine did a write-up on the 2019 event that includes pictures and more information. You can read that here.

One of the popular spots to visit in Roswell is, of course, the International UFO Museum and Research Center , located right in the central part of the city. Read that again, slowly: ‘and Research Center’. Not only does this museum cover the 1947 incident, but it has information on all sorts of UFO encounters. The mission of the museum is serious: “. . . to inform the public about what has come to be known as ‘The Roswell Incident.’ . . . The Museum . . . [is] dedicated to the collection and preservation of materials and information in written, audio and visual formats that are related to the 1947 Roswell Incident and other unexplained phenomena related to UFO research. The Museum endeavors to be the leading information source in history, science and research about UFO events worldwide.” Um yep, it was too much for our non-conspiracy-oriented brains, so we drove through downtown Roswell, which seemed pretty much like any other small city in America, only dotted with alien memorabilia and flying saucer signs, and headed north to a site that was more appealing to our tastes.

Early spring is a dry time of the year in New Mexico. The monsoon season usually begins in June.

visiting bitter lake national wildlife refuge

I love how the rich orange New Mexican soil contrasts with the deep blue of the sky as seen through the UV filter on the camera lens.

The only UFOs here were birds that I could see but couldn’t name. Luckily, one of our traveling companions is a naturalist and knows a lot more, so traveling with him is akin to having our own personal park ranger, who doesn’t get tired of endless questions.

As we usually do, we explored the visitor’s center first and learned more about what to expect at the refuge. We were practically the only ones there, which is always nice! Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge sits along the Pecos River on the boundary between the Chihuahuan Desert (which we talked about in our prior post here) and the river basin. The wildlife that frequents Bitter Lake is extensive and varies based on the season and migratory patterns for some of its inhabitants. Dragonflies and damselflies are numerous here. Apparently there are a number of sinkholes, which they like. Bitter Lake actually hosts an annual dragonfly festival in September! If you’re interested in more information on these creatures and their habitat at Bitter Lake, here is a great article by the Smithsonian.

There are several great activities at Bitter Lake. There is an auto-drive loop, which is 8 miles in length and essentially runs along the perimeter of the central part of the refuge and its ample pools of water that attract the wildlife and fowl.

Like in all wildlife refuges, this is a route to drive very, very slowly. We’re talking creeping along so that you can watch for wildlife and stop the car when you spot something interesting. Some of the birds that frequent Bitter Lake, according to its website, are ‘lesser sandhill cranes, Ross and snow geese and about 20 duck species, including northern pintails, mallards, canvasbacks, gadwalls, northern shovelers and four species of teal; the cinnamon, American, green and blue-wing, and blue-wing.’ Again, when you visit compared to the migration is an important factor in what will be there for your viewing.

Bitter Lake was one of many bird sanctuaries we visited on our trip to New Mexico. We didn’t haver a good zoom lens so no bird closeups this trip.

There are also several observation points along the auto route and about 4 marked trails. Some of the trails are very short in length and their purpose is more to provide an access point to some of the scenery than for a hike. The longest trail, which we took, is the Oxbow Trail is a little shy of two miles in length and runs along a narrow strip of water, making it great for bird-watching. You can view a map of the Bitter Lake area, including the auto route and hiking trails, here. And click here for a written description of the routes, which is near the bottom of the page.

to cloudcroft in lincoln national forest

Imagine building the railroad across the flat desert; completed rails disappear behind you and nothing but seemingly endless work ahead.

From Bitter Lake, which is situated just northeast of Roswell, we drove around the outskirts of Roswell and headed due west. For an hour we drove through what appeared to be nothingness. Desert sand stretched out on both sides of the road, and we felt a million miles away from humanity. It is on a road such as this that it occurs to me how important it is to always make sure you fill up your gas tank when you can and how there are still large segments of the United States where you can really be alone. An hour in this sort of setting feels longer than an hour. I imagine early people walking on foot, traveling on horseback, or driving their wagons over the terrain and realize how much easier we have it. In a place like this, time really does stand still, other than the black asphalt, of course.

After about an hour, we left the dusty desert as the road veered southwest into the green of the Lincoln National Forest, birthplace of the Smokey Bear (“Only you can prevent forest fires”.). Smokey was modeled on an actual bear, who is buried nearby. The Lincoln National Forest is actually divided into three separate districts that are non-contiguous.

This map depicts these three districts. In fact, the Guadalupe Mountains that we wrote about at the start of this trip (read that here) are part of this same national forest. On our route this day, though, we first entered the Smokey Bear district, then passed into the sovereign Mescalero Reservation (home to the Mescalero Apache), and then continued on into the Sacramento District, which is where Cloudcroft is located in the Sacramento Mountains.

cloudcroft, new mexico

With elevations of 4,600 to nearly 10,000 feet high, the Sacramento Mountains are home to the types of trees you would expect at that elevation: Douglas fir, Ponderosa pine, and others. The ground is striped and pillowed with the needles shed by these evergreens. Cloudcroft itself sits just over 8,600 feet high, significantly higher than Denver, the mile-high city, which means people may feel the impact of elevation sickness. We noticed it a bit. For us, we mostly felt a bit more winded when hiking.

Cloudcroft is a teeny, tiny mountain town with a population of 698 as of 2018. The town itself is very walkable and compact, and a quick glance at the homes’ pitched roofs tells visitors that this is town gets more than its fair share of snow in the winter. In fact, there is a nearby ski resort. The area is popular for tourists, particularly those from Texas, looking to escape the hot summers up in the mountains, and outdoor activities are endless.

You might find yourself looking over your shoulder in the main portion of the town, wondering if a couple of characters from the old west are about to amble out into the street and engage in a shootout. The shops and structures in town, located along historic Burro Street, use the Western false front style architecture. There are a number of unique and fun shops that are worth window (or actual) shopping while you’re in town.

We spent some time wandering through the shops on Burro Street. Known collectively as the Burro Street Exchange, you will find the Cloudcroft Trading Post, a bakery, a soap shop, a jeweler, and more. Nearby are both a winery and brewery to have some beverages and take a break from wandering.

As we drove into the Lincoln National Forest, we finally found some trees!

review of the crofting inn bed and breakfast

We settled in at The Crofting Inn Bed and Breakfast for our three nights in town. The B&B is ranked well on review sites, but Cloudcroft is also fairly limited in the accommodation options. The B&B is convenient to downtown Cloudcroft - a mere 0.2 miles and so very walkable, though the walk is downhill to town and uphill on the return trip. Each room has a private bath.

Upon arriving, we found ourselves unable to access the B&B; it was locked, and the owners were not around. I think we may have tried calling or just waited a bit, and they came around. This happens sometimes at B&Bs, so isn’t a big deal to us.

The main room upon entering is an open floor plan family and dining room, which were dark and very cluttered (lots of nick-knacks and furniture). We honestly never felt comfortable or relaxed at the B&B. While the husband and wife owners seemed friendly enough, albeit a bit gruff, upon welcoming us, we mostly felt like we were intruders in their home. Upon coming home one of the evenings and walking in the front door, the owners were sitting right there eating dinner at the table with some of their personal friends, and we literally felt like we had walked into someone else’s dinner party (which we had), which felt really awkward.

The rooms were small and felt like they were only moderately maintained, the bed was very uncomfortable, and breakfast was cool or lukewarm at best when it should have been hot. We have stayed in lots of places and expect a variety of stays, but we felt that our experience at this B&B was sub-par, a disappointment since Cloudcroft was a cute town and this would be our longest stay of the trip at three nights. Worth noting: the B&B has an alcohol policy that is not evident when booking a stay. Upon arrival, guests are informed that while they can have alcohol in their rooms, it is not otherwise permitted in the house.

In reading reviews online, sprinkled among the glowing reviews, there are a substantial number of people who have related similar experiences to ours. It also appears that the inn is currently for sale so perhaps it will change hands, get some needed renovations, and be a good option for the future. It certainly has potential and is in a great location! While we would not stay there again ourselves, it could be a good option for others as long as they have appropriate expectations. This certainly fits the bill of a place to sleep while exploring the great outdoors nearby. We feel it is important to be honest with others about our experiences so that our readers can make their own informed decisions; we also recognize that our experience somewhere is not the end-all and be-all and that others may have differing experiences.

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