Lincoln National Forest, NM - Osha Trail and Cloud Climbing Rail Trail
- Alexandra Proctor
- Apr 30
- 2 min read
State: New Mexico
Trailhead Location:
Osha Trail - https://maps.app.goo.gl/3mwF5Wr3v1WF6R829
Cloud Climbing Rail Trail: https://maps.app.goo.gl/1vKjNKZYCMeqXVqT8
Park: Lincoln National Forest
Length: Osha Trail (2.5 miles), Cloud Climbing Rail Trail (2.3 miles)
Fee: $5.00, Free if you have a national parks pass
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U.S Route 82 climbs to 9,000 feet of elevation into Cloudcroft, NM. A sky island in the surrounding desert, Cloudcroft is a small village nestled amidst a cool forest of Douglas Fir and Engelman Spruce. If you’re a desert hiker craving the shade of a towering forest, this is the place to escape to over the weekend. Or in my case, after a long day at work.
Two trails which are fairly easy to pair together are the Osha Trail and Mexican Canyon Trestle Trail. Both are located conveniently across Route 82 from each other. And when you’re finished hiking, the center of Cloudcroft offers local gems for coffee, food, and outdoor gear.
The Osha Trail is a 2.5 lollipop loop that can be popular on the weekends and during holidays. It's one stop from the town, and as such, won't give you extensive solitude. But it will guide you alongside a meadow ideal for a picnic and past views of the Tularosa Basin and the White Sands National Park.
The trail is named for the Osha plant (Ligusticum porteri), a member of the parsley family traditionally used by Native American tribes for its medicinal properties.
From the Osha Trailhead, you will climb gradually into the forest of Ponderosa pine, Douglas Fir, and Quaking Aspen groves. Early on in the hike, look to your left. There you'll find views of the basin, White Sands, and even small glimpses of a remnant of the Mexican Canyon Trestle. The rest of the hike, you'll be immersed in the woods. A hiker can hear the sounds of US Route 82, but not so much that it detracts from the experience.
Once you've finished with the Osha Trail, pop across the street to the Cloud Climbing Rail Trail. The path descends the mountain to an overlook of the old Mexican Canyon Trestle.
Standing at 323 feet long and 52 feet high, it is the largest trestle in Lincoln National Forest. It was once part of a network of 58 trestles used to haul timber and tourists on the Alamogordo and Sacramento Mountain Railway (A&SM).
If you're lucky, along the way for both of the trails, you may spot one of the most magical parts of this region - wild horses. To spot these animals in the forest is to truly witness one of the purest forms of ephemeral beauty.
The Osha Trail:
Cloud Climbing Rail Trail:
Happy Hiking!
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