Popular New Mexico Camping Spots and Forests To Close

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New Mexico is in a crisis situation with how dry it has been there. We've heard about the forest fires that have been raging in the state and ahead of a popular travel weekend, the state is taking action.

If you are traveling to Ruidoso, Santa Fe, or any other community in New Mexico your plans might be changing. This week a forest-wide "closure order" for the Lincoln National Forest that will begin at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 25. Ruidoso, Alto, and Cloudcroft are among the communities in the Lincoln National Forest. If you are traveling this Memorial Day weekend to somewhere like Ruidoso, you don't have to worry too much. The communities and businesses in and around the Lincoln National Forest. Also closing this week was the Guadalupe Mountains National Park in New Mexico.

According to the Alamogordonews.com, authorities consider a lot before closing a forest and campgrounds.

"All National Forest System lands, recreation sites, campgrounds, roads, trails, and trailheads within the boundary of the Lincoln National Forest will be closed to the general public," a Lincoln National Forest news release states. "County and state roads that cross Forest Service lands are not under the Forest Service’s jurisdiction and will remain open to vehicular traffic. Local communities will remain open for business during the closure."
Prior to implementing fire restrictions or forest closures, forest managers consider factors such as fire danger, fire activity, weather conditions, firefighting resource availability, economic impacts to businesses and communities and local, regional and national fire preparedness levels, the news release state.

Depending on weather conditions, the closures could be lifted "on or before July 30". In addition to the announcements made on Monday, New Mexico previously announced the Santa Fe National Forest, Carson National Forest, and parts of National Grasslands and Cibola National Forest would be closed.