McKittrick Canyon Wilderness Study Area | New Mexico

The McKittrick Canyon WSA is located in southern New Mexico, approximately 40 miles southwest of Carlsbad. It is contiguous with the Guadalupe Escarpment WSA (managed by the U.S. Forest Service). McKittrick Canyon contains Chihuahuan Desert grassland and scrub, including creosote bush and mesquite, as well as piсon-juniper woodlands and deciduous riparian. This WSA consists almost entirely of steep side slopes.

Accessibility Description (ABA/ADA)

Wilderness Study Areas are known for their unique wilderness characteristics, primitive recreation opportunities, solitude, and mostly undeveloped area. As a result, this area does not have any facilities or interpretive signage to make the area easier to navigate. To access the area, visitors must be able to walk several miles across a mountain ridge and through private lands.  

Know Before You Go

Fees 

  • None 

Facilities  

  • There are no restrooms or potable water available at the WSA and service is limited.  

Nearby Amenities  

  • The nearest location to get food, water, and gas is 20 miles away in Queen via Queens Highway, then New Mexico State Road 137 North. 

Seasons/Hours 

  • Open year-round 

Special Rules  

  • Motorized vehicles are not allowed in the WSA. 

  • No fireworks, discharge or use of firearms, or any other weapons. 

  • Pets must be on a 6-foot leash. 

 BROCHURES, MAPS, AND PUBLICATIONS 

Wildlife in Area 

  • Bighorn sheep 

  • Rattlesnakes 

  • Pronghorn 

  • Cooper’s Hawks 

Contact Us

Adventure is at Your Fingertips

Activities

Iconograph of two people wearing backpacks and using walking sticks
HIKING

Addresses

Carlsbad Field Office
620 E. Greene Street
Carlsbad
New Mexico
88220

Geographic Coordinates

32.00643583, -104.8281392

Directions

From Highway 285 northwest of Carlsbad, take highway 137 to the Dog Canyon Campground in Guadalupe Mountains National Park. You will see the slopes of the McKittrick Canyon WSA to the northeast, though private land precludes public access to the WSA.

External Map

https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/documents/files/McKittrickCanyon.pdf

Quicklinks