Santa Fe National Forest

About Santa Fe National Forest

Some of the most beautiful mountain landscapes in the Southwest are within the 1,567,000 acres that the Santa Fe National Forest covers. Truchas Peak, located outside the wilderness of Pecos, rises from 5300 to 13,101 feet, with a height difference of 2,500 feet and a maximum height of 5,300 feet.

These diverse topographic and climatic conditions offer a wide variety of landscapes and habitats for plants and animals. The forest covers 1,567,000 hectares in the Santa Fe National Forest and is home to more than 2,500 species of trees, grasses, shrubs and plants.

Nearly 300,000 acres of land are covered by the Santa Fe National Forest, the largest forest in New Mexico and the second largest in the United States.

The Wilderness Act of 1964 defines wilderness as "a place where man has left the earth and its communities untouched by Congress, federal or state, and where man himself is a visitor who does not remain. Such valuable wilderness areas are managed as places where natural biological processes can take place unhindered by human intervention. The wilderness offers primitive leisure activities for people of all ages, genders, ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations and religious beliefs.

Given the unobtrusive way in which the wilderness is preserved, recreational areas offer the opportunity to experience nature in its purest form. We ask you to help us keep it that way by reading this reminder of wilderness ethics here on the Santa Fe National Forest website.

Santa Fe National Forest offers a variety of fishing experiences: you can try fly fishing in the wild with a backpack or have a family experience in an established fishing area. The SantaFe National Forest covers more than 1.5 million square miles in New Mexico and New York State and is home to some of the largest and most diverse fishing areas in the country.

Find water that provides habitat for a variety of fish species, such as blue, red and whitefish, and that can be found in some remote areas.

Forget your fishing license and head into the waters of the national forest and you will find a variety of fish, such as blue, red and whitefish, as well as other bird species.

The recent introduction of spinal diseases has made it necessary to make efforts to restore the watershed to a healthier state. Please join in these efforts by leaving your mark on your visit and participation in respect for Rio.