USFS · National forest · New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma

Cibola National Forest

The Cibola National Forest is a 1,633,783 acre United States National Forest in New Mexico, US. The name Cibola is thought to be the original Zuni Indian name for their pueblos or tribal lands. The name was later interpreted by the Spanish to mean "buffalo". The forest is disjointed with lands spread across central and northern New Mexico, west Texas and Oklahoma. The Cibola National Forest is divided into four Ranger Districts: the Sandia, Mountainair, Mt. Taylor, and Magdalena. The Forest includes the San Mateo, Magdalena, Datil, Bear, Gallina, Manzano, Sandia, Mt. Taylor, and Zuni Mountains of west-central New Mexico. The Forest also manages four National Grasslands that stretch from northeastern New Mexico eastward into the Texas Panhandle and western Oklahoma. The Cibola National Forest and Grassland is administered by Region 3 of the United States Forest Service from offices in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Elevation ranges from 5,000 ft to 11,301 ft. The descending order of Cibola National Forest acres by county are: Socorro, Cibola, McKinley, Catron, Torrance, Bernalillo, Sandoval County, New Mexico, Lincoln, Sierra, and Valencia counties in New Mexico. The Cibola National Forest currently has 137,701 acres designated as Wilderness. In addition to these acres, it has 246,000 acres classified as Inventoried Roadless Areas pursuant to the Roadless Area Conservation Rule.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest3.2 million acresUSFSNMTXOK23 campgrounds within 10 mi144 Forest Service sites
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗
1fire
active
Murtle · 42 mi from the center · 75 acres
Interagency incident data as of 2026-09-17
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StatesNew Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma
Size3.2 million acres (Forest Service administrative boundary (gis_acres))
Forest Service code0303, region 03
Center point36.4765, -102.6451
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 23)

Boundary map

11 outlines

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground Forest Service recreation site

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

17 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 6 more are within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

FS · Inside
Balsam Glade Picnic Site
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Black Kettle Campground
First-comeOK
FS · Inside
Capilla Peak
Reservable12 sites
FS · Inside
Capulin Spring Picnic Site
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Cedro Peak Camping Sites - Robin And Jay
Reservable2 sites
FS · Inside
Cienega Picnic Site
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Coal Mine
Reservable15 sites
FS · Inside
Doc Long Picnic Sites - A And B
Reservable2 sites
Show 4 more

11 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 144

The Forest Service lists 144 recreation sites in this forest, among them 56 trailheads, 25 campgrounds, 16 picnic areas, 11 day hikings. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.

Show all 60

The 60 closest to the center point are listed; 84 more are on the Forest Service site.

Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-09-17
  • Wildfire
    Murtle

    42 mi from the center point · 75 acres

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Historic Site · Adjacent
Washita Battlefield National Historic Site
National Monument · 5 mi
El Morro National Monument
National Monument · 5 mi
El Malpais National Monument
National Monument · 11 mi
Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument
National Monument · 15 mi
Petroglyph National Monument
National Historic Trail · 15 mi
El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail
National Register listings within 15 miles · 222 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Cibola National Forest?

3.2 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Cibola National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Cibola National Forest in?

The boundary crosses New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Cibola National Forest?

17 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary, including Balsam Glade Picnic Site, Black Kettle Campground and Capilla Peak. 23 in all are within ten miles. Dispersed camping is allowed on most national forest land outside developed sites; check the forest page for closures.

Source: Where to camp

Where are the trailheads in Cibola National Forest?

The Forest Service lists 144 recreation sites here, including 56 trailheads, 25 campground campgrounds and 16 picnickings. Each one links to its Forest Service page.

Source: Trailheads and sites

How do I get to Cibola National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 36.477, -102.645. Washita Battlefield National Historic Site is adjacent. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Is there a fire near Cibola National Forest right now?

1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-09-17, the nearest Murtle at 42 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

How dark is the night sky at Cibola National Forest?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 23 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, very dark ground, a faint glow at most.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Which national parks are near Cibola National Forest?

Washita Battlefield National Historic Site (adjacent), El Morro National Monument (5 mi) and El Malpais National Monument (5 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Cibola National Forest?

222 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Abo and Camp Nichols.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name, acreage and code: the Forest Service Enterprise Data Warehouse.
  • States: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons; a state is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area.
  • Description: Cibola National Forest on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The article was accepted because its title contains this unit’s name.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, matched by forest code.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.