Cinder Cone Wilderness
The Cinder Cone Wilderness is part of the Greater Potrillo Mountains Complex, located approximately 30 miles southwest of Las Cruces adjacent to the border with Mexico. This wilderness features an extremely...
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net), where the full text continues.
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | Bureau of Land Management |
| State | New Mexico |
| Size | 16,935 acres (Wilderness Connect) |
| Designated | 2019, by Congress |
| Center point | 31.9871, -107.2266 |
| Night sky | Very dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 29) |
Boundary map
Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees
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
No federal campground is within ten miles of the boundary in the Campsite Atlas index. Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from trails and water, with no facilities; the managing agency page has the permit and group-size rules.
Fire nearby
- PrescribedRx Ice Canyon Piles 2
44 mi from the center point · 10 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.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Cinder Cone Wilderness?
16,935 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Cinder Cone Wilderness?
The Bureau of Land Management.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Cinder Cone Wilderness in?
New Mexico.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Cinder Cone Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 2019.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at Cinder Cone Wilderness?
No federal campground is within ten miles of the boundary in the Campsite Atlas index. Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from roads, with no facilities; the managing agency page has the permit rules.
Source: Wilderness Connect
How do I get to Cinder Cone Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 31.987, -107.227. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Is there a fire near Cinder Cone Wilderness right now?
1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-09-17, the nearest Rx Ice Canyon Piles 2 at 44 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.
Source: Fire nearby
How dark is the night sky at Cinder Cone Wilderness?
NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 29 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, very dark ground, a faint glow at most.
Source: NASA Black Marble
Sources
- Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
- Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
- Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
- 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.