Salt Creek Wilderness
Migratory waterfowl may consider this a sufficient winter home, but birders will see it as paradise. From October through February, the seasonal wetlands in and surrounding Salt Creek Wilderness play host to 5,000 to 20,000 ducks, 10,000 to 30,000 geese, as many as 30,000 cranes, and countless white pelicans and snowy egrets. The uplands, by contrast, are chock-full of quail, roadrunners, pheasant, desert cottontail rabbits, and black-tailed jackrabbits. More secretive but still to be found are mule deer, coyotes, bobcats, and badgers. Salt Creek Wilderness lies within the Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge which is made up of three Tracts. Most of the North Tract is designated Wilderness.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| State | New Mexico |
| Size | 9,621 acres |
| Designated | 1970, by Congress |
| Center point | 33.60° N, 104.42° W |
| 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.
Weather by month
Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.
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.
Explore
Nearby on the other atlases
- 9.4 miHenge, The ↗Roswell, NM
- 9.6 miMilne--Bush Ranch ↗Roswell, NM
- 9.6 miUrton Orchards ↗Roswell, NM
- 10.1 miGoddard, Robert H., House ↗Roswell, NM
- 10.8 miRoswell Artist-in-Residence Compound ↗Roswell, NM
- 11.4 miGarrett, Patrick Floyd, House ↗Roswell, NM
- 12.2 miSlaughter--Hill Ranch ↗Roswell, NM
- 12.7 miMassey, Louise, House ↗Roswell, NM
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Guidebooks for New Mexico
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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Salt Creek Wilderness?
9,621 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Salt Creek Wilderness?
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Salt Creek Wilderness in?
New Mexico.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Salt Creek Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1970.
Source: Wilderness Connect
How do I get to Salt Creek Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 33.596° N, 104.415° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Are there historic places near Salt Creek Wilderness?
The National Register has 12 listings within 15 miles, including Henge, The and Milne--Bush Ranch.
Source: Register Atlas
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.