Overview
under construction; please be patient.
Latir Peak Wilderness is one of New Mexico's finest alpine wilderness areas. It is located in the northern portion of the NM
Sangre de Cristo Mountains, northeast of the town of Questa, which serves as its most convenient gateway. The wilderness, located within
Carson National Forest, consists of 20,506 acres of alpine peaks, tundra, forests, lakes, streams, and meadows. This wilderness area as a whole sees very light visitation even by New Mexico standards. In 2009, I saw entries dating to 1967 in a summit register (in this case a small glass jar with a rusted lid) on
Cabresto Peak (12448'), one of the wilderness's major ranked peaks.
Heart Lake
Getting There
The easiest access to the wilderness is from Cabresto Lake which is reachable with hi-clearance 2WD vehicles in dry conditions. From the town of Questa, NM, go east on NM 38 toward Red River. In ~0.7 mile, turn left onto Kiowa Rd (signed for Cabresto Lake) which eventually becomes FS 138. One mile after the left turn, turn right at a T-intersection with a stop sign, again following the sign for Cabresto Lake. Two miles after the T-intersection, the road surface turns to gravel and you arrive at another stop sign. Turn right and continue on FS 138 for 3.4 miles to a sign and left turn for FS 134A to Cabresto Lake. This road is rocky and steep, and although hi-clearance 2WD is likely sufficient in dry conditions, hi-clearance 4WD is recommended. Follow FS 134A for 2.2 miles to a good-sized parking lot where there are picnic tables, outhouses, and views of Cabresto Lake.
More access options coming...
Red Tape
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External Links
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Camping
Cabresto Lake Campground is the only established campground directly adjacent to the wilderness area. However, this
map shows other national forest campgrounds in the vicinity, and this
list contains more information about each campground in the map.