A memorable road trip to Buck Mountain in NM

Buck Mountain is a high mountain peak at an elevation of 3.287m (10,784ft) above the sea level, located in Lincoln County, in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It’s one of the highest roads of New Mexico.

Buck Mountain

Set high in Lincoln National Forest, the curvy road to the summit is totally unpaved. This road is usually closed from late October through late June or early July (depending on snow). It is not generally snow-free until late June or even July in some years.  4x4 vehicle required. The summit is crowned with many communication towers and facilities.
Located west of Ruidoso in southern New Mexico, the road to the summit is steep, hitting a 7% of maximum gradient through some of the ramps. Starting at the paved County Road 532 (Ski Run Road), the ascent is 5.31km (3.3 miles) long. Over this distance the elevation gain is 209 meters. The average gradient is 3.93%.

 

 

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