Sitting Bull Falls Recreation Area

Sitting Bull Canyon, New Mexico

The RV is currently parked in Carlsbad, New Mexico for the month of March. We plan to explore the entire area before heading back to Ohio in April, so stay tuned as I write about all our adventures.

Today we drove through the Chihuahuan Desert on Hidalgo Rural Road 408. It was 38 miles of open-range desert to get to Sitting Bull Falls. What do I mean by open range you ask?

The cattle roam freely through the land, and across the roads. We even saw a few horses. I wonder how that works with the coyotes and bobcats? We have been warned about rattlesnakes being numerous in the area and to not go outside at night without a flashlight. I did see one dead cow lying by the road. Who knows what happened to it.

The road is in good shape and easy to drive. We saw few other automobiles. The sky was once again a beautiful blue today and the winds had died down quite a bit from the gusts that blew through yesterday.

The Chihuahuan Desert here looks much like it did in southern Texas, but a little greener today than I remember seeing last month. There is just no getting around how beautiful the desert is against such a bright blue sky.

We eventually entered the Lincoln National Forest southwest of the city of Carlsbad. The Lincoln National Forest was established by Presidential Proclamation in 1902 by Theodore Roosevelt as the Lincoln Forest Reserve, and encompasses 1,103,897 acres of New Mexico.

Common wildlife seen in this forest include mule deer, black bear, porcupines, bobcats, fox, skunk, squirrels, mice, and birds. All we saw today were cows. I guess we did see those few horses, and a few birds, but not many. Rich doesn’t consider cows, horses, and birds as wildlife.

We drove through Dog Canyon, Sotol Basin, Red Bluff Draw, Last Chance Canyon, and Sitting Bull Canyon. As we drove through these miles of desert we noticed all the springs and creeks were dry. We wondered if there would even be any water coming down the waterfall.

The recreation area opens at 9:30 am and costs $5 per car to enter and drive back to the falls. It is a self serve kiosk with envelopes to fill out and drop in a box. There is one ranger on staff working the area if you need anything and he does go around and check the vehicles to make sure they paid, so I don’t suggest trying to get in without paying. It is definitely worth the $5.

The restrooms and picnic shelters are in nice shape, clean, and well maintained. This is a beautiful park. The trail back to the falls is not very long, well paved with railings and suitable for anybody. There is also a hiking trail that goes to the top of the falls, but this is moderate to difficult and we did not attempt it.

There is a sign at the park that tells the history of Sitting Bull Falls. It states that there is archeological evidence indicating that this canyon has been occupied for the last 10,000 years. Soldiers encountered Apache Indians in the 1860’s in Last Chance Canyon.

The riparian area of trees, shrubs, and grass at the bottom of the waterfall helps provide shelter and food for the wildlife in the area.

The water comes up out of the ground through a spring in the canyon above. If you hike the trail to the top of the waterfall you will see the spring. The water travels through the canyon and falls over the edge creating this magnificent waterfall and oasis in the middle of the Chihuahuan Desert.

Sitting Bull Waterfall is 150 feet high. Once the water reaches the bottom it soaks into the rocks and ground below eventually resurfacing in the nearby Pecos River. The water flow was not as strong as it has been in the past.

There is a set of stairs down to the pool of water at the bottom of the falls. The rock at the bottom is not level so be careful. We ventured down there and I sat on a bench while Rich ventured clear out to the water.

The drive to Sitting Bull Falls is a gorgeous drive through the Chihuahuan Desert and surrounding canyons leading to a breath of moisture and life. It was well worth the drive and I would highly recommend not missing this one if you are ever in the area.

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