The Kit Carson National ForestRed River is surrounded by the Kit Carson National Forest, one of five national forests in New Mexico under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Ranger Station is located on Highway 38 between Red River and Questa.
The forest lies in Northern New Mexico and includes a wide variety of vegetation types, from high desert grasslands, sagebrush mesas, piñon and juniper woodlands, to huge Ponderosa pines and spruce fir. There are also alpine meadows and spectacular vistas above timberline.
Roughly 1.5 million acres are available for the enjoyment of the public, with 86,193 acres designated as wilderness.
Over the years, the Carson Forest has experienced a wide range of uses - mining, logging, ranching and recreation. The Forest service philosophy advocates multiple use land management.
Wildlife is abundant in the Carson. Animals to be seen include mule deer, elk, black bears, mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, and big horn sheep, as well as eagles, hawks, buzzards, porcupines, beavers, muskrats, marmots, chipmunks, raccoons, skunks and badgers. The Ghost Ranch Living Museum near Abiquiu provides visitors with the opportunity to see many local species at close range.
The Questa District has two wilderness areas, the Wheeler Peak Wilderness south of Red River and the Latir Peak Wilderness to the north. Both provide excellent hiking and horseback riding opportunities.
The Enchanted Circle Drive, which has been designated as a National Forest Scenic Byway, runs from Red River through Eagle Nest, Taos, to Questa, and back to Red River. It is an 84-mile loop which circles Wheeler Peak.
The Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River which runs from Cerro (7 miles north of Questa) is managed by the Bureau of Land Management and provides fishing, hiking, bicycling, camping and picnicking along a 13-mile loop.
The Carson Forest belongs to you. Enjoy it.
Who’s Christopher Houston "Kit" Carson?
Born in Boone’s Lick, Missouri, on Christmas Eve, 1809, Kit Carson was a trapper, scout, Indian agent, soldier and a genuine legend of the Great American West.
At the age of 15, Carson left home and headed for Santa Fe, New Mexico. From 1828 to 1831, Carson used Taos, New Mexico, as headquarters for fur-trapping expeditions.
He became somewhat integrated into the Native American culture of the Southwest, living and traveling extensively among various tribes. His first two wives were Arapaho and Cheyenne. He was ultimately appointed to a position as federal Indian agent for Northern New Mexico until the outbreak of the Civil War.
He helped organize a New Mexico volunteer infantry unit and led several encounters with Confederate troops on New Mexico soil.
Following the war, he moved to a ranch in Colorado and died in 1868. He is buried in a small cemetery in Taos.