Apache Kid Wilderness

Apache Kid Wilderness
A view from the Apache Kid Wilderness. Courtesy of the US Forest Service.
Map showing the location of Apache Kid Wilderness
Map showing the location of Apache Kid Wilderness
LocationSocorro County, New Mexico, United States
Nearest cityTruth or Consequences, New Mexico
Coordinates33°39′04″N 107°25′30″W / 33.65111°N 107.42500°W / 33.65111; -107.42500
Area44,626 acres (18,060 ha)
Established1980 (1980)
Governing bodyU.S. Forest Service
A map of the San Mateo Mountains showing the Apache Kid and Withington Wilderness Areas. The map also indicates the locations of Inventoried Roadless Areas.

Apache Kid Wilderness is a 44,626-acre (18,060 ha) Wilderness area located within the Magdalena Ranger District of the Cibola National Forest in the state of New Mexico.[1] Straddling a southern portion of the San Mateo Mountains of southwestern Socorro County, the area is characterized by rugged, narrow, and steep canyons bisecting high mountain peaks exceeding 10,000 feet (3,000 m). The highest peak is West Blue Mountain which reaches an elevation of 3,151 metres (10,338 ft).[2]

The Apache Kid Wilderness lies just south of the Withington Wilderness, which also straddles the San Mateo Mountains. The Apache Kid is also surrounded by 84,527 total acres of Inventoried Roadless Area (IRA) with the San Jose IRA (16,957 acres) to the south and the Apache Kid Contiguous IRA (67,570 acres) to the north, east, and west. Some 68 miles (109 km) of trails provide access to the Apache Kid Wilderness.[3] The Wilderness was designated by Congress in 1980 and provides outstanding hiking, backpacking, star-gazing, hunting, and horseback-riding opportunities.

  1. ^ Apache Kid Wilderness - Wilderness.net
  2. ^ "West Blue Mountain, New Mexico". Peakbagger.
  3. ^ Apache Kid Wilderness Archived 2010-05-13 at the Wayback Machine - GORP