The Enchanted Forest Cross Country Ski & Snowshoe Area is located on Highway 38, just 3 miles from town at the top of Bobcat Pass. It has 20.5 miles of groomed ski trails, 9.3 miles of trails for snowshoeing and 3.1 miles of trails where you can ski with your dog!
EFXC provides the finest of the Nordic skiing experience with trails for skiers and snowshoe enthusiasts of all abilities. Lessons are available. Enjoy access to miles and miles of back country trails with some spectacular views of Wheeler Peak and the Northern New Mexico high country.
Open seven days a week, 9 am to 4:30 pm, there’s a warming hut with a ski rental/apparel/accessories shop located at the Base Camp, and they also offer yurts for nightly lodging if you are looking for a unique glamping treat.
Special events during winter include the Christmas Night Luminaria tour, the Just Desserts Eat & Ski event and full moon tours.
Before John and Judy Miller opened the Enchanted Forest Cross Country Ski & Snowshoe Area for business on Bobcat Pass, Nordic skiing, as it is officially known, had been going on in Red River for several years.
Cross-Country Skiing has been a part of the mountain culture of Northern New Mexico for over 125 years.
Brave and dedicated men on 10-12 foot long skis delivered mail during snowy winter months from Raton and Trinidad to the booming 1890s gold camps of LaBelle, Anchor and Red River City .
Fast Forward to 1973. Charles Gaylord opened the Claim Jumper Cross Country Ski Shop on Pioneer Road, across from the RRSA Lift House. A young man working with him named John Miller, co-owner of Powder Puff Ski Area on the west side of Red River, was a fan of Nordic skiing. John took cross country ski enthusiasts on guided personal tours to the Upper Valley, cutting trail where the road ended six miles from town.
John and Judy Miller and Gary and Fran Starbuck operated Powder Puff Ski Area on Red River’s west side from 1970 until 1979 when it was sold to the Veale family, owners of the Red River Ski Area. Over the years the Millers also owned an art gallery, a bookstore and Millers Crossing clothing store.
In 1985, the Miller family opened trails for the Enchanted Forest Cross Country Ski Area, adding Nordic skiing on groomed trails to the attractions of the Red River area of Northern New Mexico. In 2008, John and Judy were inducted into the New Mexico Ski Hall of Fame in Albuquerque. Today the area is co-owned and operated by their daughter Ellen Miller Goins.