Cross-country skiing has been a part of winter life in Northern New Mexico for over 100 years. Intrepid men on simple long (10-12 foot) wooden skis are said to have delivered mail to remote mining camps like La Belle and Red River City.
In the 1970s more advanced skis and boots made adventure in the back country more popular and guides like Charles Gaylord who owned Claim Jumper Lodge opened a Nordic shop and offered tours in the Carson Forest.
John Miller, owner of Powder Puff Ski Area, and instructor Loren Blomquist offered cross-country adventures to Bitter Creek, Middle Fork, the Old Pass and the Upper Red River Valley.
Winter of 1985-86 saw John Miller open a 10-kilometer Nordic area at the top of Bobcat Pass. The Enchanted Forest Cross Country Ski & Snowshoe Area has been the destination of celebrities, politicians and average Joes who enjoy the beauty and serenity that is the trademark of cross-county skiing.
The EFXC is open 7 days a week, 9 am to 4:30 pm, and offers 33 km of 12–16’ wide groomed, signed, and patrolled trails for both classic and freestyle skiing.
You’ll also find 15 km devoted to snowshoes as well as 5 km of trails to ski with your K-9 members of the family who may or may not have separation issues.
Special events such as the Luminaria Tour on Christmas and the Just Desserts, which sees the finest offerings of Red River restaurateurs and the best bakers in the Red River Valley, are long-running traditions.
Lessons are available and can be booked at the day lodge/warming hut. Guided snowshoeing tours offer a taste of the solitude and quiet that define winter at the Enchanted Forest. Guided tour options can include amazing views into nearby wilderness and the tranquility of a snowy forest. Don’t miss the Full Moon Tours.
Looking for an unusual experience? The 16-foot Little John Yurt accommodates five people and is located 1.25 miles from the base (where you will park). The 20-foot Long John Yurt can accommodate up to eight people and is 2.25 miles out.
Nordic skis were developed for traveling cross-country over snow-covered terrain. They were used as early as 600 BCE in China. The Scandinavians have found them useful for 2,000 years. Nordic skis were vital for hunting and commerce and commerce always included their use in warfare as documented by Danish accounts as early as the 13th century. Nordic troop battalions were common and were the equivalent of Light Cavalry.
In 1888 Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen and his team crossed the Greenland icecap on skis. Famous Norwegian Roald Amundsen used Nordic skis on his famous South Pole Expedition in 1910.