Forest Service Roads

October is prime fuelwood time in northern New Mexico. Nights are turning cold, hunting seasons keep the forest busy, and there is still time to put up a winter woodpile before snow makes back roads muddy or impassable. On the Carson National Forest, that work starts with a permit — and with knowing exactly what a dead and down fuelwood permit does and does not allow.

In the Carson National Forest, the roads are half the adventure — and knowing which ones are open, which are rough, and which close for wildlife can save a trip. Forest Service roads are the capillaries of the forest, and the Valle Vidal's network is the best example of how they work.