osha trail

great trail. great parking spots at the trail head. views of white sands from part of the trail. beautiful in the fall.

Good distance and beautiful sights. Make sure you pack water and a snack for this trail. The weather can change quickly and it is good to be prepared even for a medium hike.

This is a good trail if you are looking for something short and easy or if you wanted a nice hike, but we're strapped for time.

Osha gives you a taste for what the area has to offer. The trail is easy to follow. There are some areas that require hiking uphill and steady footing. The views of the valley are beautiful anytime of year, even winter. This trail goes through forest and opens up to a small meadow about half way through (my favorite part) Benches are scattered along the trail to stop and enjoy nature or to catch a breath. The trail may be accessed from the parking lot at the trail-head or from town.

We hiked a 2.5 mile loop on the Osha trail starting from the trail head right outside Cloudcroft. We also hiked the Trestle Trail the previous day, and I think I liked this one better. They're both great trails for a short hike, though.

We hiked a portion of the Osha Trail early one morning, and were treated to a lovely early morning rainbow. The trail is rocky which can make hiking slippery after recent rains. The views are wonderful. We had hoped to see deer and elk on this trail - we had been told that they were visible in the early morning - but we must not have been early enough. Our suggestion: find out when sunrise will be and arrive well before that time.

This was a really great trail with awesome views. Beautiful meadow at about midway through the hike. Kids had a lot of fun. Our kids range in age from 9-16.

The Chamber of Commerce turned us on to this trail and it was all that it was said to be. Has enough hills to keep it a little but of a challenge but most of the path is easy. The highlight is a very pretty meadow about mid-way through the hike. This is a fun little excursion to see the beauty of the forest.

This trail has great views into the Tularosa basin and parts of route 82, coming into Cloudcroft. There are several benches along the way for those who would like to rest during this hike. Taking a bottle of water along to keep hydrated is suggested, as there is no water available along the trail. There is camping available in the pines campgrounds, a short distance from one part of the hike and there are restrooms at the campground.

vey nice short trail within walking distance from cloudcroft hotel, we hike mid morning and still scared up 2 elk and 5 mule deer

This time in Cloudcroft, we hiked a bit of the Rim Trail. According to National Forest information, this trail is 31.2 miles long, but there is a piece that is less than 1 mile that is just for hiking, not motorized vehicles. We picked up the trail at Slide Campground (which was closed), but there is trail access, and walked towards Cloudcroft and back. To get to the trail head (next to Slide Campground) from Cloudcroft, one takes NM 130 about 2 miles and turns right onto NM6563 (a.k.a., Sunspot Scenic By-Way). One goes less than 1000ft on NM6563 and there is a turn off for Slide Campground. But one needs to park on the slight indentation in the road, as right now the campground is closed--a gate bars the entrance.This part of the trail is a gentle downhill walk. One doesn't realize it is downhill until one turns around and hikes back to the car. It is rather open, with good footing. Tall fir and aspen trees line the trail and give occasional shade. The rustling of the aspen leaves when the wind blows is very pleasant, as are the occasional bird calls. There is another trail head near Cloudcroft, but we didn't find it. In that case, one hikes from Cloudcroft towards Slide Campground.

I hiked this trail with my husband and 9 year old daughter. Difficulty is fairly easy with only a moderate incline. We didn't see many animals along the trail, but there was plenty to see in the way of plants, trees, and insects. Overall, a very pretty trail with great scenery.

I love to go up to Cloudcroft and enjoy the mountains. This trail is great to just get away for a short time. There's no side trails so getting to and from is very easy...easy enough for my 5 year old to go with me and enjoy. The only downside for me is theres no restroom, not even a port o potty near the trail but there is like 4-5 picnic tables right at the entrance...overall a great couple mile hike right before town.

If you are on US82, a stop at the Mexican Trestle overlook/information site is a must! But if you have the time, it is well-worth spending more time and parking at the spur trail in Cloudcroft. This is a developed trail meant to accommodate numerous users, but we were restricted from going too far by the presence of snow/ice on the North-facing trestle observation trail. The bold cut through rock for the train made for great walking, and the reconstructed (albeit closed) train depot was outstanding, as were views off to White Sands/Tularosa Valley. We'll be returning, when it's warmer and the snow/ice won't prevent us from hiking all around! I highly recommend this exquisite trail area!

The park rangers say its an easy trail but it is a lot longer than it looks on the map... it goes up and down alot along the mountains... and a little confusing when it overlaps another trail for a short distance... loose rocks so wear good hiking boots as I wore training shoes and had to be careful not to turn any ankles. Still, this has a great view if you start out towards the west... I would suggest you do a U turn after you see the beautiful view of White Sands to the west and you can probably make it back in less than 1 hour where if you go the entire route you're probably looking at over 2 hours. still, very beautiful and very close to Cloudcroft.