Desert Foothills Park, NM

This City of Alamogordo facility provides a variety of benefits to area hikers.


Oriented at the far eastern end of 1st Street, it borders the National Forest and as its name implies, the Foothills of the Sacramento Mountains.A few years back the direct connection to the cliffs were cut off with the addition of a concrete culvert, the huge concrete diversion drainage flowing out of Marble Canyon. Ideally, this ditch will prevent another catastrophic flood of the City; time will tell. Now, it defines the eastern boundary of the park, though they have added a nice walking bridge to allow easy access to the small section of the park across the drainage.

The park is mostly low growing desert scrub, with a variety of paved and dirt tracks winding around and through the acreage. The gravel entry drive terminates at a large open parking area, with a roofed pavilion for picnics and cookouts. Bathrooms are oriented out at the park entry.

Hours of operation: 8am until Sunset. Don't get locked in!

There are trails around and through the park. At the entry gate you can take off around the boundary to the North... or head out on the paved trail to the east. The park includes a long section of the Pedestrian and Bike trail that runs the full length of the Drainage Ditch. Trails wind around the interior of the park... a variety of easy loops can be composed.

The nicer hike is to walk through the park, across the bridge... and on up the Goat Springs Trail. Though not the current official trail head for this nicely steep outing, this route is obvious once across the bridge. This is also the traditional start to the hike.

If you follow the hike/bike trail north, you will shortly be at the mouth of Marble Canyon with twenty more great hikes in front of you.

You could also cross the bridge, turn south and follow the old Pipeline Road down to Quiet Canyon, The Dome Cut, or the Prominent Point hike.

Most hikers opt to park outside the Park entry gates... then the hours of operation will not have an impact on your day.

Whether enjoying an easy outing at the Park... and just heading through and beyond... the Desert Foothills Park can nicely augment your Alamogordo hiking!

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