The 2026 Season Is Officially Underway!

Our 2026 Wilderness Ranger season has begun! This year, 12 Wilderness Rangers — half returners, half brand new — are heading into the field to care for some of New Mexico’s most cherished public lands. Their work helps keep our ecosystems healthy and our trails accessible.

The Ranger Program is made possible through a network of partnerships between New Mexico Wild and collaborators including the USDA Forest Service, New Mexico’s Outdoor Recreation Division, the New Mexico Department of Agriculture, the National Forest Foundation, and more. Together, these partnerships provide hands-on stewardship of our wild places while giving participants valuable conservation and trail crew experience.

__

August Ranger Update: Boots on the Ground

Our rangers continue to accrue trail miles, restore fire-damaged landscapes, and clear invasive plants across the state. Here’s a look at where they’ve been over the last month…

In the Santa Fe National Forest

The rangers have been hard at work continuing trail system rehabilitation across the Hermit’s Peak-Calf Canyon burn scar, most recently focusing our efforts on Bordo del Medio, Bob Grounds, Chavez, and Hermit’s Peak Trails. Outside the burn scar, our crews recently cleared Johnson Lake Trail and began chipping away at clearing extensive downfall off the segment of Skyline Trail between Stewart Lake and Pecos Baldy. 

In the Carson National Forest

Rangers began maintenance on Rito del Medio Trail, a previously unmaintained trail in the Latir Wilderness. Our crew made a lot of progress, clearing about two thirds of the trail’s length in two separate segments, and scouting the whole trail to establish maintenance needs for future consideration. We are coordinating with the Forest Service and project partners to determine how and when this project may be completed in full.

In the Gila National Forest

Our crews have continued working across the Gila mechanically removing invasive plants. In recent hitches, we have worked in the Black Range, around Lake Roberts, along the West Fork of the Gila River, and more. We have also been working on trails across the Gila, including continued work on a large project re-treading Mineral Creek Trail, as well as logouts and corridor clearing on Black Canyon Trail.

__

July Ranger Update: Boots on the Ground

Our rangers wasted no time getting to work this season. Here’s a look at what crews accomplished across three national forests in June.

In the Lincoln

Rangers kicked off the season early with springtime work across the Lincoln National Forest, clearing downed logs and brushing back vegetation on a long list of trails:

• Big Bonito
• Argentina Canyon
• Little Bonito
• Cut Across Trail
• Turkey Canyon
• Aspen Canyon
• Phantom Trail
• Crest Trail (from the junction with Barber Ridge to the junction with Argentina Canyon)
• Three Rivers (from the trailhead to roughly 1.5 miles in)

In the Santa Fe

Crews are hard at work on a multi-year, system-wide trail restoration project across the area impacted by the Hermit’s Peak–Calf Canyon Fire. So far, they’ve begun chipping away at trail maintenance on the Rociada, Bob Grounds, Bordo del Medio, and Pecos trails.

In the Gila

Rangers have started re-tread work along Mineral Creek Trail — a project that will continue throughout the season.

They’ve also been busy with invasive plant removal across the Gila, including poison hemlock and thistle treatments along the Middle Fork, in San Francisco Hot Springs, and on the Mainstem of the Gila River.

__

Over the coming months, we’ll highlight the incredible work they’re doing across our state. Follow along for trail projects, field stories, and a behind-the-scenes look at the people caring for our public lands!