Cloudcroft Summer: 2026 Field Guide
What's going on in and around the village? Get in the know with the Reader's top picks.
Sacramento Mountain summers are packed: outdoor fun, live music, events, trail races, disc golf, pickleball, cool-weather wandering, and dark-sky nights.
Whether you live here year-round, come up for the season, or are visiting for the first time, mark your calendars for cool-weather fun on the sky island.
For the Art Lovers
Dark skies remain a draw for hobby astronomers and scientists. Wildlife brings photographers and hunters to the mountain.
Local photographer Bobby Moberly is one example of the mountain’s summer appeal, regularly capturing wildlife and landmarks seen around the Sacramento Mountains. Moberly’s use of heightened color and dynamic compositions captures the thrill of seeing a bear, elk, or turkey up close.
Gallery stops include Samantha Odom Art on Burro, which shares a courtyard with The Little Gallery featuring local art and oddities, plus Aspen & Ivy for handmade local art and bespoke gifts. Step one street over for Off the Beaten Path, which lives up to its name with one-of-a-kind art.
The Burro Street Trading Post offers hand-carved and artisan pottery, sculptures, paintings, and more—all with a southwest flair or by indigenous artists.
Osha Trail Depot features local artists in a variety of media, with lots of landscape and floral paintings with a New Mexican vibe.
Want to try your hand at artmaking or refine your skills? Join the Cloudcroft Art Workshops for their summer series. Register for a 4-5 day course here: https://cloudcroftart.com/registration/
The annual Art & Wine in the Cool Pines at the Sacramento Mountains Historic Museum and Pioneer Village is happening August 7-9. Fine artists, regional wineries, and food trucks are sprinkled throughout the gorgeous historic campus. Perfect for a weekend date.
That same August weekend also brings newly organized events: a Quick Draw live art event and the Art Dash at the Lodge Pavilion. The Reader will follow up with more details soon.
Get Together
Summer’s marquee festival weekends start with BeerFest on June 13–14, followed by the Fourth of July Parade on Independence Day and the Christmas in July Jamboree on July 11–12.
BeerFest brings New Mexican breweries and wineries, live music, food trucks, and vendors to Zenith Park. The family-friendly event has entertainment for all ages. Seating can be limited for live music—bringing your own camp chair is a good idea if you plan to stay awhile.
The Sacred Heart Mission Catholic Church’s Annual Fiesta happens on June 13, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Come for games, music, folklórico dancers, a cake walk, tacos, enchiladas, posole, aguas frescas, hamburgers, and more at the mission-style church along James Canyon Highway.
The Chamber and the Village are accepting applications for the Fourth of July Parade. Deck out your car, truck, bike, or trailer and join the celebration. Register here: https://www.chamberdata.net/EvtListing.aspx?dbid2=nmclcr&class=E
The Christmas in July Jamboree nods to Cloudcroft’s designation as the Christmas Capital of New Mexico. Find vendors and food trucks at Zenith Park for this event.
The Sacramento Mountain Historic Museum is putting on the first annual Museum Fest on July 18, where regional museums will display their attractions at the Lodge Pavilion.
The Weed, NM community is tuning up for the 30th Annual Bluegrass Festival, set for Saturday, July 18, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a Sunday Gospel Service to follow on July 19 at 9 a.m.
The all-day Saturday celebration will feature live bluegrass bands, food, door prizes, and a variety of vendors offering bluegrass-themed merchandise, plus new kids’ activities including face painting and an indoor bouncy house. Festival admission for bluegrass is $15 per person or $30 for a family group, while the Sunday event is free.
Live music remains a regular part of the season at Cloudcroft Brewing Co. and The Distillery. Keep an eye on Sparks + Rec Cannabis Lounge, the Lodge, and Noisy Water Winery for live music sets, DJs, and special events. Follow their social media pages for regular updates.
The Shady Pines Chamber Players (SPCP) concerts are also back for the season. The season 14 lineup includes the family-friendly, free Fairy Garden Strolls in the whimsical gardens at 200 Fox from 2–5 p.m. on select dates between June 26 and September 7, with visits also available by appointment.
The popular SPCP Cello Band, featuring a “mob of prodigal cellists,” performs Saturday, June 20 at 3 p.m. in the Cloudcroft High School Commons, followed by Austin-based swingy, bluesy, country act Tiger Alley on Saturday, August 1 at 7 p.m. on Shady Pines’ Bertha Stage.
All events are free, with donations encouraged to support Cloudcroft Schools Music Programs and help cover SPCP expenses. For information or to donate, email shadypinestwigs@gmail.com.
Follow the Cloudcroft Light Opera Company on Facebook to catch the latest melodramas at the Zenith Park Pavilion—family-friendly fun, where you boo the villain and cheer for the hero.
From Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, historic Lodge hotel is now open for lodging seven days a week. The restaurant, 1899, will remain open Wednesday through Saturday evenings, while St Andrew’s Lounge will continue to be open at noon on those same days.
1899 serves a breakfast buffet every Saturday and Sunday morning, starting at 8 am. This buffet is included for hotel guests and open to the public for $18 per person.
Parks + Rec.
Wanderlust Running continues their Sacramento Mountain Trails series with:
Trails & Rails on June 13 at the Trestle Recreation Area, offering 8-mile, 3-mile, and 1-mile Kid’s Dash options.
The Cloudcroft Ultra follows on August 15, with a 53K, 9.5-mile, 4.75-mile, and 1-mile Kid’s Dash, starting and finishing at Zenith Park.
Finish the Series with the Cactus to Cloud Sky Race, October 17-18, a 50k and 32k race that boasts New Mexico’s only point-to-point ultra trail race and highest elevation course in the state.
Arrive a few days early if you can. Cloudcroft sits at about 8,676 feet, and the race info specifically advises visitors to arrive early to acclimate to the altitude. Sign up at wanderlust.run.
For everyday play, head to disc golf at Zenith Park, where the Byron Ligon course was recently reworked into a beginner-friendly par-3 loop. Check out the Elevation Park community disc golf course, ranked number two in the state on UDisc.com for its basin views, mountain terrain, and challenging play.
Public pickleball courts at Zenith are being resurfaced this week, and the second annual Pickleball in the Clouds tournament adds a competitive weekend to the mix June 6-7. Register here: https://app.pickleballden.com/external-tournament/5468394
Golf the Scottish-Nine course at the Lodge resort and hotel, and keep an eye on the Lodge’s social media for night golf tournaments and scramble announcements.
The Sacramento Camp & Conference Center near Weed sits on a 300-acre campus. This year-round non-denominational Christian camp welcomes groups, families, and individuals with lodging options ranging from dorms and motel-style rooms to RV sites and tent camping. Recreation is plentiful — think horseback trail rides, zip lines, ATV tours, a rifle range, archery, paintball, and much more, plus annual children’s summer camps and conference facilities for up to 400 people.
Camp Mary White, a rustic girls and women-only outdoor camp near Mayhill, offers hands-on nature experiences. Backed by a nonprofit friends group established in 2003, the camp has a rich history dating back nearly a century and offers summer camp sessions and women’s retreats.
Get your best Sasquatch hunting gear ready for the Bigfoot Scavenger Hunt, presented by the NM Rails-to-Trails Association.
On Saturday, June 6, teams will hunt for Bigfoot silhouettes along National Forest Service trails. Registration is just $5–$13 per team, but spots are capped at 25 teams or 100 participants and tend to sell out fast.
Amenities Update
According to the Timberon Water & Sanitation District (TWSD), the Timberon Community Pool is not open this season due to “a lack of funds.”
For a public swim, head to the Grand Cloudcroft Hotel, which opens its pool to non-guests on Sundays from noon to 2 p.m. and 2 to 4 p.m.
Cloudy’s Market is the stop for fresh meat, local produce, and high-end pantry goods. Find them at 102 Mexican Avenue in the heart of the village.
The Michael Nivison Public Library in Cloudcroft has a full summer schedule ahead. The library is open Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Storytime with Gail continues every Friday at 10:30 a.m.
The library will open Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. beginning June 13.
The library is also launching a summer lecture series with Sandra Barr. Sessions run on Thursdays from 1 to 3 p.m. on June 11, July 2, July 23, and August 13. A bonus lecture on van Gogh is set for July 16. The library is closed on those days, so attendees should use the side entrance.
Barr describes the series as “fun, chatty, not boring” — the same lectures she gave at the University of Arizona and Cornell. Topics cover Greek sculpture, architecture, painting, and culture, presented chronologically. Of the van Gogh lecture, she notes he is “very misrepresented in the movies.”
June kicks off with the announcement of a Photo Hunt on June 1, followed by a Daniel Tiger Scavenger Hunt on June 13 (noon–2 p.m.), a Book Tasting on June 15 at 5:30 p.m., and a Bug Hotel-making workshop on June 20 at 1 p.m.
July brings a Fourth of July celebration at the library from 1–3 p.m., a Nature Scavenger Hunt on July 10 at 1 p.m., announcement of Photo Contest winners on July 11 at 1 p.m., and a Nature Art Painting session on July 31 at 1 p.m.
August wraps up the summer with Battle of the Bands on August 1 at 1 p.m. and a Nature Scavenger Hunt on August 7 at 11 a.m.
The library is located at 90 Swallow Place in Cloudcroft. For more information, stop in during regular hours.
To get the local voice on village businesses, events, lodging, recreation, and shopping, Discover Cloudcroft now offers the insider guide to Cloudcroft. The Mountain Monthly, a 38-year-old local publication that Reader team Chris Hearne and Hannah Dean co-own with Justin Muñoz, powers the site.
Use the site to build out a stay around event weekends, music nights, and trail time.
Lend a hand keeping the village looking its best: local non-profit Keep Cloudcroft Clean announces monthly volunteer trash clean-ups on their Facebook page.
Check out the Cloudcroft Village and Lincoln National Forest websites for fire restrictions and other critical announcements before your visit.
Cloudcroft Reader is proud to be sponsored in part by great companies like Be in the Mountains Yoga & Massage:
The Reader is proud to be sponsored in part by:
Cloudcroft Art Society
Located in Old Red Brick Schoolhouse: Holiday and Saturday art showsNoisy Water Winery
Family-owned winery crafting thoughtfully made wines from New Mexico grapes, inspired by mountain living.Be in the Mountains Yoga & Massage
A cozy space for yoga and massage therapy at the Village PlazaOsha Trail Depot
Your destination for unique, hand-crafted treasuresThe Stove and Spa Store
We offer a variety of services to ensure your hearth and spa dreams are met!The Lodge at Cloudcroft
Landmark Choice Among New Mexico ResortsCloudcroft Art Workshops
Enhance your artistry while enjoying the beauty and coolness of the mountains!Sacramento Camp & Conference Center
Come to the Mountain — Let God Refresh Your SoulLaughing Leaf Dispensary
Discover a world of wellness at Laughing LeafInstant Karma
Adventure Within: Transformative Yoga, Ayurvedic Wisdom, Nourishing Organics, Fair Trade BoutiqueOff the Beaten Path
Eclectic gifts & original artworkFuture Real Estate
Raise your expectations.Ski Cloudcroft
The Southernmost ski area in New Mexico.Cloudcroft Therapeutic Massage
Maximizing Movement, Quality of Life ImprovementHigh Altitude
Your favorite little outdoor outfitter on Burro AvenueBlushing Yucca Esthetics
✨ Book your glow-up today✨The Elk Shed
Purveyors of Southwest + Mountain Provisions, Goods & FineryThe PAC
Pickleball Addicts of Cloudcroft—Pickleball in the CloudsPeñasco Valley Telephone Cooperative
For all the ways you love to connectBre Hope Media
Professional photo and video services
