Cibola National Forest
Managed by United States Forest Service
1,362 acres10.5 mi of trail
Turkey TrotSouthern CrossingFS 530Cajun Pine+1
Dogs allowed
Directionsto the trailhead
A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Ponderosa Pine
35% of Ponderosa Pine’s land is conserved: 1,784 acres
12 miles of mapped trail cross Ponderosa Pine, 1.4 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Cibola National Forest (10.5 mi). 37 acres are parks and preserves, 26 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
35%
1,784 acres · of 8.0 sq mi of land
Trails
12 mi
1.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
37 ac
26 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
41%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.8 mi
1.8 mi lanes
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Ponderosa Pine?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Ponderosa Pine have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ponderosa Pine is ahead of 84% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Ponderosa Pine’s overall grade.
Conserved land35% of the land · typical NM town 4% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (12 mi) · NM 0.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land26 acres of park per 1,000 residents (37 acres) · NM 7 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home41% of residents within a half mile of a park · NM 67% · U.S. 72%C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 84%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Cibola National Forest, with 10.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Sunflower Meadow Park
Park
3 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Oak Flat Picnic Sites
Managed by United States Forest Service
2 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
1,784 conserved acres
35% of Ponderosa Pine’s land. Who manages Ponderosa Pine’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service1,369 ac
State land board379 ac
Town or city32 ac
County4 ac
National Forest · 1,369 acState Resource Management Area · 379 acLocal Recreation Area · 32 acLocal Park · 4 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cibola National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 1,369 | Open |
| State Trust Land State Resource Management Area | State land board | 379 | Open |
| Carolino Canyon Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 32 | Open |
| Sunflower Meadow Park Local Park | County | 4 | Open |
Things to do
4 places to go in Ponderosa Pine
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Ponderosa Pine
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in Ponderosa Pine
Carolino Canyon Reservation Area
DirectionsCarolino Canyon Reservation Area
DirectionsCampgrounds in Ponderosa Pine
Albuquerque Elks Refuge
DirectionsTrails & water
6 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 8.8 miHorses · 8.8 miUnpaved · 8.4 mi
Turkey Trot2.5 mi
Southern Crossing1.9 mi
FS 5301.0 mi
Cajun Pine0.9 mi
Wild Turkey0.7 mi
Cajun Turkey0.4 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
Turkey Trot TrailBike route
2.5 miSouthern CrossingBike route
1.9 miForest Service Road 335Bike route
1.1 miCourts & fields
1Basketball
1Equestrian
1Tennis
1Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Ponderosa Pine: April to June
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.0 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 14.0 | 14.5 | 14.3 | 13.5 | 12.3 | 11.2 | 10.3 | 9.8 |
| High (°F) | 41 | 45 | 53 | 60 | 70 | 80 | 82 | 79 | 73 | 63 | 50 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 1.3 |
May is the driest month (0.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.1 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Ponderosa Pine →
Next door
Ponderosa Pine and its neighbors
Ponderosa Pine has the second most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ponderosa Pine | 35% | 1.4 | 26 | 41% | A− |
| Cedro | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Ponderosa Pine
Where can I hike in Ponderosa Pine?
The longest trail networks: Cibola National Forest, 10.5 miles; Sunflower Meadow Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ponderosa Pine is conserved land?
35% of its land, against a typical 4% for a New Mexico town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Ponderosa Pine’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Cibola National Forest. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Ponderosa Pine?
1.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.8 of painted or protected lanes. Named routes: Turkey Trot Trail, Southern Crossing and Forest Service Road 335.
Is there public land near Ponderosa Pine?
60,127 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ponderosa Pine or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,794 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Ponderosa Pine have?
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Ponderosa Pine neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →