Hackberry Lake Off-Highway Vehicle Use Area

About Hackberry Lake Off-Highway Vehicle Use Area

The Hackberry Lake Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Use Area offers over 55,000 acres of rolling stabilized dune lands and cliffs. The area is open for intensive use of motorcycles, sand dune buggies and other OHVs. Trails within the area take advantage of a variety of soils and topographic features, which include many turns and steep hill climbs. Routes go from shallow rocky, loamy soil on low hills to deep alluvial soils with sandy inclusions. The trails travel across small draws and along the bottom of deep arroyos. The area also includes a sand dune complex.The area is used by the Desert Rough Riders Club for an annual competitive motorcycle event -- the Carlsbad 100 Desert Race -- which traverses more than 44 miles of public land. For more information on this event please visit The New Mexico Desert Racing Club at www.nmdrc.com.

How to Get There

Hackberry Lake OHV Use Area is about 20 miles northeast of Carlsbad, NM, and can be accessed at a number of locations. To access the most commonly used parking area, follow US 62/180, turn north on SR 360, and travel approximately 5.7 miles then turn east on CR 222 / Shugart Road. Follow CR 222 for 1.8 miles. The trailhead is north of the CR222 and visible from the road.

Plan Your Visit to Hackberry Lake Off-Highway Vehicle Use Area

Heading to Hackberry Lake Off-Highway Vehicle Use Area? A few things to know before you go:

• Reservations: popular sites fill up fast — check Recreation.gov 6 months in advance
• Fees: day-use and camping fees vary; check current rates on the official park page
• Trash & pack-out: follow Leave No Trace principles
• Wildlife: store food in bear boxes where provided; never feed wildlife
• Weather: the 5-day forecast above is updated every 6 hours; verify just before you go

References & Official Resources

• Official Recreation.gov page
• Park map (PDF)
• View on OpenStreetMap
• Driving directions (Google Maps)