Bosque del Apache Wilderness

On a quiet day in November you'll hear the haunting cry of sandhill cranes echoing across the marsh and grasslands of the 57,191-acre Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. Amazing to think that in 1939, when the refuge was established, the crane count averaged a sobering 17. That figure has since soared to 12,000. Add 70,000 snow geese, 40,000-plus ducks (at least 14 species), Canada geese, Gambel's quail, roadrunners, and more than 300 other winged species, and banner birding is a given. Bosque del Apache isn't just for the birds. Other residents include mule deer, coyotes, javelina, and western diamondback rattlesnakes. The refuge is split in two by the hushed flow of the Rio Grande. The Wilderness within the refuge is split into three distinct units: the 5,429-acre Chupadera Unit, all refuge land west of Interstate 25; the 5,139-acre Indian Well Unit, just across the interstate from it; and the Little San Pascual Unit, covering 19,859 acres just east of the Rio Grande. The three hold in common a lack of water, but otherwise offer distinctive terrains — arroyos divide the Chupadera's series of small ridges and mesas, Indian Well has round mountains along its western side and arroyos and mesas on its gentler eastern side, and the largest unit rolls gently across desert terrain, sharpening to a peak at Little San Pascual Mountain. Day hiking is allowed; camping and campfires are not permitted. The Wilderness is in New Mexico, is managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service, and was designated in 1975.