Photo: NMMIMAJ · CC BY-SA 3.0Sitting Bull Falls
One for the list
Is it plungeworthy?
A short, pretty falls.
The details
- Coordinates
- 32.24327, -104.69736
About Sitting Bull Falls
Sitting Bull Falls is a waterfall in New Mexico.
Fed largely by snowmelt, it runs hardest in late spring and early summer and can thin to a trickle by late season.
Plungeworthy rates Sitting Bull Falls 3/10 — one for the list. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.
What you'll find
New Mexico's most famous waterfall: 150 feet of spring-fed water pouring down a limestone canyon wall into a chain of pools, in the middle of the Chihuahuan Desert an hour from Carlsbad. Below the falls the creek simply vanishes into the gravel, headed for the Pecos Valley aquifer.
The springs emerge partway up the canyon wall, so the falls runs year-round — a genuine desert oasis, and it looks like one.
Getting there
- Trailhead
- Sitting Bull Falls Recreation Area at the end of Eddy County Road 409, about 28 miles northwest of Carlsbad
- Parking
- Paved lot at the day-use area — limited, fills on weekends
- Road
- Paved but narrow and winding the whole way in
- Hike
- 0.5 mi round trip (Easy — a paved-and-stone path to the falls base; a 1.3-mile loop climbs to the spring source)
When to go
Year-round. Spring and early summer carry the strongest flow; summer weekends are busiest — arrive at opening.
Rules & fees
- Fee / pass
- $5 per vehicle day-use fee, cash — Lincoln National Forest
- Dogs
- On leash
- Hours
- Gate opens about 8:30am and closes mid-to-late afternoon — sources disagree on the exact close, so don't cut it fine
- Camping
- Day use only
- Warnings
- No glass containers. Rattlesnakes are common off the paths.
Researched from Wikipedia — Sitting Bull Falls · We Dream of Travel — Sitting Bull Falls Guide. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Sitting Bull Falls recently? Post a conditions report below.
Where it is
Before you go
The pin marks the feature, not a trailhead or a legal route in. Some sit on private land or need a real hike, and conditions change with season and rain. Check local access, don't trespass, and never enter water — hot or cold — where it isn't safe.
Common questions
Where is Sitting Bull Falls?
Sitting Bull Falls is a waterfall in New Mexico, at 32.24327, -104.69736.
Is Sitting Bull Falls worth visiting?
One for the list — Plungeworthy rates it 3/10.
Gear for the trip
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