Thanks to Allen Stibora for this map of the Continental Divide and the CDT's [general] travel through New Mexico.  Allen has also done a great amount of detailed scouting in the northern NM sections of the CDT. The intent of this map is to identify "official" maps that thru-hikers might be interested in, e.g. Gila National Forest. Allen notes that BLM maps might be preferred over USGS ["topo"] maps because there is a distinction made between private and public lands on the former.

This is an informal attempt to compile a list of trail angels, havens, laundromats, Internet facilities, and through-hiker-friendly grocery stores along the general route (as current as possible, as of April 2006) of the CDT in NM.  Input from hikers who have done the hike and from interested folks along the way is most welcome.  Feel free to contact me at tom87020 at mac dot com.

Continental Divide Trail Society website.  The CDTS has wonderful guidebooks, newsletters, etc.

Email received 20060505:
Hey!
   I'm Dave, a 2004 thruhiker. I live in Silver City now and I'm the camp host at Little Walnut picnic grounds here. I'm 1 1/2 miles off the trail north of silver where it crosses forest road 506 (Little Walnut road) on the way to Pinos Altos. I have water if anyone needs it and any hiker can camp here if needed. I'd be glad for the trail stories...  I have a trailer here and folks can use my shower and whatever else they need.  I have Internet access, too.
  Anyway...I have a GREAT New Mexico map link for you: 
http://sar.lanl.gov/maps_by_name.html 
It's a search and rescue resource page from Los Alamos National Lab. It has every usgs quad in New Mexico in all sizes..250,000:1, 100,000:1 and 24,000:1 for FREE!!!!!
The files are huge but if you have access to a big printer the files are regular size topos.
   Thought you might like to post it anyway.
My email is  80mtn@gilanet.com
Phone# 505-388-1612

Holman's, Inc. (A. T. Trujillo, Inc.) store page.  They have a great selection of maps germane to your NM hike.  Maps may be mail-ordered.

Print your own CDT mailing labels here:  http://www.fallingwater.com/cdt/

The Spirit Eagle resources webpage has towns all along the CDT listed alphabetically.
 

RESOURCES; listed geographically north to south.  Much of this information directly from hikers, especially Jim and Ginny Owens:

Ghost Ranch (Abiquiu):
AYCE meals [limited hours], laundry, shower, camping, lodging, library [no Internet], hiker-friendly.  Mail drop available; also Coke and snack machines.  Per d-low 2006, "...KILLER inet access, high speed, full on computer lab, you have FULL access to these computers..."
Content of e-mail received 20031231:  "To whom it may concern:
I just wanted to pass on some information regarding the Abiquiu area adjacent to Ghost Ranch and the CDT.  My name is Eric Garner and I am the Lead Park Ranger for the US Army Corps of Engineers at Abiquiu Lake.  We have some basic facilities here at the lake (nice restrooms with showers, campsites, interpretive trails and programs, and a new visitor center) that folks many might want to take advantage of when passing thru.
You can reserve campsites online at http://www.reserveusa.com/.  You can also reserve by phone, toll free, at 1-877-444-6777. Phone lines are open from 8:00 a.m. to midnight (EST), seven days a week. The National Recreation Reservation Service web site is a non-government commercial site maintained in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, US Department of the Interior,  and the US Department of Agriculture Forest Service.
Below, I have provided a link to our web site.  Also feel free to list me as a POC (Point of Contact) for any questions folks may have.  We can be reached at 505-685-4371.
http://www.spa.usace.army.mil/recreation/default.htm
Thanks,
Eric D. Garner
Senior Park Ranger
Abiquiu Lake
505-685-4371"

Cuba:
A walk-into town.  Circle A Ranch Hostel [May through October] is on 370 acres adjoining the San Pedro Parks Wilderness; contact Dafna Ronn at 505/289.3350; showers, bunks for $13 without sheets; Dafna will pick up groceries for hikers to cook at their kitchen.  North end of town, just south of turnoff for Hostel and Wilderness access, has Frontier Motel with laundromat, couple of restaurants, and mini-mart; south end has several motels, a laundromat, couple of restaurants, several mini-marts, and the Post Office; center has several small and two fairly large groceries.  Internet access at library, about 1/3 mile east of the Cuba Visitors' Center.  At least one restaurant has a salad bar.  Charlie McDonald is an excellent source of information about trail conditions and water availability for this part of the state.  Cuba is served by Greyhound.

Albuquerque/statewide (mostly north and central):
Michael Grady, 3516 Smith Avenue SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106-1606, phone 505/255.8041, voicemail 505/272.8890, is willing to stash water and supplies, drop/pick up mail, help with GPS waypoints, etc., although "I am not available on the spur of the moment and would appreciate some planning & discussion in advance."  There is also a hostel here:  Route 66 Hostel at 1012 Central Avenue SW, 505/247.1813 or Ctaylor939@aol.com.

Grants:
Map 
Santa Fe Avenue (old US 66) has Post Office, numerous motels, banks with ATM, Pizza Hut, and 2 Chinese restaurants with AYCE buffets.  Petro truck stop's Iron Skillet Restaurant (west, in Milan, near I-40 exit 79) also serves buffets, but it's a little further away...   Wal-Mart and Denny's are at the east end of town, near I-40 exit 85.
In town:  Smith's Food and Drug, along Lobo Canyon Road; and Milan Supermart; several laundromats; library with Internet access; Greyhound service multiple times a day.
There's also a branch of NMSU in town, not far from the Smith's, which has computer labs with high speed Internet, for community use.

Pie Town:
Nita Lorrande and Don Kearney, just up the hill going south from US 60 on dirt NM 603; two-story house on west side of road.  Camp in yard or inside if you reach them at 575/772.2651 (call early in the day).  They have a washing machine, rely on the sun for drying.  You might be able to talk Nita and Don into showing you the VLBA antenna in town...   Per d-low 2006, ..."nita had inet, it's not high speed though..."
20090411:  Nita says that they accept hiker packages.  Include the following on packages:
Hiker's name and ETA date
c/o Nita Larronde
The Toaster House
603 South of Highway 60
Pie Town NM 87827
Nita also says for hikers to avail themselves of frozen foods in the freezer behind the house, and donate toward the replenishment of them.

Free campground is also available at Jackson Park elsewhere in town.  Post Office in town, open five days and 8 - 10AM on Saturday; telephone 575/772.2637.

Pie-O-Neer Café has some groceries, good food (including, you guessed it, pies!); as of April 2009, hours are ~10AM to 4PM; closed Tuesday through Thursday.  Pay phone next to the Café, but no Coke machine.  Another café is The Daily Pie, open from 8AM to 3PM, closed Sunday and Monday.

20080814 from the REA monthly newspaper:
"Notice • A New Store for Catron County located just west of Pie Town, NM on US Hwy 60. Look for the Totem Poles! Top of the World Land Co. announces the opening of our new Sales Office, Community Store and Laundromat. GPS coordinates N 34 degrees 18 minutes 37.2 seconds W 108 degrees 11 minutes 25.7 seconds. Current store hours, M.S.T. 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday thru Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, call to verify hours. Located just off the Continental Divide hiking trail, we welcome all Hikers, Bicyclist, Hunters, Fishermen and Campers, Truckers and Motorcycles. Make this your first stop for groceries, ice cream, picnic supplies and ice. Wireless Internet access for customers. Notary and faxing service available. Land sales, storage units and (soon) RV dump station. RANCHERS! Put your brand on our new store. Bring your brand by to hot brand Top of the World General Store. A drawing will be held for the lucky brand during the 2008 Pie Town Festival. The winner will receive a $200 merchandise certificate redeemable at the store. Come by and visit, the coffee pot is always on! Please let us know the items you would like us to carry. Coming soon, antiques, art, and collectables! We sincerely appreciate your support and will strive to provide a service to the community. For additional information contact: Tom or Vicki at 575-772-2777 or 1-800-658-8750. totwl@gilanet.com. www.topoftheworldland.coom. Thank you!"

Quemado:
Largo Café and Motel has a salad bar.  Forest Service office is at 575/773.4678. 

Reserve:
35-mile hitch from "official" CDT.  Two motels, several restaurants (some closed Monday and Tuesday), laundromat, bar, two small groceries, Internet access at small library in village hall up the hill behind the high school.  Forest Service office 2 miles west of town on NM 12.  Len & Debbie Milbyer own the Village Motel, and have proven to be gracious hosts and ride-givers in the past.  Elk Country Café has good burgers and pizza; Grandma T's has good breakfast.  Forest Service office is at 575/533.6231.

Gila Cliff Dwellings:
Visitor Center has restrooms, water; will hold packages for hikers.  No trash collection, however.  No other services.  Telephone 575/536.9461.

Gila Hot Springs:
3 miles south of the Visitor Center.  Doc Campbell's Trading Post (HC 68, Box 80 Silver City, NM 88061) has small grocery, m/wave sandwiches, homemade ice cream, unleaded gas, water, phone; showers and laundromat in back (ask!).  Some campgrounds nearby; and about 1 mile south is Wilderness Lodge B&B with hot spring in front yard.

Piños Altos:
On the "official" hiking CDT route to Mimbres over the Black Range.  Good RV/camping site.  Extremely good steaks at the Buckhorn Restaurant at Piños Altos.  Beer and open-range fire.  Thanks to RobofLoxley for the info.

Silver City:
Map
Hostelling International--The Carter House at 575/388.5485.  Kitchen, laundry facilities, etc.  Six blocks west of NM 90, adjacent to Grant County Courthouse.  Rates range from about $12.50 to about $15.50, depending on whether or not one is a member of Hostelling International...  Per RobofLoxley, very good hostel, but note:  it is up for sale, with no guarantee of continuing hostel services.

Silver City has all essential hiker services, including an outdoor shop:  Jack's & Mike's Gila Hike and Bike; 575/388.3222, 103 East College Street.  Post Office is at 500 North Hudson Street, telephone 575/538.2831.  Gila National Forest headquarters is at 575/388.8201.

"...Library (west a few blocks on College from route 90) has Internet access...  They limit access to one hour though..." per Mara 2006.
Also per Mara 2006:  "OK, I'm at the college now and they seem to allow unlimited access to their computers.  It looks like you can plug in your own devices (the guy sitting next to me is doing just that), etc.  The hours during the academic years are generally 8 to 6:00pm but after the academic year, they'll be back to 4:30.  Call 575-538-6400 to check for evening hours or weekend hours.   To find them, look for the Acedemic Resource Center in the Juan Chacon Building.
They welcome community members, not just students though academics supposedly have priority.  It's probably a non-issue with 20 computers
available.  There's no sign-in or anything.  Just sit down and use them.  The drawback...  I think the college campus is at the other end of town from the main hotel drag that hikers are likely to stay in.  I'm staying in the Historic downtown area so it's a little closer for me.
The upside...  for less than $6, you can get an AYCE lunch on campus.  Burgers made to order, a small variety of surprisingly good pizza, something else hot (today was fish), a sandwich (cold cuts) bar, a small salad bar (no iceberg lettuce), beverages, cookies, fruit, etc.  Definitely worth it for a ungry hiker.
P.S.  The public library really did kick me off their computers after only one hour - even though nobody else was waiting.  Only one hour per day per person is allowed.
P.P.S.  Locals have pointed me to two great food places in the historic area so far...  Jalisco's Cafe, and Alotto Gelato.  Both were good."

Silver City contact: Joseph Gendron.

Deming:
All essential hiker services in a fairly compact area.  Within six blocks of town center are:  Post Office, motels, laundromats, c-stores, supermarkets, restaurants, bar, gas, ATM, pharmacy, library with Internet access.  Deming also has Greyhound [6:30 AM] and Amtrak service [three trains / week], and is on I-10.
20090401:  Trail Angels Keith and Mary Schwarzer.  Keith's mobile: 575-494-4357.  E-mail address:  ks1007@aol.com.  Their address: 6810 Holstein Road SE, Deming, NM 88030.  They offer a sleeping accommodations, shower, computer, laundry, cooking area, and (when possible) transportation in town or to the border.  They can also act as a mail drop for hikers.  Caveat:  they smoke, and have two cats.  Keith also mentions that the county runs a bus to the border for a nominal fee.  Call 575-544-9963 or 866-934-3866.

Columbus [for those using this terminus]:
Small town, but has Post Office, motel, two B&Bs, restaurants, small grocery and gas/c-store.  Per d-low 2006, "...nice library with inet access, it was supposedly only for members..." Possibly a laundromat.  Pancho Villa State Park (575/531.2711) has camping, water, showers.  Just three miles from the Mexican border and the Mexican town of Palomas, with true Mexican food and beer.  Martha's Place B&B is at 575/531.2467.  Borderline Cooperative 575/532-2288.  Further Columbus information at this site.  

Lordsburg:
Has Internet access at library; "...about two blocks east of the main drag through town on 3rd Street.  The staff there does not have control over their own filter though..." per Mara, 2006.

Separ:
Along I-10, has gas/c-store.
From CDT-L 20060505:
Heading out of Separ on the dirt road/CDT, around 15 miles in (NOBO), on the east side of the road is a ranch called Rancho Burro.  We met the retrired couple that lives there and they asked us to spread the word for hikers to stop-in.  They would love to help out and they have reliable water. 
Rancho Burro es muy bien.
GI Jane of Team Doodah

Hachita [for those using the Antelope Wells bicycle terminus or Big Hatchet Mountain Reserve hiking terminus]:
The Egg Nest café offers meals and other services such as parcel-holding and shipment, Internet access, limited groceries, a shower facility, and current trail info.   Also transportation to/from Lordsburg, which is served by bus from Albuquerque.  Call Pat and Marlene Harrris at 575/436.2666, or email at theeggnest@vtc.net.  Nearby [primitive] accomodations available via Mexican Inn/liquor store. Thanks to Blaze for info.
From the CDT-L mailing list, 20050309:
In response to "When you get to the Hachita store ask for Sam, a retiree who lives nearby. He will jeep you to the Commun, start of the CDTA version, and  you'll cache water along the trail, or to Antelope Wells. his charge  will be reasonable."
"Call the Hachita store [(575) 436-2682] and they'll give you Sam's phone number. Then you can schedule your trip with him. When I talked with him in January, he said that he can't leave home before about 10:30AM because he has to care for his invalid wife. IIRC his base charge is $60, with an add for each additional passenger. He said the trip to Commun would take 2-1/2 to 3 hours. In February, it was VERY wet down there, and he wasn't sure that he could get all the way to the border.
-tom [Jacoby]"

Antelope Wells:
Apparently no longer the "official" terminus for hikers; that is now some miles (>10?) east, along the border fence, southeast of Big Hatchet Mountain.  Note:  hikers or their transport cannot, must not approach this terminus directly from Antelope Wells because of hostile ranching family.  No services other than a water faucet at Antelope Wells.  No services, and apparently no road access, to "official" terminus.  There is a cattle water tank within a mile of the border at the hiking terminus.  For northbounders, care should be taken at this point in getting on the correct jeep trail for Sheldon Canyon; do not head eastward along the main jeep trail you have been following from the border.  There is a water tank in Sheldon Canyon; water is very slow-running [if at all] from this windmill pump.  Note:  these two water tanks are not well-maintained by the owners.  Tanks contained dead bodies of birds and deer [March 2000], though at the time of this observation water could be obtained directly from the feed pipes.  Northward from Sheldon Canyon all the way to Silver City, water can be obtained from cattle tanks/ windmill pumps approximately every eight/ten miles along the "official" CDT, and water is of good quality.  There are other pipeline stock troughs which are not marked on the BLM topos.  These usually can only be discovered by taking note of cattle movements.  Also, note:  cattle will leave water tanks at dusk to graze and move back to water tanks during early/mid-morning.  Thanks to RobofLoxley for this info.

Further information on CDT towns can be found at Dave Mauldin's site here.

Last updated 20090410                            © 2000 - 2009 Tom Bombaci, Jr.