North of Questa, past the village of Costilla, the pavement gives way to one of the great gravel drives of northern New Mexico. Forest Road 1950 carries travelers into the Valle Vidal, a 101,794-acre mountain basin in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains managed as a special unit of the Carson National Forest in the Questa Ranger District. The name means Valley of Life, and a slow drive through it in late fall shows why the name has lasted.
Forest Road 1950 is the spine of the unit. From the Costilla side it follows the Costilla Creek country into broad meadows where Comanche Creek winds through open grassland beneath forested ridges, the same valley shown in this week's photograph. Farther along, the road reaches Comanche Point, where drivers bound for Shuree Ponds turn south with Forest Road 1950 rather than continuing straight on Forest Road 1900. It is a long, unhurried gravel through-route across the unit, best taken slowly, with time to stop at signed pullouts and simply watch the country change from creek bottom to high meadow to timber.
The Valle Vidal is famous first for its wildlife. The Forest Service manages the unit in part for one of New Mexico's largest elk herds, a herd the agency numbers at up to 2,000 animals, and November drivers share the road with a landscape that still belongs to elk, deer, and the hawks working the meadows. The land itself came to the public comparatively recently: once part of a private ranch preserve, the Valle Vidal was donated to the American public in 1982 and became part of the Carson National Forest, where it has remained roaded but lightly developed ever since.
November is a genuine in-between season here, and that is part of its appeal. The Valle Vidal's two annual wildlife closures do not fall in late fall: the east side closes from January 1 to March 31 to protect wintering habitat, and the west side closes from May 1 to June 30 for elk calving, and Forest Service roads 1900, 1910, and 1950 remain open to travel even during those closures. What November does bring is cold. Questa is forecast to reach only the low fifties today and drop into the upper twenties tonight, and the Valle Vidal sits higher and colder than the village. The gravel can turn slippery in wet weather, daylight is short, and anyone camping with a vehicle must use the designated campgrounds at Cimarron or McCrystal, since vehicle camping elsewhere in the unit is not allowed.
Know before you go: Stay on designated routes only. Forest Road 1950 and the other routes open to motor vehicles in the Valle Vidal are designated on the Questa Ranger District Motor Vehicle Use Map, and vehicles may not be driven on roads or areas that the map does not list. Check current Carson National Forest alerts and closures before you go, because restrictions can change unexpectedly. Practice Tread Lightly: travel slowly on the gravel, avoid driving on soft or muddy surfaces, and pack out everything you pack in. Respect gates, signs, and private land along the way, especially on the approach through the Costilla valley, and give elk and other wildlife plenty of room.