Devil's Den Canyon Wilderness Study Area

About Devil's Den Canyon Wilderness Study Area

The Devil's Den Canyon WSA is located in southern New Mexico, approximately 40 miles southwest of Carlsbad and is contiguous with the Guadalupe Escarpment WSA (managed by the U.S. Forest Service). Devil's Den Canyon contains the mouth of a major drainage on the west side of Guadalupe Escarpment and has a variety of vegetation including desert shrubs and grasses, piсon and juniper woodlands, and sub-riparian trees and shrubs in the canyon bottom.

How to Get There

From Highway 137, turn south on Forest Road 540 following it nearly to its end where it intersects Forest Road 3008. Continue on to a short spur, signed 202, which is the trailhead to the Devils Den Trail, #200. Hike trail #200 to its end on a gentle ridge within the WSA. The infrequently maintained trail drops into a wash, and you must be careful to watch for rock cairns marking where it climbs back out of the wash near the mouth of the canyon on the north side. Since the middle section of the trail is on the bottom of a wash, avoid hiking here during times of heavy rain.

Plan Your Visit to Devil's Den Canyon Wilderness Study Area

Heading to Devil's Den Canyon Wilderness Study 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)