Mathers Wilderness Study Area

About Mathers Wilderness Study Area

The Mathers WSA is located in eastern New Mexico, about 40 miles east of Roswell. The area is on the edge of the southern part of the Great Plains and at the northern end of a 6-10 mile wide belt of sand dunes stabilized by shinnery oak, a low growing shrub. The area provides critical habitat for the dunes sagebrush lizard and lesser prairie chicken; the latter can be observed displaying in leks during mating season.

How to Get There

From Roswell, travel east on US 380 about 41 miles to a highway rest stop (about 31 miles west of Tatum). Opposite the rest stop on the north side of the highway is a caliche surface road (Mathers Road). Travel north on that road about four miles to the edge of the WSA on the west side of the road. Look for a monument indicating the Mathers National Natural Landmark.

Plan Your Visit to Mathers Wilderness Study Area

Heading to Mathers 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)