McKittrick Canyon Wilderness Study Area

McKittrick Canyon Wilderness Study Area (WSA) is located in southern New Mexico in Eddy County, approximately 40 miles southwest of Carlsbad, managed by the BLM Carlsbad Field Office. The WSA is contiguous with the Guadalupe Escarpment WSA, managed by the U.S. Forest Service. The landscape consists almost entirely of steep side slopes supporting Chihuahuan Desert grassland and scrub (including creosote bush and mesquite), piñon-juniper woodlands, and deciduous riparian areas. This is a primitive, undeveloped wilderness area known for solitude with no facilities, interpretive signage, or potable water. Wildlife includes bighorn sheep, pronghorn, rattlesnakes, and Cooper's Hawks. Access to the WSA requires walking several miles across mountain ridges; private land surrounds the area. Visitors must practice Leave No Trace and are prohibited from motorized vehicles, fireworks, and weapons.