Lookout rental · U.S. Forest Service · Lincoln National Forest · New Mexico

Monjeau Lookout

Monjeau Lookout is a famous landmark on the Smokey Bear Ranger District built originally in 1936 and then reconstructed in 1940 as part of a Civilian Conservation Corps project. This site is a wonderful and adventurous place to visit. Roads leading up to the site are dirt and can be steep in places. Visit during the summer months as the road leading to it closes during the winter with the advent of snow. Monjeau Lookout is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).

Lookout rentalOpen nowBooking not publishedNo hookups

Amenities & rules

HookupsNone
EquipmentRVs & trailers, Tents

Individual sites vary. Confirm on Recreation.gov or with the managing office.

Season & status

StatusOpen
ForestLincoln National Forest

Lincoln National Forest recreation page ↗

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Monjeau Lookout30°40°50°60°70°January: 1.11 inches of precipitation, 7.9 inches of snowFebruary: 1.03 inches of precipitation, 5.5 inches of snowMarch: 0.88 inches of precipitation, 2.2 inches of snowApril: 0.67 inches of precipitation, 0.6 inches of snowMay: 1.16 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 2.05 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 4.31 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 4.23 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 2.49 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 1.69 inches of precipitation, 1.0 inches of snowNovember: 0.84 inches of precipitation, 1.8 inches of snowDecember: 1.54 inches of precipitation, 7.2 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 34.7°F averageFebruary: 37.1°F averageMarch: 42.3°F averageApril: 48.8°F averageMay: 56.5°F averageJune: 64.5°F averageJuly: 66.2°F averageAugust: 64.4°F averageSeptember: 59.6°F averageOctober: 51.0°F averageNovember: 40.9°F averageDecember: 34.9°F average0 in2 in4 in6 in8 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Ruidoso, 6 miles from the campground at 6,930 feet, station USC00297649 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 22 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 26 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Getting there

Coordinates33.4308° N, 105.7316° W · Directions ↗

Supplies & services

Dump stationRV Dump Station ↗20.5 mi

Locations © OpenStreetMap contributors. Call ahead; hours change seasonally.

Limited data for this unit

No site-by-site records, no fee schedule, no directions or photos in the Recreation.gov record. What is here comes from the agency's own listing. The rest lives there.

Checked nightly. Modules appear as soon as the record fills in.

Explore

Worth a stop

Trails nearby

Forest Service trail data →
  • 0.1 mi
    Mills Canyon ↗
    4.9 mi trail · hiking, horse
  • 0.3 mi
    Crest ↗
    20 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 0.6 mi
    Telephone Canyon
    1.4 mi trail · hiking, horse
  • 0.6 mi
    Rodamaker Canyon
    2.5 mi trail · hiking, horse
  • 1.4 mi
    Miner'S Road
    2.8 mi trail · hiking, horse
  • 1.4 mi
    Peacock
    1.5 mi trail · hiking, horse

Trail and trailhead records are the Forest Service's. Distances are straight-line to the nearer trail end. Trail conditions are not tracked here.

Public land it sits in

On Wilderness Atlas →

White Mountain Wilderness begins about 0.3 miles away, and it is the closest of these.

Each unit is published as a centre point and an acreage rather than a boundary, so this section stands it in for a circle of the same area. Whether a campground is inside, and how far it is from one it is outside, are both approximate.

Guidebooks for New Mexico

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

Is Monjeau Lookout open right now?

Open as of Oct 26, 2026.

Source: Forest Service status

What if Monjeau Lookout is full?

The nearest public campgrounds are Skyline Campground (0.8 mi, first-come), South Fork Campground (1.8 mi, first-come), and Sam Tobias Memorial Group Campground (5.5 mi).

Source: Campgrounds nearby