Caballo: Geronimo Trail Scenic Byway, New Mexico

The village of CABALLO is the gateway to Caballo Lake and Percha Dam State Parks. It offers a post office, a couple small shops for supplies, and a unique little cafe. The town and the lake are both named after the mountains... and the mountains were named for the herds of wild horses found to be descendants of the horses brought here in the 1540s. Sierra de los Caballos literally means "Sawtooth-Ridged Mountain Of The Horses." The original community of Caballo, dating back to 1908, is under water. In 1938, when the lake behind Caballo Dam began to fill, it covered the homes of settlers. These families moved their homes to the foothills on the west side of the Rio Grande, where they continued to raise livestock. Today, the Caballo area is becoming more populated (although it's difficult to tell) with people buying small parcels of land for retirement or a country-living lifestyle.
	Please note that there is no gasoline available on the Geronimo Trail Scenic Byway west of Truth or Consequences / Williamsburg and Elephant Butte. This is the majority of the Trail, which runs through some very remote countryside. Fill your tank before you leave! Gasoline is available on Side Trip 5; or, if you choose to follow the Alternate Loop, gas is available at Silver City. Please also note that bridges between Caballo and Hillsboro bear twelve-foot, six-inch height restrictions; and the Forest Service advises not only that trailers over twenty feet are unsafe on Forest Development Road 150, but that low-clearance / non-four-wheel-drive vehicles travel that section of the Trail at their own risk.
What's on the web about Caballo?
(This will take you to our Links page.)
Next stop on the E-Tour: side trips to Caballo Lake and Percha Dam State Parks...
	Enjoy the nature, history, and culture of southwest New Mexico - but don't disturb the natural, historical, and cultural sites. Do not remove, destroy, or deface anything on any site; strict laws protect artifacts on State, Federal, Indian, and private lands. Buying, selling, trading, or transporting these stolen items is also illegal. Please report looting and vandalism to federal land management authorities or the local sheriff. Hide all traces of your travels as the Apache hid their passing so these wildlands may remain unspoiled, the historical sites may remain true to their history, and the developed sites may remain clean and pleasant. Thank you.