A cross-country ski area that has operated in the mountains of northern New Mexico for more than four decades will not open for the 2026-27 winter season.
Enchanted Forest Cross Country Ski Area, located outside Red River on Bobcat Pass, confirmed that owners Ellen Miller-Goins and Geoff Goins will not operate the ski area this winter following several difficult snow seasons and mounting financial pressures.
“We have some difficult news to share with you. After 40 years, Enchanted Forest Cross Country Ski Area will not open for the 2026-27 winter season.” -Ellen & Geoff
The decision does not necessarily mean Enchanted Forest is gone for good. The operation remains for sale, and the owners say they hope a buyer will eventually take over and reopen it.
Last Winter Was The Worst In The Area’s History
Enchanted Forest relies almost entirely on natural snowfall, making it particularly vulnerable when northern New Mexico has a poor winter.
The 2025-26 season was especially difficult. The owners told the Albuquerque Journal that Enchanted Forest received only about 20 inches of snow during the entire winter, the lowest total they could remember since the business began. Geoff Goins said the ski area needs roughly 150 inches in a season to operate adequately, with around 200 inches being preferable.
Conditions were so poor that Enchanted Forest never opened its groomed trails for cross-country skiing last winter. The business managed to offer some guided snowshoe outings and overnight yurt stays, but not enough traditional winter operations to sustain another season.
The situation was not isolated to Enchanted Forest. New Mexico’s historically poor snow season contributed to shortened operations at ski areas around the state. Pajarito Mountain, for example, ended its season early in March as warm temperatures and a depleted snowpack made continued operations impossible.
Federal snowpack data also shows just how unusual the winter was. The National Integrated Drought Information System reported that New Mexico’s 2026 peak snowpack was the lowest recorded during the SNOTEL era, with snow water equivalent around the typical April 1 peak running 32% to 53% below the previous record low in New Mexico and several other Western states.
For a Nordic operation without a large snowmaking system to fall back on, the financial risk of preparing for another uncertain winter became difficult to justify.
Ski New Mexico said continuing operations would require significant upfront spending before the owners could know whether enough natural snow would arrive.
More Than 40 Years Of Nordic Skiing
Enchanted Forest traces its roots to John and Judy Miller, longtime Red River residents who became involved in the area’s ski community during the 1960s.
John Miller began guiding cross-country skiers through the Red River backcountry after the couple’s involvement with the former Powder Puff Mountain ski area. A visit to a groomed Nordic center in California eventually inspired him to develop a dedicated cross-country ski operation in New Mexico.
Enchanted Forest opened during the winter of 1985-86 with approximately 10 kilometers of trails. The ski area’s history says it eventually grew to include 33 kilometers of ski trails, dedicated snowshoe terrain and dog-friendly routes.
The operation sits high in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains within the Carson National Forest. Over the years, Enchanted Forest became known for classic and skate skiing, snowshoeing, ski lessons, trailside yurts and events including its Just Desserts Eat & Ski and holiday luminaria tours.
Ellen Miller-Goins, the founders’ daughter, and Geoff Goins purchased the operation in 2010.
The Ski Area Could Still Return
The current owners had hoped selling Enchanted Forest would provide a path forward, but a previous potential sale fell through. The operation remains on the market.
That leaves an important distinction between Enchanted Forest and a ski area that has permanently shut down and been abandoned. The trail system, lodge and yurts remain, and the owners have explicitly left open the possibility that somebody else could take over.
Ski New Mexico’s current 2026-27 opening schedule lists Enchanted Forest as closed for the winter while noting that the property remains for sale and could potentially return under a new operator.
For now, however, the coming winter will be the first in roughly four decades without regular Enchanted Forest operations.
