McGaffey Lake

Above, McGaffey Lake. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Today, I took a drive up to McGaffey Lake up in the Cibola National Forest. It is roughly 20 miles from home up NM Highway 400 from Interstate 40 (two exits west of Jamestown).

I had never been there before but I heard a lot about it.

Above, another view of McGaffey Lake. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Several years ago, a handicap ramp and pier were built, but the lake never reached it because some "great brain" decided the dredge out the silt at the bottom of the late. That, plus drought conditions, caused the lake to disappear into just a mudhole.

Above, the handicap pier and ramp leading to it. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

This year, thanks to the snow and rains we received during the winter, the McGaffey Lake re-formed and it now reaches the handicap pier.

Above, there's plenty of pines near McGaffey Lake. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The McGaffey area reminds me a lot of the Angeles National Forest areas in the San Gabriel Mountains near Los Angeles with pines. I will likely do some camping in one of the two area National Forest Campgrounds.