Cloudcroft Fire Department
Volunteer and paid responders covering structural fire, wildland fire, and medical first response in the village and surrounding Lincoln National Forest. They are first on most scenes up here.
(575) 682-2322Resources · 2026
Emergency services.
The numbers visitors and residents need before something goes wrong in Cloudcroft and the Sacramento Mountains.
Local responders
Fire, sheriff, state police
For anything time-sensitive — fire, medical, life-safety, an accident on the highway — call 911. The numbers below are non-emergency lines for follow-up reports, lost property, road questions, or fire follow-up.
Otero County Sheriff
Primary law enforcement for Cloudcroft and the unincorporated stretches of the county. Use this line for non-emergency reports, follow-up, and general questions.
(575) 437-2210NM State Police
State highway patrol and major-incident response across US-82, NM-130, NM-244, and the rest of the mountain road network. For emergencies, dial 911. For general info, see the State Police site.
nmsp.dps.nm.gov
Medical & forest
Hospital, ranger district, air evac
There is no hospital in Cloudcroft. The nearest emergency room is in Alamogordo, about 22 miles down the mountain on US-82. Air-ambulance dispatch — for serious trauma or remote-area incidents — is handled through 911.
Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center
24-hour emergency department in Alamogordo. From the village it's roughly 25 to 35 minutes down US-82 in clear weather; longer in snow, ice, or fog on the canyon switchbacks.
2669 N Scenic Dr, Alamogordo, NM 88310
(575) 439-6100Lincoln National Forest — Sacramento Ranger District
For active fires, call 911. For forest-fire reporting outside an active emergency, fire-restriction status, road closures, and wildland questions, the Sacramento Ranger District office in Cloudcroft is the right contact.
fs.usda.gov/lincoln
Practical notes
What to know before you call
911 vs. non-emergency. Call 911 for anything time-sensitive — fire, injury, crash, missing person, anything you cannot wait on. Use the non-emergency lines above for follow-up reports, lost property, road questions, and fire follow-up after the immediate incident is over.
Cell coverage is uneven. Service is reasonable in the village core along Burro Avenue and the US-82 corridor, and patchy-to-nonexistent on the back roads, in the canyons, and out on the trail system. Know which side of the village your lodging is on, and tell people where you're hiking before you go.
Winter driving. Roads up the mountain — US-82 from Alamogordo, NM-130 north, NM-244 toward Ruidoso — can close in storms. Check NMRoads.com or the State Police before driving up in winter weather. Carry chains in deep winter; the canyon switchbacks are not the place to learn.
Wildfire season. Fire restrictions are real. Honor them. The Forest Service updates the danger level publicly, and stage 1 or 2 restrictions in dry years can prohibit campfires, charcoal, smoking outside vehicles, and chainsaw use. Check before you light anything.
Save these before you head up
Better to have them and not need them. Save the village fire and sheriff lines in your phone before you lose signal.