Cloudcroft's practical outfitter — footwear, outerwear, mountain bikes, maps, sunglasses, and a boutique section, all on one floor on Burro Avenue. The shop that covers "forgot a jacket," "need a map," and "looking at hiking shoes."
When the forecast changes or you left the rain jacket at home, High Altitude is the answer. And when it's not an emergency, it's still where the hiking-shoes conversation actually starts in Cloudcroft. High Altitude marked its 30th anniversary in May 2026.
The Burro Avenue stone-and-wood storefront, the boutique side, the hanging mountain bike, the footwear, backpack, hat, sock, and Yeti aisles, the kids' rack, the sticker-covered counter, and the customer-service energy that makes the shop a full outdoor outfitter.
Footwear and outerwear drive the gear side; bikes occupy their own floor space; the boutique section runs alongside; maps and small gifts round out the store. Specific inventory rotates — call before planning around a particular brand.
"A pair of hiking shoes — Merrell, Hoka, or Patagonia on the floor. The one item where this shop genuinely beats ordering online."
Hiking footwear · fit-checked
"A local trail map and a fleece or rain layer. The two items that determine whether a Cloudcroft hike goes smoothly — available under one roof, fifteen minutes in and out."
Map + outerwear layer
"Sunglasses, or a boutique piece from the women's section. Both are the kind of pickup that travels better than a themed souvenir."
Sunglasses or boutique piece
Open seven days. Monday–Thursday 10 AM – 5:30 PM; Friday–Saturday 10 AM – 6 PM; Sunday 10 AM – 5 PM. Source is the shop's own website — one of the more reliable schedules on Cloudcroft's retail map.
On the main Burro Avenue walkable strip, in the 300 block. Directly on foot from Coco Blu (94 Little Glorietta, one block off), Poke The Bear (Burro), and Aspen & Ivy (Burro courtyard).
Phone: (575) 682-1229
Email: HighAltitudeNM@gmail.com
Web: highaltitudenm.com
What the outfitter handles well, and when to aim somewhere else on the avenue.
Chamber materials describe High Altitude as doing bike rentals. The shop's own current bicycles page says it's not offering rentals for the season. Policy shifts — but if rentals matter to your trip, call (575) 682-1229 before planning around them. Don't trust third-party directories on this one.
Mon–Thu 10–5:30 · Fri–Sat 10–6 · Sun 10–5, per the official site. These are posted and consistent. Seasonal adjustments happen; a quick call is still cheap insurance before a timed trip.
Free local trail maps at the counter plus maps available for purchase — this is Cloudcroft's best on-foot map supplier. Staff are informed and will sketch out trail routes if you ask.
On-street parking along Burro Avenue. Card and cash accepted. Specific accessibility details for the 310 Burro unit aren't documented; confirm before relying on it.
"High Altitude earns the tout because it's genuinely useful, not because it's picturesque. The forecast changes on Cloudcroft trails roughly every hour in the wrong season, and this is the store that sends you back out prepared. Build it into the day — map, footwear, layer — and then let Burro Avenue do the rest."
The shop opened in 1996 in a 200-square-foot room of this same rock building, and marked its 30th anniversary in May 2026. Cloudcroft Reader sat down with founder Matt Willett and buyer Bri Jonnes for the long version — how the first door got cut, how the brand wall got built, and why neither of them is in a hurry to answer the succession question.
"He actually got a saw, a big concrete saw, cut the hole in the side of the building where those two doors are on the boutique."
"My goal back then — that was like '97 — was just to make this town cool."
"Bri and I are gonna exit stage left together."
Three peer shops on the same walkable strip — or jump back to the full shopping guide for all 25.