Church Mountain
About
Church Mountain is a summit of 8,807 feet in the White Mountain Wilderness, part of the Smokey Bear Ranger District of Lincoln National Forest in New Mexico. The nearest town is Nogal, about 3 miles away. The most comfortable months for a visit are typically late spring and early fall. Typical averages from the nearby Cloudcroft weather station, at nearly the same elevation, show May highs around 66°F and September highs around 67°F, while July and August bring the most wet days, about 16 each month. Gaylord Canyon is the closest hike, under a mile away, and Norman Canyon and Oak Ridge Trail are both within about 2.5 miles. Climbers can find Monjeau Peak about 8 miles off.
Summit Facts
Summit elevation
8,807 ft
Elevation from USGS 3D Elevation Program terrain data (about 10 m resolution).
Location
Church Mountain
New Mexico
Name and location: U.S. Geological Survey, Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). Elevation: USGS 3D Elevation Program. View the GNIS record.
Facts about this place
When to go
Best time to go: May–Oct. The mildest months here, with typical highs of 60–74°F and lows of 34–48°F.
Typical monthly averages (not a forecast) from the Cloudcroft, NM weather station, 41 mi away. High / low in °F.
- Jan42° high19° low
- Feb45° high22° low
- Mar51° high26° low
- Apr58° high31° low
- May66° high38° low
- Jun74° high45° low
- Jul72° high48° low
- Aug71° high47° low
- Sep67° high42° low
- Oct60° high34° low
- Nov51° high26° low
- Dec43° high19° low
Where it is
- White Mountain Wilderness · Wilderness
- Smokey Bear Ranger District · Ranger district
- Lincoln National Forest · National forest
- Nearest town
- Nogal, New Mexico · 2.9 mi
Source: Wilderness.net boundaries; USFS EDW boundaries; USGS GNIS populated places
Conditions
Active alerts for Smokey Bear Ranger District as of Oct 9, 2026:
caution · posted Aug 24, 2026
Order# 03-08-01-26-002: Area and Trails Closure
caution · posted Aug 24, 2026
Source: USFS forest alerts
Nearby
- Gaylord CanyonHiking0.9 mi
- Norman CanyonHiking2.1 mi
- Oak Ridge TrailHiking2.5 mi
- Pennsylvania CanyonHiking2.5 mi
- Fin Boulder, TheRock climbing8.1 mi
- Half Moon BoulderRock climbing8.3 mi
- Monjeau PeakRock climbing8.3 mi
- West Faces, TheRock climbing8.3 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
