Now everyone is going to get a chance to get to know Tres Piedras. Starting this spring, Carson National Forest is making available as a rental the Aldo Leopold House, which sits off Highway 285 as travelers make their way through northern New Mexico.
Leopold is known for his vision to set aside 755,000 acres of forest land in southern New Mexico, which became known as the Gila Wilderness, when he was working as a local forest manager in New Mexico in the early 1900s.
Lesser known is the fact he built a home for himself and his wife, Estella, near Tres Piedras during the time he was deputy forest supervisor of Carson National Forest in northern New Mexico. The Leopoolds called their home “Mi Casita.”
Now for the first time, Carson National Forest is making the Leopold home available for overnight stays, beginning in May.
“Aldo built this cabin, and its bones have stood the test of time,” said District Ranger Angie Krall, a former archeologist with experience restoring cabins on the neighboring Rio Grande National Forest in Colorado. “We’ve put in a considerable amount of work to preserve this treasure and bring it up to code to open it up for the public at large.”
Leopold was the Carson National Forest deputy forest supervisor, and later forest supervisor, in the early 1910s. He received $650 to build a supervisor’s quarters, where he lived with his wife. Today, the house is used for administrative purposes and for a partnership with The Leopold Writing Program to host two writers-in-residence each year.
With private and public funding, most recently from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which paid for a new roof and septic system, forest staff were able to get the building up to code for public use. Private funding was provided through the Taos Community Foundation, where local volunteer Dr. Richard Rubin fundraised and led major improvements, including exterior painting, installing stair railings, repairing the porches and purchasing a new gas stove. Historicorps completed a full house restoration in 2006.
The two-story American Craftsman style bungalow will be available for groups of up to eight people. It features four bedrooms, one full bathroom, a kitchen, dining room and living room, with a front and back porch.
It will cost $175 a night, with funds going toward managing the rental, ongoing maintenance and building capacity for potentially expanding overnight cabin rental opportunities across the forest.
More information and rules can be found on Recreation.gov, where reservations can be made for dates beginning May 1 (Reservations by phone can be made by calling 1-877-444-6777). As with many cabin rentals throughout national forests, guests will need to bring their own supplies, including soap, bedding and towels.
The cabin will be available in the spring, summer and fall annually. Two months are blocked off to continue the writers-in-residence program with The Leopold Writing Program. Other dates may be blocked out for partnership retreats and youth education events with at least six months advanced notice.
To learn more about Aldo Leopold, go to the website of the Aldo Leopold Foundation, which is soon to partner with the Carson National Forest to develop interpretive materials for visitors to the house and general area.