Cloudcroft is a village in Otero County, New Mexico, United States, and is located within the Lincoln National Forest.

Its high elevation of 8,676 feet (2,644 m) allows for a mild summer and the forested mountains make it a tourist attraction for the surrounding deserts, and tourism remains the primary economy of the village.

[citation needed] In the 1890s, the El Paso and Northeastern Railroad, organized by brothers Charles Bishop Eddy and John Arthur Eddy,[4] arrived in the newly founded town of Alamogordo intending to continue the rail line north to the mining town of White Oaks and beyond.

In 1898 the Eddy brothers sent a survey crew into the Sacramento Mountains to determine the feasibility of extending a line up the summit to harvest the forests.

By the end of the year, the rail line had been extended as far as Toboggan Canyon,[5] and construction was started on a pavilion at the summit to provide accommodations for the anticipated tourists.

It consisted of a dining room, kitchen, parlor, entertainment hall, and 40 tents set on wooden platforms.

In May 1899 the railroad reached Cox Canyon[5] and in June 1899, "The Pavilion" was formally opened by John Eddy.

The rail line arrived in Cloudcroft in early 1900, and in June 1900 the train depot was finished, located just west of The Pavilion.

Meeting the trains became a daily activity in the village, with three arriving each day, bringing lumber, mail, and passengers.

[7] According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.63 square miles (4.2 km2), all land.

Cloudcroft meets the criteria of a humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfb), if the 32 °F or 0 °C coldest-month isotherm is used.

Festivals at Zenith Park in Cloudcroft include May Fair, on the Memorial Day Weekend, July Jamboree, and Oktoberfest.