Grant County issues evacuation order on west end of New Mexico Highway 35

Silver City, NM, June 13, 2025—Gila National Forest has issued a public safety closure order for Gila National Forest lands and recreation sites threatened by the Trout Fire. The closure area is south and west of New Mexico Highway 35, north of Allie Canyon Trail, Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, Signal Peak Trail, and Tadpole Ridge Trail, and east of Sheep Corral Canyon Trail and Forest Road 4083V in the Sheep Corral area.

All National Forest System lands within the closure area are closed to public entry, including developed recreation sites along New Mexico Highway 35 (Allie Canyon Trailhead, Sapillo Continental Divide National Scenic Trail Trailhead, Railroad Canyon Trailhead, Pictograph Canyon Trailhead, Purgatory Chasm Trailhead, Sapillo Group Campground, Mesa Campground, Upper End Campground, Lake Roberts Day Use Area, Lake Roberts Picnic Area, Vista Ruins Picnic Area, and the Lake Roberts Recreation Area.

Additionally, Grant County Sheriff's Office issued a "Go" evacuation order for private properties along the western end of New Mexico Highway 35, from Sapillo Campground west to the Highway 15/35 intersection, on both sides of the highway. Private properties east of Sapillo Campground along New Mexico Highway 35 remain in "Set" status under the wildfire preparedness Ready, Set, Go program.

For official fire updates and information visit the Gila National Forest website, Gila National Forest Facebook page, Inciweb, or New Mexico Fire Information.

About the Forest Service: The USDA Forest Service has for more than 100 years brought people and communities together to answer the call of conservation. Grounded in world-class science and technology– and rooted in communities–the Forest Service connects people to nature and to each other. The Forest Service cares for shared natural resources in ways that promote lasting economic, ecological, and social vitality. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, maintains the largest wildland fire and forestry research organizations in the world. The Forest Service also has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 900 million forested acres within the U.S., of which over 130 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.