Trip report July 2005 by Richard L. Carey.
Tucson Mountain is a former forest lookout site and is the highest point in the Vera Cruz Mountains in central New Mexico. The small range is about 15 miles east of Carrizozo in the Lincoln National Forest.
Getting to the peak: From Carrizozo drive east on highway 380 toward Capitan.
After about 13.7 miles take Indian Divide Road north (left). The road passes some homes and then at 1.6 miles turn left on FR34 which is not graded. At 2.4 miles go right at a junction. After about 3 miles the road gets rougher and four-wheel drive is needed. The surface is deeply rutted due to wet weather travel. At 4.7 miles at a junction in a meadow turn right on road 9038. Follow this for a mile and at 5.8 miles turn left at a junction in a meadow. At 6.2 miles go right and continue to the top of the mountain, which you will reach in 6.8 miles. The old fire lookout is gone and all that remains are some wood posts. Look for a register in a rock cairn. The benchmark could not be found.
Maps: White Oaks South, 1:24,000 scale topo map, 1973. Lincoln National Forest map, Smokey Bear Ranger District.