What Is Enchanted Forest Cross Country Ski Area?

Enchanted Forest Cross Country Ski Area is a 600-acre, four-season outdoor area in the Carson National Forest above Red River, New Mexico. It has offered cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in winter and biking and hiking in other seasons. The important caveat for anyone planning a visit: the operators have announced that the area will not open for the 2026-27 winter season, though the ski area remains for sale and could reopen under a new owner.

Where it is and what it offers

The area sits on 600 acres of Carson National Forest land above Red River, in northern New Mexico. Its own description sums up the appeal as "year-round fun in Red River, New Mexico," and the activities named on the site are:

• Cross-country skiing — both classic and skate skiing on groomed trails
• Snowshoeing
• Biking
• Hiking

Winter grooming is snow-dependent. According to the site, when there is enough snow — or when the snow is not too icy — trails are set for both classic and skate skiing using a Ginzu groomer from West Yellowstone Track Systems. If more than a few inches of fresh snow falls, the crew packs first before setting tracks.

Beyond the trails, the operation has included yurts and a lodge, and it has hosted themed events such as "Just Desserts" Eat & Ski, which combines skiing or snowshoeing with local dessert favorites.

Who runs it

Enchanted Forest has been a family-run place, operated by Geoff Goins and Ellen Miller Goins. In their own words, it has been "more than a business" — a life's work and second home. They describe decades of watching families learn to ski, children see snow-covered pines for the first time, and regulars return season after season.

That history matters if you are trying to understand what kind of place it is: not a large corporate resort, but a small, community-oriented area where the same people showed up every weekend and made it a tradition.

Current status: closed for 2026-27

The operators have stated plainly that the Enchanted Forest will not open for the 2026-27 season. They cite years of effort across grooming trails, maintaining equipment, and keeping the yurts and lodge running, and say the time has come to let go. Geoff and Ellen Goins will not be operating the ski area this winter.

Two things follow from that announcement:

• The ski area is still for sale, and the operators say there is real hope a new owner will step in and reopen it — possibly even this year.
• Any reopening would be under new ownership. The Goinses are explicit that they will not be the ones operating it.

What this means if you want to visit

Because the status is in transition, the practical steps are:

1. Check the current status before making plans. The 2026-27 season is announced as closed, but a sale could change that. Treat any reopening as unconfirmed until it is announced by the new owner.
2. Do not assume trails, grooming, rentals, yurts, or the lodge are available. All of those depended on the operation running.
3. If you are looking for winter cross-country skiing or snowshoeing near Red River right now, plan around the possibility that Enchanted Forest is not an option this season, and confirm alternatives locally.
4. If you are interested in the property itself, the ski area is listed for sale; the operators' announcement is the starting point for that inquiry.

The short version: Enchanted Forest is a 600-acre, family-run, four-season area above Red River known for groomed cross-country ski and snowshoe trails in winter and biking and hiking in other seasons — but it is not opening for 2026-27, and its future depends on a sale.