See the MRO page for a weekly report of road conditions.
See this very large aerial map for a view of the road from Highway 60 to the Main Lab Building, provided by the Magdalena Ridge Observatory.
The Forest Service has issued a Road Closure Order that closes Forest Road 235 to the public beyond the campground during hours when work is in progress for the Magdalena Ridge Observatory. Typically, work takes place between 5:00 am and 6:00 pm Monday through Thursday. The road is open to the public during non-work times and on weekends. To check the road status, phone the MRO Office at 575-835-6431 during business hours. Security personnel are stationed at the top and bottom of the road to regulate traffic.
WARNING: If you drive through the open gate, you are in danger of being locked inside. Be sure you know when the gate will be locked that day.
Restrictions on use of vehicle headlights and building lights may be in
place when the 2.4-meter telescope of the Magdalena Ridge Observatory is
in operation. Check with the security guards about night-time light
emissions.
Langmuir Laboratory for Atmospheric Research, located 30 road miles southwest of Socorro, NM, near the summit of 10,783-foot South Baldy Peak in the Magdalena Mountains, welcomes visitors from mid-June to mid-August. However, visitors should check with the campus office (575-835-5423) to be certain that the Lab and the road are open. Occasionally during the usual research season Lab personnel have been away doing research at other locations, or the Forest Service has imposed closures because of extreme fire hazard conditions or construction work for the Magdalena Ridge Observatory.
From Socorro, take U.S. Highway 60 west approximately 16 miles to the Water Canyon Campground turnoff, between mile markers 123 and 124. Follow paved Forest Road 235 about 4.5 miles to the campground, where there are improved Forest Service campsites. Cross over the creek to the left, and continue another 10 miles beyond the campground to the summit to reach the Laboratory.
Beyond the campground, Forest Road 235 is unpaved, gravel, one-lane, and steep with many blind curves and drop-offs; the road is not recommended for passenger vehicles with low clearance or in substandard mechanical condition, nor for motor homes or travel trailers.
The National Radio Astronomy Observatory's Very Large Array on the Plains of San Agustin also welcomes visitors. It is located just off U.S. Highway 60, approximately 36 miles west of the Forest Road 235 turnoff to Langmuir Laboratory.
If you are looking for our offices on the campus of New Mexico Tech, here
is a sketchy map
that shows how to reach 237 Workman Center.