Alamogordo, La Luz Views climate (Tularosa, Cloudcroft: safe, parking, area)

[ocean2026]

I know the climate in High Rolls is quite different than Alamogordo and Cloudcroft even cooler and higher than High Rolls -Mountain Park.

What about La Luz towards the mountain and say Scenic Drive towards the mountain in Alamogordo?


1. Are there nice views of the city and city lights from each place?

2. They look to be 100 -300 ft higher than central Alamogordo. Is there a climate difference?

[Cathy4017]

There are nice views along Scenic in Alamogordo--and a neat view of the city from the upper parking lot of the New Mexico Museum of Space History, especially at night.

That area seems marginally cooler at night, but I wouldn't really say there is a significant difference in climate between downtown and that point.

[joqua]

There is a local myth concerning the name "La Luz" that says in pioneering days the villagers would light a bonfire every night that could be seen in Tularosa, indicating the villagers were safe from marauding Indians - no bonfire was supposed to signal people in Tularosa of the need for armed help. So yes, there is a great panoramic view from the village elevation out over the desert.

As for the name of the town, it's a bit more mundane. By some accounts it was founded by Franciscan friars as early as the early 18th Century and called Nuestra Señora De La Luz (Our Lady of the Light).

There is not going to be significant temp differences. There is an outdoor concert series on the parking lot of the Space Museum in the summer that is comfortable most evenings once the sun drops below the horizon, but can be uncomfortable earlier.