Piñon Ghost Town

Otero County, New Mexico32.6181, -105.3940

Can you visit?

Private land, lived-in town

Private or unlisted land · Streets public, lots private

Nearest town
32 miHigh Rolls, NM
Mild months
Apr–Oct7 of 12
Elevation
6,060 ft1,847 m
Illustration of a mountain landscape
Illustration of the landscape type, not a picture of Piñon. No free-licensed photo yet.

Piñon sits in Otero County, New Mexico. People call it a ghost town, though 24 residents were counted in 2020. It lies at about 6,060 feet above sea level. The largest census count on record is 71 people in 2010.

On the map

20 mi40 miAlamogordoHolloman AFBLa LuzHigh RollsPiñon
  • Private or unlisted

Star: Piñon. Dots: other ghost towns within 40 miles, colored by land manager. Squares: towns over 1,000 people. Rings are straight-line distance. Live map: © OpenFreeMap, OpenMapTiles, OpenStreetMap contributors.

The closest town with more than 1,000 people is High Rolls, NM, about 32 miles northwest in a straight line. The nearest city over 50,000 is El Paso, TX, 81 miles away.

Ghost towns nearby

  1. Queen48 mi southeast
  2. Pine Springs60 mi southeast
  3. Salt Flat63 mi south
  4. Blackdom64 mi northeast
  5. White Oaks81 mi north
  6. Robsart81 mi north
  7. Jicarilla88 mi north
  8. Smeltertown88 mi southwest

Distances are straight lines. Roads to ruins are often dirt, and a 20-mile hop can take an hour.

Who owns the land

Private or unlisted land

The town center is not on any public or protected parcel in PAD-US, the national map of public land. People still live here, so streets are open while buildings and lots belong to their owners. Ask before you step onto a property.

The point is the town location from Wikidata, and the land record is from PAD-US 3.0 (USGS). Ruins can spread past that point, and land changes hands faster than the database. How we read PAD-US.

Weather by month

0°20°40°60°80°100°5520Jan5823Feb6428Mar7134Apr7942May8650Jun8555Jul8454Aug8047Sep7237Oct6227Nov5521DecJan: 0.5 inFeb: 0.3 inMar: 0.5 inApr: 0.5 inMay: 1.0 inJun: 1.6 inJul: 3.1 inAug: 2.7 inSep: 2.6 inOct: 1.5 inNov: 0.5 inDec: 0.7 inrain
Mild month (average high 55–88°F, low above 28°F) 32°F, freezing Rain and snow water, inches

Mild months here run April to October, judging by NOAA normals from Elk. Snow is normal from October to March.

NOAA 1991–2020 normals from the Elk station (USC00292865), 21 miles away. About 15.5 inches of precipitation a year.

Facts

LocationOtero County, New Mexico
Coordinates32.61810, -105.39400
Elevation6,060 ft (1,847 m)
Census counts2010: 25 · 2010: 71 · 2020: 24
Also known asPiñon, New Mexico, Piñon, NM
SourcesWikidata Q5791048 · Wikipedia article

Questions

Where is Piñon ghost town?

In Otero County, New Mexico, at 32.6181, -105.3940. The closest town with more than 1,000 people is High Rolls, NM, about 32 miles northwest in a straight line. The nearest city over 50,000 is El Paso, TX, 81 miles away.

Can you visit Piñon?

Private land, lived-in town. The town center is not on any public or protected parcel in PAD-US, the national map of public land. People still live here, so streets are open while buildings and lots belong to their owners. Ask before you step onto a property.

When is the best time to visit Piñon?

Mild months here run April to October, judging by NOAA normals from Elk. Snow is normal from October to March.

More ghost towns in New Mexico

All 69 ghost towns in New Mexico · Ghost towns near El Paso · Ghost towns near Las Cruces