Cloudcroft is a village in Otero County, New Mexico, United States, and is located within the Lincoln National Forest. The population was 674 at the 2010 census. Despite living thing located in an then again arid region, its high elevation (8,676 feet (2,644 m); one of the highest in the U.S.) allows for a serene summer that makes it a popular tourist likeness in west Texas and southern New Mexico. It was named by Fodor’s in 2002 as the Number 3 “Most Overlooked and Underrated Destination Spot.” Tourism remains the primary economic driver of the village.

In the 1890s, the El Paso and Northeastern Railroad, organized by brothers Charles Bishop Eddy and John Arthur Eddy, arrived in the newly founded town of Alamogordo intending to continue the rail pedigree north to the mining town of White Oaks and beyond. This required a steady supply of timber. In 1898 the Eddy brothers sent a survey crew into the Sacramento Mountains to determine the feasibility of extending a line going on the summit to harvest the forests. The crew reported that not on your own was it possible, but the Place could attract visitors. The reveal of Cloudcroft – a pasture for the clouds – was suggested and work upon the pedigree soon began.

By the end of the year, the rail heritage had been extended as far and wide as Toboggan Canyon, and construction was started upon a pavilion at the top to find the grant for accommodations for the anticipated tourists. It consisted of a dining room, kitchen, parlor, entertainment hall, and 40 tents set on wooden platforms. In May 1899 the railroad reached Cox Canyon and in June 1899, “The Pavilion” was formally opened by John Eddy. The first visitors rode the train as far and wide as Toboggan and over and done with the journey by stagecoach. Favorable reports in newspapers quickly made Cloudcroft a popular destination. An other resort, The Lodge, was built as a more upscale every other to The Pavilion. The rail pedigree arrived in Cloudcroft in beforehand 1900, and in June 1900 the train depot was finished, located just west of The Pavilion. Meeting the trains became a daily objection in the village, with three arriving each day, bringing lumber, mail, and passengers.

In 1909, The Lodge burned down; it was rebuilt at its present location in 1911. The Pavilion as a consequence burned twice in the 1920s, but was rebuilt each era to conform to the native plans.