High Rolls, NM

High Rolls is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Otero County, set at the southern end of the Sacramento Mountains within the Lincoln National Forest. U.S. 82 carries the community between Alamogordo and Cloudcroft, climbing through the forest along a route that once also carried the railroad. Sutherland established the settlement in 1883, and the railroad's arrival in 1898 opened a route for freight, fruit, and visitors. High Rolls and neighboring Mountain Park share that mountain-and-railroad history, including the area associated with wartime cartoonist Bill Mauldin.

High Rolls Mountain Park Elementary sits on Karr Canyon Road within Alamogordo Public Schools, giving the mountain community a local school address. The High Rolls/Mountain Park Lions Club runs the Cherry Festival in June and Apple Festival in September, with growers, food, craft vendors, and community gatherings. The club is also developing a community center, while its events keep the shared High Rolls/Mountain Park name on the calendar. The local map runs from the highway and school to forest roads, orchards, and volunteer-run festival dates.