White Mountain Wilderness, Protected wilderness area in Sierra Blanca Mountains, New Mexico, US

White Mountain Wilderness is a federally protected area within Lincoln National Forest in the Sierra Blanca Mountains of New Mexico. The land has no roads or developed facilities inside, only trails that pass through forest and open ridges at varying heights.

The area received its first formal protection in the 1930s as part of the growing national forest system. The Wilderness Act of 1964 later gave it official wilderness status, permanently blocking any future development inside its boundaries.

The area's name comes from Sierra Blanca, the white-topped peak just outside the wilderness boundary on the Mescalero Apache Reservation. The Mescalero Apache operate Ski Apache, the winter sports area west of Ruidoso that gives access to the southern part of the wilderness. The 20-mile Crest Trail (T25) crosses much of the eastern end and meets the Big Bonito, Scenic and Three Rivers trails.

Several trailheads around the edges of the area are reachable by car and offer starting points for short or long hikes. The elevation can be demanding even for experienced hikers, so it is worth allowing time to adjust before heading deeper in.

The area's namesake peak, Sierra Blanca, lies just outside the wilderness boundary on the Mescalero Apache Reservation. A 1.25-mile trail from Lookout Mountain leads to its 11,973-foot summit, the southernmost mountain in the continental United States to rise above timberline.