The area is heavily wooded, with a mixture of level and hilly ground.

From Albuquerque, drive east on I-40 to Exit 175. Proceed north on NM-14 about 7 miles to NM-536. Turn left or west, onto NM-536 and drive about 9 miles up to the picnic site and look for signage on your left. It is easy to miss, as the gate is set back from the road. A landmark to help you is Capulin Picnic Site. Nine Mile Picnic Site is approximately a mile past Capulin, on the left.

Cibola National Forest covers more than 1.6 million acres and includes mountains, grasslands, wilderness, and forests. The name Cibola comes from the Zuni word for their tribal lands, which the Spanish later translated as "buffalo". The forest is home black bears, cougars, elk, and pronghorn. Cibola National Forest offers many recreational opportunities including hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, and skiing. It also has cultural and historical significance, as it contains ancient Native American sites and historic trails.

The National Forest has four ranger districts: Sandia, Mountainair, Magdalena, and Mount Taylor. In addition, the Cibola has four wilderness areas: Sandia Mountain, Manzano Mountain, Withington, and Apache Kid.