Cibola National Forest is a large, noncontiguous forest based in central and northern New Mexico, with associated grasslands extending into Texas and Oklahoma. Organized into four ranger districts, it spans deserts, prairies, woodlands, and subalpine forests across a wide elevation range, and includes well-known recreation areas near Albuquerque in the Sandia Mountains. The land has a deep human history reaching back 14,000 years, later encompassing Apache territory and then mining and livestock raising after the Apache Wars. Today Cibola is important for wilderness protection, wildlife habitat, recreation, and scientific research, while still supporting uses such as grazing and mining.