New Mexico State Parks
Other New Mexico listings: national parks and monuments and national forests.
Small lake on Bluewater Creek a few miles west of Grants alongside I-40, surrounded by low hills; used for boating, fishing, camping and bird watching, plus hiking along the cliff-lined limestone canyon below the dam. Situated just east of the continental divide. Description and Map | Photographs |
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The oldest state park in New Mexico (1933) - several small but deep lakes containing attractive, green-blue water, occupying collapsed caves at the foot of a limestone plateau along the Pecos River southeast of Roswell. Most activities center around Lea Lake, which has a campsite, sandy beach and picnic area; the other lakes are good subjects for photography, and fishing is allowed in some of them. Description and Map | Photographs |
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| Brantley Lake State Park Recently created lake just north of Carlsbad, offering the usual activities of camping, boating and fishing. |
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| Caballo Lake State Park Caballo is quite a large and scenic lake next to interstate 25 near Truth or Consequences; the state park occupies the land at the south end, and has a campground, visitor center, boat ramp and cactus garden. |
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| Cerrillos Hills State Park Small range of hills 15 miles south of Santa Fe, crossed by a network of short trails - has views of various larger, more distant ranges. Became a state park in 2009. |
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Cimarron Canyon is a deep, forested valley in the Cimarron Range, part of the Rocky Mountains in north New Mexico, and provides a course for US 64 between Eagle Nest and Cimarron. A seven mile section of the canyon is part of a state park, offering camping, picnicking, hiking on a few trails that climb the steep valley sides, and fishing in the Cimarron River which flows through the gorge. The park also includes several miles of the surrounding mountains, though this is rather inaccessible and most visitation is confined to the river corridor. Description | Photographs |
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In a shallow valley near Deming in southwest New Mexico, erosion of ancient volcanic deposits has created a half mile expanse of large rounded columns up to 40 feet tall, known as the City of Rocks. The area was incorporated as a state park in 1952 and is popular for camping, photography, wildlife watching or just walking amongst the rocks - some can be climbed, others have sheer sides that form a maze of narrow passages between them. Description | Photographs |
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| Clayton Lake State Park Besides camping and the usual water-based recreation, Clayton Lake State Park also contains a set of 100 million year old dinosaur footprints, reached by a short trail. The park is located in far northeast New Mexico, along US 64/87 near Clayton. |
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| Conchas Lake State Park One of the largest lakes in the state, Conchas has 60 miles of shoreline along the Canadian and Conchas Rivers, and is set in empty, undeveloped country 30 miles northwest of Tucumcari. The state park occupies two sections along the east edge, and has all the expected amenities. |
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| Coyote Creek State Park Trout fishing, camping and nature trails are the main attractions of Coyote Creek State Park, a pleasant wooded location along a small stream on the east side of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, near the small town of Mora. |
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| Eagle Nest Lake State Park Created in 2004, Eagle Nest Lake State Park contains a 2,400 acre lake at 8,300 feet elevation in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, 30 miles east of Taos. Fishing and boating are available on the lake, while the surrounding lands have many opportunities for hiking and wildlife watching. |
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Elephant Butte is the largest lake in New Mexico, and a very popular center for boating, fishing and water-skiing. The lake was formed in 1916 after construction of a dam across the Rio Grande at Truth or Consequences, and it has over 200 miles of shoreline - most not easily reachable by road, especially the east side, though a paved road does run along much of the southwest edge, passing various side tracks leading to beaches, campsites and boat launch facilities. Description and Map |
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| El Vado Lake State Park El Vado Lake sits in hilly terrain near the Colorado border, and was created in 1935 by a dam over Rio Charma. There is one hiking trail, linking with nearby Heron Lake, plus the usual campground, picnic area and boat ramp. |
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| Fenton Lake State Park The small (37 acre) Fenton Lake has a campground and picnic area but few other facilities; it is surrounded by the Santa Fe National Forest along the winding road between Cuba and Los Alamos. Fishing and canoeing are also available. |
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| Heron Lake State Park Pine tree-lined Heron Lake has a pleasant location in wooded, hilly land a few miles from US 84 in north New Mexico; fishing, sailing, windsurfing and camping are the most popular activities. |
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| Hyde Memorial State Park Small section of the Santa Fe National Forest (16 miles from Santa Fe), featuring camping, wildlife viewing, picnic areas and short trails. |
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| Leasburg Dam State Park Diversion dam across the Rio Grande near Las Cruces - park has camping and fishing sites along the river, a visitor center and nature trails. |
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A selection of the plants and animals of the Chihuahuan Desert are displayed at Carlsbad's Living Desert State Park, occupying several acres of cacti and yucca-strewn land on the edge of the Ocotillo Hills, overlooking the Pecos River valley just northwest of town. Large wildlife includes bison, Mexican wolves, elk, mountain lions, javelinas and antelope, while inside are snakes, lizards and birds of prey, plus a walk-through aviary with humming birds and other colorful species. Description | Photographs |
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| Manzano Mountains State Park Most of the Manzano Mountains south of Albuquerque are within the Cibola National Forest, but a small area of the eastern foothills is a state park, where visitors may camp, hike, picnic, and look at wildlife. |
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| Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park This day use state park contains a stretch of riverside woodland along the Rio Grande south of Las Cruces, plus 600 acres of the surrounding desert lands. Facilities are limited to a visitor center and several nature trails. |
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| Morphy Lake State Park Morphy is one of many forested lakes in and around the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of north New Mexico, and offers the standard amenities of camping, fishing and boating. |
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Formed by construction of Navajo Dam across the San Juan River, Navajo Lake extends upstream for 30 miles and has many narrow inlets, so its shoreline is extensive, though overland access is limited and the lake is used mostly for water-based recreation. The main approach road is NM 539; this follows the river, climbs up and over the earthen dam and enters the main visitor area, which includes a busy marina with floating pontoons, campsite, grocery store, picnic grounds and ranger station. Description |
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| Oasis State Park Three acre pool next to an area of sand dunes, in the barren grasslands of east New Mexico, near Portales. |
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A preserved, furnished 19th century ranch house with historical exhibits is one of the attractions of Oliver Lee Memorial State Park, located ten miles south of Alamogordo at the edge of the scenic Sacramento Mountains. The park also has a cactus garden and a nice campground, and is the start point for the 5.5 mile Dog Canyon National Recreation Trail which climbs over 3,000 feet into the hills. Description | Map | Photographs | Panorama |
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| Pancho Villa State Park Exhibits about the 1916 raid by Mexican general Pancho Villa into the New Mexico border town of Columbus, and the subsequent US recriminations. |
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| Percha Dam State Park Dam holding back a small section of the Rio Grande River, immediately south of the much larger Caballo Reservoir. The surroundings are shady and wooded - good habitat for birds and other wildlife, and the park has a campground, picnic area and fishing sites. |
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| Rio Grande Nature Center State Park Nature trails and bird watching opportunities on partly wooded land along the Rio Grande, a few miles northwest of downtown Albuquerque. |
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In the remote southwest corner of New Mexico, Rock Hound State Park contains a section of the Little Florida Mountains 11 miles southeast of Deming, an area once used for gold and silver mining and now a renowned location for collecting minerals and semi-precious stones. Besides the opportunity for gem hunting the park has a fine campsite with good facilities and long distance views over a large area of flat desert land to the west. Description |
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| Santa Rosa Lake State Park Large (3,800 acre), branched lake with desert surroundings in northeast New Mexico, a few miles north of Santa Rosa, providing a center for water-based recreation. |
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| Storrie Lake State Park 81 acre park at the south shore of circular Storrie Lake, north of Las Vegas on I-25; nature trails, camping, wind surfing, fishing and boating are available. |
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| Sugarite Canyon State Park Interesting park in the far north next to the border with Colorado, containing the remains of the village of Sugarite, built to service coal mines that were shut down in 1941. Also has meadows, two lakes, a forested canyon and grassy mesas. |
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| Sumner Lake State Park Seven square mile lake surrounded by flat grassy prairie, 16 miles from Fort Sumner. Most people come here for fishing, camping and boating. |
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| Ute Lake State Park Fishing and boating on a long narrow lake along the Canadian River - near Logan in east New Mexico, 20 miles from Tucumcari. |
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| Vietnam Veterans Memorial State Park Chapel and memorial established in 1968 by the Westphall family, designated a state park in 2005. Located in the hills east of Taos. |
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| Villanueva State Park Riverside state park featuring lush woodland, meadows, colorful sandstone cliffs and an Indian ruin - around the Pecos River, 12 miles south of I-25. |
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